How to Live Within Your Means
Belt-tightening doesn't have to be painful. We offer our best advice to help you make ends meet.
July 2, 2009
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You already know the foundation to financial success: Spend less than you earn. Spend more and you'll mire yourself in debt. Spend exactly what you bring in and you'll never get ahead.
Sounds simple enough, so why is it so hard to do?
It doesn't have to be. All it takes is a little know-how and a lot of discipline. We've collected some our best advice and tools to help you make ends meet.
Advice to reach your goal
The Trouble With Budgets
Having a hard time sticking to a budget? We show you what you're doing wrong -- and how to fix it.
Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck
By tracking your expenses, setting goals and cutting costs, you can avoid scrambling to make ends meet each month and actually start saving money.
How I Kicked the Credit-Card Debt Habit
Learn from our editor's experience: Freedom from revolving debt took patience, a plan and a lot of hard work.
Save Money on Practically Everything
Save thousands with our easy tips to trim expenses on food, utilities, transportation, entertainment, investing and more.
8 Ways to Boost Your Income and 11 Ways to Get Extra Cash
You've cut your spending, but you're still coming up short. Try these tips to bring in more money.
Handy tools to help
Six Best Budgeting Sites
Try these Web programs to get your financial house in order. Or, use the pencil-and-paper method with our Budget Worksheet.
Easy-To-Use Tax Withholding Calculator
Give yourself a raise by adjusting the amount of tax you let Uncle Sam take from your paycheck.
How Much Am I Spending?
Our worksheet helps you track your expenses and identify areas where you can cut back.
What Will It Take to Pay Off Your Balance?
Our calculator will help you crunch the numbers to help you get out of debt.
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