Setting up your safety net.

Tracking your expenses, setting goals and building your budgets can be overwhelming, frustrating and demotivating.    It may seem that you are spending a great deal of time working with your finances. In the beginning you will be.As you go through the process, you will find that you spend less time as the plan becomes second nature.

You may not want to know just how bad things are; the first step to making it better is to face the music.  Start my writing it all down; your income, expenses, what you owe, and what you own.  When you look at everything in black and white, it may become quite discourgaging as it may be worse than you realized.  If you don't know what to do next-work on your safety net first.  Having a safety net, can change your life.  Knowing you have a back up for those unexpected expenses, like car repairs or doctor's bills, can change the way you think.  You know longer have the constant worry-what if something happens, it can free your mind and allow for you to relax and think of how to improve other areas of your finances.

Start your savings small-even if it's only $5 a week, have an amount and put it away with each paycheck.   When you get to $1000-then start worrying about your debt.  This safety net should come before paying down debt, retirement funding, and children's education at this point.  Once you have the safety net in place-then you can start working on the other items.

Change is never easy-it takes time, discipline, tenacity, and sometimes just grit to make it happen.   It is so easy when it comes to money to get discouraged.   It may seem that no matter what you do; nothing will ever change.  But it can change, not overnight, but it can change.  Take small steps; these small steps will lead to a better future.