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Looking to survive financially in todays economy? Do you wonder where all your hard earned money has gone at the end of the day or week (maybe month)? Do you sometimes ask yourself, I know I had $20, now what and where did I spend it? It’s never to late to experience the fantastic feeling of knowing you have CONTROL over your money and spending.

Here is a super quick and simple way to get started in knowing what and where your money has gone. It will be a surprise when you get it all on paper. Start by writing down what and where you have spent money each day. You have to start here, so that you know specifically where every penny is going; then you will be able to identify what is being wasted and what is truly a required expense at this time. Tracking what you spend with all the sources of payment (cash, credit cards, check) is necessary when taking CONTROL over your money.

Have you ever found out at the end of the month that you overspent, again, and you now have to figure out how to pay off that balance or pay a past due bill? Usually when or if this happens, it becomes a very painful and stressful event, not something any of us need today or any day.

Take Control of your MONEY NOW.

Above was a quick and less formal way to start taking control. Once you have that information, then you should begin grouping expenses into categories and summarizing the known expenses you pay each month. You can then use this list of categories and sub-categories below as a guide.

Most Used Expense Categories and (sub categories):

* Home (mortgage, rent, insurance, maintenance, etc.)

* Utilities (electric, water, gas)

* Transportation (vehicle payment, vehicle insurance, maintenance,public transportation, etc.)

* Medical (health, dental, vision, etc.)

* Debt (credit cards, consumer loans, personal loans, etc.)

* Food

* Family

* Insurance (disability, life, etc.)

* Entertainment (eating out, movies, sporting events, etc.)

* Pets (food, vet, preventive medicines, boarding, etc.)

* Clothing

* Miscellaneous

* Investments and Savings

* Donations

In reviewing your list of known expenses, can any categories be eliminated? Are there categories that you need to add? Most of the details and information needed you can find by reviewing the past two to three months of your credit card statements, checkbook register, and bank statements.

Once you have done the above, it is time to organize the data in a simple spreadsheet: Categories get listed on each row of the spreadsheet and then label the columns across for each month (or each week - if you want more details and control). Then take the 2 or 3 months of data and enter it into the form. Now you have a starting place to begin tracking what you spend each month.

For this to work and for you to take full CONTROL of your spending, it will mean you must start keeping track of all your spending, keeping receipts and not letting any dollar go un-tracked. You need to know how much you spend on everything. You need to know where every penny of your money is going, even the cash paid for that cup of coffee or can of soda.

Be sure to carefully evaluate your results, you’ll most certainly find the areas where you are possibly overspending and then take the necessary steps to taking back complete CONTROL of where every penny of your hard earned money goes. You have also developed your personal budget information, a starting point for having a working budget to plan and track your future income and expenses in a money management system. So, It’s Up to You…Take CONTROL today.

To Your Success In All That You Do and Dream Of…

Given the state of the economy, as well as people’s propensity to spend rather than save having an emergency fund is necessary now, more than ever. I’m sure everyone thinks that job lay-offs, unforeseen medical or automobile expenses, or even natural disasters are problems for the next person to worry about, but then again that’s why it’s called an “emergency fund” and not the “Christmas account” or “summer vacation to Disney account”.

It is always a wise idea, and something I preach (as well as practice) to all of my clients–have a separate account somewhere, anywhere with at least 3-4 months of reserves, but preferably 6-8 months of savings. Why you ask? It is quite simple, actually. With the credit industry in disarray, lenders are scrutinizing new home loan and HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) applicants more closely. As recently as two years ago, people’s home values were so inflated that they could use the equity in the homes as emergency funds, should the need arise. Now, however, with the number of loans in default and the decline of sales prices (and in turn appraised values) it is more difficult to secure any type of loan leading to the need for a liquid emergency fund. Combine that with the increase in the number of job cuts, and the increased competition for the few jobs that are being created, as well as the rise in fuel and utility costs, you are left with a difficult situation should you be out of work for an extended period of time, or suffer any other emergency.

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Timeliness is something that cannot be overrated. For every situation, the timing is very important. Whether you are talking about work or personal issues, timeliness can make or break the situation. I believe that this is especially true for financial issues. Think about the last time that you absolutely needed some money and you didn’t have any. The chances are that you had to run around to find a certain amount within the prescribed amount of time. You needed timely access to money.

Payday loans can actually answer your needs, whatever they may be. A payday loan is nothing new. It has been around for many years now and more and more people have been discovering just how timely the cash from a payday loan could be. It is not that much different from other more conventional types of loan in that you have to approach a lender who would be willing to part with his money and give it to you. You have to go through an application process and when you receive the money, you have to repay what you owe over an agreed upon period of time.

