Most of us know how difficult it can be to manage finances and control where our money goes. In fact, many have experienced how difficult it can be to just get by and to survive financially. The stress of financial difficulty can be overwhelming and straining, not only on us individually, but on our families. However, we can take control of our finances and learn to direct where our money goes. Having dealt with it myself I have compiled a simple list of helpful tactics that can assist with handling finances and saving money.

Manage Your Finances

1) Get organized

• Become efficient at managing your time and be sure that dealing with your finances is high on your priority list.
• Make sure you have the financial and legal documents listed below easily accessible.
• Birth certificates, death certificates, marriage license, divorce papers, military papers, and copies of wills. You may choose to keep these in a safe or safe deposit box, but it's helpful to have copies of these documents on hand.
• Banks statements, credit card information, insurance polices, and tax returns.

2) Get Control of Your Finances

• Identify your debts and establish a plan that you follow to pay them off.
• If necessary consider consolidating your loans or debt consolidation plans. However, do your research. Make sure the companies are legitimate and will suit your needs.
• Create a realistic budget and make sure all adults within your household are on board.
• Write out monthly budget plans that includes how much income you will have, bills that are due, and planned debt payments. Keep this handy so you can refer to it as each week comes up.
• Do not avoid dealing with your financial issues. It will only delay the problem and coast you more in the long run.
• Get rid of credit cards and do not accept any more offers. Keep one or two small ones for emergencies ONLY.
• Set up a savings or Christmas account. If you can only put $10 a week aside it will be helpful in the long run.
• Find a reasonable and realistic ways to increase your income. This may include taking a second job or taking advantage of overtime opportunities. However, consider how you will balance this and the affect it could have on your family. If you think it may be detrimental try rallying your support systems together for help or if necessary, look into other options.

How to Save Money

1) Become a Smarter Shopper

• Make a list and stick to it. Avoid impulse shopping and get only what you really need.
• Take a limited amount of cash with you. Leave checkbooks and credit or debit cards at home. This will help to ensure that you won’t over spend.
• Shop at bulk stores and stock up. Try finding sales and bargains, but don’t buy more than you will actually use.
• Shop at discount stores. The prices here are much more reasonable and the quality is not poor. Examples: Aldi’s and Save-A-Lot
• Consider using coupons, but be cautious. You may think you are getting a deal, but in fact it may be cheaper to buy another brand. Also, don’t use coupons to buy things you won’t use.

2) Know Where Your Money is Going

• Look over your household bills and assess what changes can be made to bring down the cost.
• You probably don’t use all the television channels that your package provides so contact them to make changes. The same goes for phone and internet services.
• To lower the amount of your energy bill start shutting off lights and equipment that isn’t being used. Put your hot water heater on a night timer so it will heat when the coast of energy is lowest and instead of using the dryer, hang your cloths outside on a line.
• Also, be aware that faulty appliances such as air conditioners, hot water heaters, and refrigerators can drastically increase your energy bill if they are not working properly.
• Sit down and reflect on your spending habits. Start making a list of everything you buy and spend money on within a month. Include such things as; beauty products and services, impulse purchases, habitual purchases, beverages, snacks, and lunches.
• Now start checking off the things you can do without and come up with alternative solutions. As an example: taking lunch and a thermos of coffee to work. If you have an unhealthy habit, such as smoking, make every effort to quit. Not only will it be beneficial to your health, but also for your budget.
• If you are still not motivated to change your spending habits you probably will be if you take the time to figure up how much you spend on them all monthly.
• If you pay for childcare services, see if trusted family members or friends can help out. If not, look into whether or not your spouse could adjust your work schedules. At the very least, make sure you aren’t being over charged, but on the same hand only use services that you can trust with your children’s well being.

Overall, some of this financial advice may seem pretty drastic and obviously all of it is not applicable to every person, but they are realistic ways to manage your finances and save money. We can all hope to win the lotto or spend our time looking into get rich schemes, but it’s not likely that placing our efforts there is going to get us very far. Those tactics aren’t likely to help us manage our funds, but instead are likely to deplete them and waste our time.