1. Set some goals. The fact of the matter is, when it comes to money the best thing you can do for yourself is have some goals for purchases, savings, and where you want to be. Those without ambition for wealth or success will never have it. So, get the goals set and write them down. Review them frequently. Every time you make a purchase ask yourself if this is going to help you get to your financial goal, or take away from it.

2. Determine how you are going to meet your goals. If your goal is to buy a boat, for example, you will want to set aside a certain amount of money every month that you are going to put toward your boat purchase. You would want to figure out how much you can spend, and how much a payment you would have if you were to buy a boat, then save the payment amount for six months to ensure you have the means to handle it, BEFORE you buy it. If your goal is to save a certain amount by a certain date, the steps to meet that goal are pretty simple, you would simply need to divide the amount by the number of months you have, or the number of paychecks you will receive by that time, etc. Then the number you get is how much you have to save each month, or out of each check to meet your goal.

3. Account for the unexpected. A financial plan is only as good as its biggest weakness. If you neglect to plan for car repairs, then where will the money come from when your car breaks down? If you neglect to include money for gifts, where is the money going to come from on holidays, birthdays, and other events? You have to determine what your expenses might be, and how much to allocate to them, as well as where the money will come from. A great way to plan out your finances is to take a look at your last year's expenditures. Most banks offer you a financial summary of your account activity, and you can categorize it and divide each category by 12 to get the amount used each month. This will help you see how much you need, and then you can determine where that will come from.

Creating a financial plan for your personal style of spending money is a great way to get on top of your finances, and feel good about your personal financial state. So, review your spending history, set some goals for yourself, and figure out how to achieve them.