Make It. Using a register [A budget].

So maybe I'm stuck in the Dark Ages where people read books by candlelight and only lived until they're 35, but I have begun to use a check register. Or, more appropriately, I have begun to record all my transactions in my Moleskine. (I love my Moleskine. That should be a post itself).

But keeping a register has really helped me keep track of my finances. Being one of the last remaining human beings to not use online checking, I need to keep track of my daily transactions, and keeping a running tally of my checking amount has helped tremendously.

It is a bit cumbersome to whip out a notebook each time you buy something, but if you make a mental note and write it down later, it gives you a more exact figure to be able to budget for.

And, when you're not near a computer it's kind of nice to have a written record of what you have spent and exactly how much you have. If you use a notebook or Moleskine you can keep important receipts in it too.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Amazon.com