Help yourself and your wallet from screaming in agony by doing your groceries well. And even if you cannot cook, there is still help that awaits you. Look for recipes in the internet that will not only save you money but time in preparing meals. You can expand your menu by reading cookbooks, magazines and newspapers, and even by asking friends for their recipes. Think of savings as part of expenditure; deduct it from your salary the way you do with utility bills, rent and other necessary expenses. Ten percent is automatically added to your savings account every pay day Budgeting and planning means never finding an excuse not to save. 3. Investing Make an investment plan - Savings are meant to keep us warm during stormy nights; and when used wisely, savings can help us achieve financial freedom before we actually retire. The reason for having a budget is not to cause problems, but to rather to help you see where your hard-earned money is going, and where you can cut corners without having to feel cheated, restrained and uncomfortable about it. One of the very first things you can start doing is to have a habit of writing down every penny you are spending daily. After all, it feels much better to go on a shopping spree when all your financial obligations are taken care of. Empty your loose change into a jar each night before going to bed. After a short period of time, enough will be accumulated that you can deposit into your savings account. Another problem that goes against your household budgeting is that most consumers overspend because they buy things on impulse. Only fools keep more than one credit card. If you want to go down the pool of debt then own ten. Keeping ourselves away from temptation is the first step to effective finance budgeting and financial control. 2. ELIMINATE WASTE A new pair of shoes is considered a waste if you still own four workable sets of pumps. Record and communicate the budget. Comparing your budgeted and actual results will help in evaluating whether you truly were sticking to your budget or not. You can prepare a budget to cover proactively any time period. Usually, a one-year period is developed. This annual budget is mostly projected on a quarterly basis, with each quarter detailed in months and/or weeks.