Ride the "Winds of Change" - Money Management at Your Fingertips

Do you often feel frustrated at your lack of control over those everyday expenses that just creep up on you every month, JUST when you were convinced you had it all under control? Do you wonder what happened to upset your projection for the perfect month end balance?Good news, you are not alone! The economic recession has led to such financial free fall that there are now millions who experience the same feeling. At the worst, you might feel like you are wading through mud. Who prepared you for being laid off, downsizing, the credit crunch, losing your home, retirement funds, increased bills, unexpected expenses, credit card interest, mortgage crisis, school loans, rising grocery prices - all take their toll and you want OUT!So let us leave all that bad stuff behind and focus forward... HOW do ordinary people escape financial stress, step out onto firm ground, and wipe off the mud?Well we all start somewhere, and some of us take the more difficult route... This is a simple outline of what helped me get going, although it was just a start and I have since discovered there are simpler and more powerful ways to do this online.1. Knowledge. I started with a simple Excel Spreadsheet where I could record what I spent daily and see exactly where my money was going; and (by glancing at the previous month) project expenditure into the rest of the month. Simply, I started to TRACK where all those precious, hard earned dollars were going?2. Control. My reasoning was if I know where I spend my money daily, I have a better chance of controlling where my money goes in the future. What a pleasure to be able to see a) how much more cash I would have at any given time of the month and b) how much less cash I would have during certain periods (due to recurring auto-debits for mortgage, insurance and gym fees)3. Target. Essentially, to best project into the future I had to establish what my TARGET expenditure should be in relation to what I wanted to achieve? How much did I need to spend on food, utilities, transport? What held true to my beliefs and values, did I have to change the way I viewed life? These are all questions I asked myself. For example, I discovered there were quite a few steps I could take personally to help with global warming, e.g. by choosing to walk or take Public Transport wherever possible, weather and time permitting of course... you CAN make a difference!4. Positive Habits. Then I started to TRIM with everyday decisions to keep within our monthly budget (even if it meant switching service providers OR saying "No" to that favourite Chai Tea Latte!) A simple daily discipline to eliminate poor financial habits and develop new rituals became part of my everyday life.5. Improve Your Budget. I also started to open my mind to new ideas! At every opportunity, I started to read, listen and learn from online and offline experts committed to helping you manage your family budget plan, whether at a grass roots level or towards higher goals and planning for prosperity. I learned that there are a few exceptional money manager tools online which help families to tweak their budgets, to evaluate how soon they can pay off that debt, and how best to do it each month; for example, how much more do we have to earn to afford that holiday we want to take later in the year?The key is to observe, take action, evaluate and change. To quote the legendary Jim Rohn, "One of the exciting things about the formula for success - a few simple disciplines practiced every day - is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time." (Success: The Formula for Failure and Success. /Jim Rohn).So after you have wiped the mud off your shoes, make a decision to be successful. Yes, it is not a BIG word - no matter how small or difficult your task may be - it just takes a daily discipline and soon you, too, will ride the winds of change!