Step 1: Determine Your Goals
Your short-term and long-term financial goals will affect your budget. If you’re saving for a down payment on a house, for example, you most likely will be following a stricter budget so you can focus on saving. If, on the other hand, you already own a home and are established in your careers, your discretionary spending might be greater. Together, decide what your short-term and long-term financial goals are. The rest of your budget will be set with those goals in mind. (For more, see: Budgeting Basics – Goal Setting.)