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A budget can be the biggest headache of your life, but it doesn't have to be. Set aside some time to get yourself together. Sit down with a pad of paper and a pen and make lists, lists and more lists. You need a list of all your committed expenses such as: utilities, rent, car insurance, cable TV/Satellite, internet, cell phones, land linesetc. You need a list of your necessities: Food, Gas, car payment/ registration/ inspection/ repairs/ maintenance (for the more environmentally friendly people it's a public transportation pass), clothing, health expensesetc. Then make a list for entertainment, list everything you do: go to the movies, out to eat, purchasing gifts, throwing a party, don't forget to include your cash allowance. Now list your debt: Credit cards, loans, money borrowed from a friend or family member, outrageous medical billsetc. Finally list your savings: Cash reserves, retirement, maybe you want to save money for a trip, write it all down.

Now it's time to work with numbers. Start with your committed expenses, those numbers for the most part never change. Write the amounts down, add them up and put the total on the bottom of the list.

Take a look at your necessities. Think about groceries and gas/transportation and try to estimate as accurately as possible, the amount of money you spend on each. Write down a reasonable amount to save every month for each vehicle inspection, vehicle repairs, vehicle maintenance, and health expenses. You should consider placing annual purchases, such as car inspections, in a savings account so they can gain interest. Think about your clothing needs as well, do you have to wear corporate attire to work? Do you wear through socks and jeans like there's no tomorrow? Consider these things when picking a monthly dollar amount for your necessary clothing. (Note: Necessary clothing does not include "Oh that top is so cute I just have to have it!" clothing purchases!) Put this total at the bottom of the list.

Time to look at entertainment! It's important you allow yourself some spending money each month; after all you don't make your money so you can just sit and look at it. Sometimes it's wise to allow yourself a small amount of cash to carry each week. Cash is always good to have on hand for emergencies. Total it and put it at the bottom of the entertainment list.

Now that we've had a little fun, it's time to look at a very important aspect of life DEBT. Write the totals you owe next to each item you wrote down. Divide this

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