There are signification differences between payday loans and other conventional types of loans, however. One such difference is the fact that payday loans do not require such a long process. In fact, it is very easy to acquire a payday loan and actually getting the money is a breeze. How is this possible?

Though there are many reasons, one main thing that allows for the fast processing is the fact that payday loan lenders normally operate online. There are several implications of this fact. One, you do not have to be physically present at the lender’s office in order to apply for a payday loan. All that you need is a computer terminal that is connected to the Internet and you are good to go. Two, everything is carried out electronically. From submission of forms and documentation to the verification of these things, the process is streamlined because of the lack of paper and other manual tasks. This also means that there is less room for error and we all know how small errors can delay the loan application process significantly.

Another reason that payday loan lenders offer such timely assistance is the fact that they do not require a credit check. Yes, you read that right. Credit checks may be part and parcel of the process that you have to go through with banks and other financial institutions but with payday loan lenders, they have no place in the process. As a matter of fact, the term credit check will not even come up in your application process for a payday loan.

As you can see, payday loan lenders have done most everything that could be done in order to make the process of taking out a loan with them as easy as could be. The result is wonderful - timely access to cash just when you need it the most!

There was a day when personal banking required a trip to the bank, standing in often long lines, and making a transaction via a bank teller. Money was accessible only at a brick and mortar location. Any financial needs not taken care of by the end of the business day would have to wait until the next. Access to one’s money was dictated largely by the bank’s hours of operation.

Times have changed. Today, with the advent of the Internet, accessibility to one’s finances is more convenient than ever. With online banking there are no long lines or gas-guzzling drives to the bank. Transactions, bill payment and ordering new checks can all be accomplished with the click of a button in the comfort of one’s own home. ATMs allow instant access to cash. For some people, there is no brick and mortar bank behind their online accounts - their banking is conducted entirely with an Internet bank.

In fact, online banking has become the preferred transaction method for most of America’s banking customers. While an online transaction can take just under three minutes, it can take nearly 10 minutes at a bank to conduct that same transaction due to waiting in line and interacting with a branch teller.

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No one wants to be a “pinch-penny″ or to be known as the “that tightwad guy″ but with everything around us climbing higher and higher in price, we really don’t have much of a choice. It’s time to get smart with our money and learn to save in little ways that can grow into big savings.

1. CHECK YOU RECEIPTS. I’m checking mine now on a regular basis, I’ve found that it’s not always pennies but sometimes dollars that are rung up wrong. Over the course of a few times, this can add up to a nice amount of money back into your pocket. Most stores don’t do this on purpose (the computer age, don’t we just love it?) so just bring it to the attention of customer service for a refund.

2. GET YOUR BOOKS FOR FREE. How about a place where you can get all the books you want to read for free? It’s called the PUBLIC LIBRARY! Thousands of books for all ages, all interests and all for free!! When you think that you′re paying $10.00 to $25.00 and up per book that you read and just set on your bookshelf, probably to never touch again, you can see how much you could save over a year’s time.

If you just have to have the book, try finding it at one of the half price stores or a used bookstore. Most will take requests.

3. INTERNET COUPONS. There a literally hundreds of sites on the internet that have coupons for just about anything you could want from an oil change, cutting your hair or your dogs, getting your teeth cleaned to personal products and of course, food. You sign up at the site, decide which coupons you want and print them out. What could be easier and you save on products you use everyday.

4. TURN OFF THE HEAT. Many dishwashers come with a control that allows you to turn off the heating element during the drying cycle. If you don’t have one, just set a timer as a reminder and turn the dishwasher off.

During the winter months, open the door all the way to let the dishes dry-adds humidity to the air. During the summer, wait a few minutes after turning it off (gives the hot air inside time to cool down) and then open just a few inches to let the dishes air-dry.

5. MAKE YOUR BATH SOAP LAST LONGER. Buy your favorite brand of bath soap, open both ends of the paper wrapper and place on a shelf in your linen closet, on a closet shelf with blankets or in your dresser drawer. Why are you doing this?

When you allow the soap to air dry for about 30 days it will last about 50% longer when you use it. By placing on a shelf or drawer it acts as a potpourri sachet.

6. MONTHLY CREDIT CARD PAYMENT. If you must carry a balance on your credit card and are only paying the minimum amount each month, begin now to pay your card weekly instead.

If your monthly payment is $100.00 per month, make weekly payments of $25.00 instead. Interest is accrued daily to your unpaid balance, so paying weekly instead of just once a month will reduce your owed interest greatly over time and get that balance back down to where it should be–$0.00.

“A penny saved is a penny earned” has never looked better!