Develop a Spending Plan
A spending plan, or budget, is your ! rst step toward building ! nancial responsibility. A
spending plan organizes your estimated income and expenses over a set period of time
— normally a month. Creating a budget means tracking your personal cash # ow — that is,
how much money comes in and how much goes out.
A Spending Plan Can Help You:
• Stay out of debt
• Identify areas of potential savings
• Provide a cushion for unforeseen expenses
• Save money for long-term goals
• Avoid impulse spending
Adding up your monthly income is usually relatively easy, but adding up all your expenses
takes a little more e" ort. If you have not been keeping good records, you may have to
keep track of the money you spend for one month before you can enter numbers into your
budget.