Happy new year! Do you have a resolution to improve your finances? Do you have goals you would like to achieve if only you had more money? Did mentioning it just now trigger the idea that you really should take action to improve your finances? I have good news. every Friday I will share a financial tips that I have learned and put to practice by going through some amazing financial programs. These tips have truly been life changing and if you get the chance to go through any of these programs, do yourself a favor and make it a priority. My favorite was Financial Fitness and if you are interested, I can hook you up. 

The first step to improving your finances is establishing a budget. Don't freak out! You are establishing a baseline of where you are now.  Simply take your bank statements and tally up each expense in each category.  Be honest and record EVERY expense.  Remember this is meant to give you a baseline of where you are right now.  Does this terrify you? Give yourself some grace, you didn't know any better, right? Carelessness with money is an epidemic, you are not alone, just commit today to do better. Don't expect perfection, just better. 

When I started, I used the Personal Monthly Budget template in Excel and customized it for my budget. Now I use Quicken as it will download my transactions from my bank and categorize them for me.  I can also link and track other savings, retirement and investments accounts.  If you own a small business or another property, it even has tools to manage those too.  There are many other aps and software options so do your research and find the one that is best for you. After you have a budget, you will want to create a plan.  Budgeting can actually be fun, especially with easy-to-use tools as it taps into a little trick called gamifying, where the challenge of cutting back and the reward of building your savings satisfies our internal reward system and we crave more, and who wouldn't benefit from a savings addiction?  Follow through on those three steps this week, your future self is counting on you.  Expanding Excellence - Personal Paradise Builders Blueprint, Productivity Training (expanding-excellence.com)