Budgeting isn't just about setting arbitrary "I think I will spend this" numbers, making it balance and letting it ride, thinking that you are now in control of your money. You need to track your expenses on a daily basis, and the most important task is analyzing what those numbers are telling you at the end of the month, and taking action on what they're telling you. Here is my 10-step process for how to bust out a budget and analyze it at the end of the month, along with some brief guidelines on what you should be aiming for.

So I was going through my mail recently and came across an interesting little envelope that very nearly went in the trash, but I’m glad it didn’t and now you can be too!

Turns out that in these distressed times, the government is offering all sorts of programs to save us money, and this particular offer was to save 20% on your gas utility bill.