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How to keep track of every dollar I spend and how I spend it
It made me
happy 
"I don't have a steady income but my bills ARE steady. I needed to do this."
How I did it: Took a white sheet of paper on the first of each month and wrote the name of the month on top. I use crayons to draw lines across the page, making 3 sections.
Section one is set bills where I know what the amount will be, such as installment loans, credit cards, rent, etc.
Section 2 is "allowances" for expenses, which are grocery allowance, gasoline allowance heat/electricity allowance (since the amount is different every month), and "fun money" allowance. I have a budget amount for these things. Gas for car is $60/month, groceries is $500/month, and gas/electricity is $200 a month. Everyone will have a different amount, depending on family size, how much you use your car, etc. These figures is just what I use for my family. This is useful because I can track the expenses and if my utilities go beyond 200/month, I can conserve energy at home to keep the budget in tact. Same with food. If we eat out too much, the food bill can go beyond 500/month. It's good to watch these expenses closely.
The third section is all my income. I am a waitress, so every day my pay rate is different. If we are really busy, I will make $20 an hour. If we are slow, it's more like $12 an hour. I write down what I made every day and make sure that all the surplus is put into savings or put away for my son's college fund.
HIGHLY recommended. I have been doing this for 14 months, and I can never live without a monthly budget again!!!
Lessons & tips: Do what works. You don't have to be rigid or follow some fancy program you read in books or on software. I came up with my system in about 5 minutes. And I just use paper and crayons, no computer. I use crayons so I can color-coordinate my expenses. It was just a fun way to do my budget.
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