How I did it: I think the best tool I had available to me was Mint.com.  It's this free, online software that gives you the option of tracking all of your purchases, so you can see where your money is going.  You can also create an itemized monthly budget for yourself, where you can see if you've gone over-budget, if you're spending at a rate that will send you over-budget, or if you're right on track.  You can set up email alerts to let you know if you've gone over-budget, if a large transaction has posted to you account, or if your bank account falls below a certain level.  You can keep track of checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, even your 401k!  I even added my student loan to my list.  And the best part is that it updates your information automatically.  No typing things in by hand!  There are so many other features that are worth checking out, so before you get frustrated, give it a try.

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Feb 02, 2009, 08:11AM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer