Get Organized

• To make a money system work, every month counts.calendar image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
  
  Pull together the account statements of home mortgages, car loans, credit cards, school loans and anything that has a monthly payment. In this new age of technology, you can enter this information into a free money budget planner, like Mint or Vertex 42. (See links in Resources.) Avoid websites that charge a fee. You can create a simple spreadsheet with MS Word or Excel with categories and line items that best suit an individual or a growing family.
  
  

Set Up Financial Goals

• Set short-term, medium and long-term financial goals.Three peaks each with a climber. image by Steve Johnson from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether your financial plan is to pay off a debt, save for a first or investment home, retirement nest eggs, an emergency fund, college, vacations, savings reserve or home improvement, it's key to set goals. Goals keep you focused and give a feeling of achievement in the end. Set a small (short-term), medium and big (long-term) goal to accomplish, and there will be financial balance that flows over into the personal side of life, too. If you don't have the money to meet your financial objectives (yet), using a budget planner will help you see where to cut back, save, or when you're ready, where you can afford to spend more. Some planners also have the capability to remind you by email or text on your mobile phone when bills are due.
  
  

Budget to Grow Your Money

• Make it one of your goals to "let it grow."Money image by Svetlana Kashkina from Fotolia.com
  
  Planners allow for you to sow your seeds and multiply nest eggs with what is currently there (if you already have a 401k, IRA or another retirement fund from your company). Enter all your accounts to keep track of what's going on. Some planners have graph or table widgets to gauge your earnings to determine if you can afford to put more or less aside, depending on your financial priorities at that time. A free, online budget planner can breakdown monthly amounts for each budget and can be adjusted as needed. Or create one that works for you.
  
  

Financial Responsibility

• Having a budget planner gets you to where you want to be financially.investment image by Kit Wai Chan from Fotolia.com
  
  Budgeting finances personally can be overwhelming to some and time consuming to others. This is where an online money budget planner can be more efficient for anyone and allow you to spend more time with your family or friends. It calculates all your accounts for you, gives you a detailed and overall picture that you can work with from month to month, season to season or year to year and keeps your numbers up-to-date for you as you spend or save. You can actually see the benefits of using a planner each time you log in to your computer.
  
  

Set Aside Time

• Financial freedomfreedom #4 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  If you're an individual, make an appointment with yourself to check your financial status each month. Pay your bills all at once and know where you stand for the rest of the month. As a family, both parents should have access to the budget plan and be on the same page at all times. In "Your 5-Minute Guide to Budgeting," MSN Money states, "Once you're on your way, keep track -- at first weekly, then monthly -- of where you're going off budget and adjust your allocations." It'll be well worth it to give you or your family financial freedom and growth through the years. And don't forget, "Successful budgeting takes time and persistence, so don't be discouraged if you don't hit your monthly goals at first," according to MSN Money.