You need to know where you stand with your moneyMonitor every dime you spend for a week/monthly/yearly Analyze spending line by line and see where you can cutSee if you can afford to send more money straight to your saving accountEven just increasing direct deposit from your paycheck to your savings by 1% -- little enough not to really notice but big enough to make an impactSeparate out the variable spending: those things in the household budget you have control over
