balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money asid

For many of us we seem to live pay cheque to pay cheque, and the thought of having a few extra dollars left over at the end of each pay period is seems like nothing more than a dream.

There are ways to manage our finances so that dream gets closer every day, but to do it requires patience and will power. No doubt many of you hear about the need to budget and in theory it sounds like a grand idea, it's putting it into practice that's the hard part. I can't tell you how many times I've sat at this computer with my spreadsheet opened and listed all my outgoing expenses in the hopes that this month will be the month I actually stick to my budget and if I'm really lucky have some extra over to start saving with.

My financial plan tends to fall in a hole when one of two things happen: either something I accounted for ends up being a lot more than I bargained or there's an unexpected emergency like my water pipes bursting. While I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to add an extra column in my budget for this type of thing so I will always have at least some spare money on hand, until that happens here's a few things that I'm trying that you too may find useful.

For your regular bill payments (electricity, telephone etc) where you can usually have a rough idea of what each payment is going to be, rather than just putting that money aside to wait for the bill to come in, see if arrangements can be made to make pre-payments; even if it's just a few dollars each week that can make a big difference if your bill comes in quarterly.

Credit cards: These can be wonderful things, they can also be the biggest downfall to a person's financial well-being. If you need to use them always try to pay your outstanding balance in full this saves many dollars in interest, if you can't, at least try to pay more than the minimum balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money aside

't tell you how many times I've sat at this computer with my spreadsheet opened and listed all my outgoing expenses in the hopes that this month will be the month I actually stick to my budget and if I'm really lucky have some extra over to start saving with.

My financial plan tends to fall in a hole when one of two things happen: either something I accounted for ends up being a lot more than I bargained or there's an unexpected emergency like my water pipes bursting. While I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to add an extra column in my budget for this type of thing so I will always have at least some spare money on hand, until that happens here's a few things that I'm trying that you too may find useful.

For your regular bill payments (electricity, telephone etc) where you can usually have a rough idea of what each payment is going to be, rather than just putting that money aside to wait for the bill to come in, see if arrangements can be made to make pre-payments; even if it's just a few dollars each week that can make a big difference if your bill comes in quarterly.

Credit cards: These can be wonderful things, they can also be the biggest downfall to a person's financial well-being. If you need to use them always try to pay your outstanding balance in full this saves many dollars in interest, if you can't, at least try to pay more than the minimum balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money asid

pipes bursting. While I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to add an extra column in my budget for this type of thing so I will always have at least some spare money on hand, until that happens here's a few things that I'm trying that you too may find useful.

For your regular bill payments (electricity, telephone etc) where you can usually have a rough idea of what each payment is going to be, rather than just putting that money aside to wait for the bill to come in, see if arrangements can be made to make pre-payments; even if it's just a few dollars each week that can make a big difference if your bill comes in quarterly.

Credit cards: These can be wonderful things, they can also be the biggest downfall to a person's financial well-being. If you need to use them always try to pay your outstanding balance in full this saves many dollars in interest, if you can't, at least try to pay more than the minimum balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money asid

o come in, see if arrangements can be made to make pre-payments; even if it's just a few dollars each week that can make a big difference if your bill comes in quarterly.

Credit cards: These can be wonderful things, they can also be the biggest downfall to a person's financial well-being. If you need to use them always try to pay your outstanding balance in full this saves many dollars in interest, if you can't, at least try to pay more than the minimum balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money asid

balance. It can be a good idea to speak to your bank or other lending institution to see if there is a way you can consolidate your credit cards into your loans - the interest on a home or personal loan is a lot lower than that of credit cards.

Know when to say no. No matter how good the deal may be or how long the interest free terms etc are if you know that it's going to put a strain on your finances - Don't do it. Instead try putting that money aside each week, you will save for it soon enough, and often times you may find that by the time you do have the extra cash to spare, you'll realise that it wasn't the necessity you thought it was or with the passage of time you can get a better deal anyway.

These are just a few tips; remember though the key is patience and will power. You may not be out of debt overnight but with each passing pay period you'll find yourself getting closer to your goals.