Most people feel no matter what their income, they need more money to meet their expenses. Money may not always be the answer. More important is how you plan and then, actually spend your money.

The following are some signals which may mean real money problems are just "down the road." Do any of these apply to you? Do you....

... dip into savings to pay current bills?
... pay only the minimum amount due each month on charge accounts?
... delay payment of some bills you normally would have paid on time?
... borrow to pay for items you used to buy with cash?
... take out new loans to pay old ones or to get lower monthly payments?
... really know exactly where your money goes?

Credit Card Debt	$ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+
Other Unsecured Debt	$ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+
Number of Creditors	Select One 2 3 4+
Status of Bill Payments	Select One Up to Date About to Fall Behind 1 Month Behind 2 or More Months Behind
I want to	Select One Eliminate My Debt Consolidate My Debt Seek Advice
Own a Home?	Yes  No

Even if you answered 'YES' to all of the above, there is still hope for you. There are things you can do to get more from your dollars and have greater satisfaction from your spending. You must come to grips with the fact you have only a certain amount of money available to you and live within these limits. You may feel this is an impossible task at this point in time, but it IS possible for most people to accomplish.

Spending Plan

The secret lies in knowing where you are now, where you want to go in the future, and figuring out how to get there. It's similar to charting your route to a new and unfamiliar vacation spot. You just have to find out which roads to take in order to reach your final destination. Or in this case, your financial destination-- your future goals.

A Successful Plan

By now you know achieving a successful financial management plan will require you to make some difficult decisions. Here are some of the other things you may also need to do:

1. Gather the entire household together and have a discussion about what needs to happen in order for your family to reach its financial goals. It is very important everyone affected by the plan should have some say in it.
2. Decide what each person needs to do to help control the family spending.
3. Provide every family member with a personal allowance if you can. The size is not as important as is their personal choice in spending this money.
4. Agree within the family, that everyone will take turns getting what they want but must also be willing to give up something as well.
5. Learn and practice sound decision-making and shopping skills to get the most for your money.
6. Make it a habit to save something,no matter how small, from every paycheck.
7. Learn to live within your income and keep your credit under control.