How do I get smart about money and get my finances in order?

I am T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E with money. I can't save it to save my life, I spend it as soon as I get it, I suck at paying bills and I am in debt. Not major debt, just enough to keep me worrying. I realize that I have a problem, but for some reason, I can't discipline myself to get on the right track. I need some advice on how to get my mind in the right place and get ahead. Thanks!

How do I get smart about money and get my finances in order?
As others have written, there are a lot of books on the subject.





What you need to know is that you have to act in order to change a behavior. Changing your actions is difficult, like quitting smoking, drugs, and drinking. But, unlike those other addictions, you can't stop all together. You need to spend SOME money in order to live.





You might try dedicating one credit card for auto bill pay services for monthly expenses that are fairly consistant. For example, ISP Provider, Cable, Land Line Phone, Cell Phone, City Water, Natural Gas, Electricity, Sewer, Trash Collection, Auto Insurance (if using monthly plan), and Newspaper. Why a credit card? Because these services are mostly consistant, but not always. If attached to a checking account, and one of the services (e.g. Natural Gas in the Winter, or Eletricity while running an Air Conditioner in the Summer) surges, you don't end up with an overdrawn account and all the banking fees that come with that.





You should have two checking accounts. One should be dedicated to auto bill payments. The other should be for payments you manually control. You carry a checkbook for the latter, not the former. Have the auto bill checking account pay the mortgage (or pay the rent from it) and auto transfer an amount to your savings account. If you have other loans, like for a car, or student loan, then use this account too. And, either set a fixed monthly payment to the auto pay credit card and then payoff the difference each month with the manually controlled checking account; or, set an auto transfer amount to the manual checking account and then pay the entire balance from there.





This takes care of all the expenses except probably your two most volitile ones. Food and General Merchandise. Unfortunately, credit cards are all too easy to use for these expenses. Try not to. Instead, reserve a budgeted amount of cash from your income for these expenses. Pull it out at the beginning of the month and divide it across some envelopes (e.g. Groceries, Clothing, Services, and General Merchandise). With smaller chunks of money to deal with, a natural instinct is to conserve it so it'll go farther. The idea here is to use that instint to your advantage. Now, when you shop for clothes, you'll look in your envelope and know what you have to spend and how close you are to the end of the month. A big item? Then, hold on to the money in one month and let it carry so you now have excess money in that budget category.





Obviously, this is just one control technique. Lots exist. You need to find the one that's best for you. Self Help books outline many variations. They are all depending on you to change. Good luck.
Reply:Lacking of self-discipline ,has been a bad habit.


maybe you would think of professional orgnization for help.
Reply:Take a look at any of Dave Ramsey's books. Eiether Financial Peace or The Total Money Makeover. He will help you address living within your means, being on a budget, and getting out of debt.





He's changed my life!
Reply:Don't stress too much, help is available.





Savings: establish a percentage of your net pay that you would like to save and arrange for that amount to be deducted and deposited directly to a savings account.





Bills: set up automatic withdrawals for all your bills from a dedicated checking account.





Debt: start by analyzing the debt you have, largest to smallest and develop a plan to pay them off, lowest to highest.





You can do this. Think of all the other areas of your life where you use the strictest of discipline. If at some point you would like to own a home, (if you don't already) start saving now.





Use the link below to find a calculator to help you with the debt reduction plan.





Good luck.
Reply:Go to your local library and ask the reference librarian to help you find books about compulsive shopping and basic money management. Learning better habits is attainable when you address any emotional issues and educate yourself about your finances.





Lots of people struggle with learning to manage their money, so you have a lot of company. Probably more than you realize! I doubt good money management comes naturally to very many people. Probably most have to learn the hard way. So don't be discouraged or feel bad! It's a process and a journey, and you can take positive steps every day.





It is very helpful to write down all your expenditures and income, so you have clarity about exactly what you're doing with your money. Without a written record, it is easy for the money to somehow mysteriously slip away into vague oblivion.





Start educating yourself now with these sites:





http://www.bankrate.com/


http://www.crown.org/


http://www.daveramsey.com/


http://www.debtproofliving.com/


http://www.debtorsanonymous.org/


http://www.miserlymoms.com/


http://www.oprah.com/money/debtdiet/expe...


http://www.slice.ca/Shows/ShowsPage.aspx...





I'm sure you have better days ahead!
Reply:my parents said that Dave Ramsey's book, Financial Peace is a very good book about settling your finances. i have yet to read it, but i've read only good reviews about it and heard great things about it.