Each will help you stay on the right financial track and keep your future in line for financial success. Living within your means can be easy if you learn to live the rules of personal finance. Here are some ways to go about it:

Save for yourself: If you don't know how to save, sign up for an automatic savings plan that takes money from your bank account and puts it somewhere that you can't touch like a retirement plan or a CD that matures after a longer period of time. It is smart to start by putting it where you can't touch, but you also want to build an emergency cash fund, so once you have a handle on saving, start putting cash away for a rainy day. You don't have to save much to start a savings. Even ten dollars a month is better than nothing. You'll find that you don't really need the money and you'll make your budget stretch to cover the deficit.

Save for you children: When teaching children to save, it helps to start with a savings plan. When a child is saving toward something that they want, it is much easier for them to save. It also makes it easier for them to save when they see how long it will actually take them to get what they want. Allow them to use some of their money for fun, but have them put away at least a certain percentage of whatever money they get toward a savings goal.

Invest for yourself: This goes along with saving. If your work offers a 401k or retirement plan, take advantage of it. You don't have to contribute gobs and tons of money to get investing to work for you. Find and investment plan that works with your risk tolerance and start working toward retirement.

Invest for your children: You can talk to your kids about the stock market, and though they may not understand the ins and outs of investing, they can understand that when companies they like do well, they can make money if they own stock in them. Help your kids start a high-yield savings as well so they can see how interest can work for them.

Credit for you: Using credit cards comes with three basic rules if you don't want to screw yourself over: Pay your bill in full every month, pay your bill on time, and keep your balance low. If you get in trouble with credit, get help.

Credit for you children: Explain the three rules to your older kids (don't give them the opportunity to get a credit card until you know they can handle credit). In addition to the three rules, make sure you kids know that credit is not free money. It is a loan that you are required to pay back. Show them how interest on a credit card works against them. Showing them how much they'll actually have to pay if the buy X and pay it back over Z amount of time will be more effective than just telling them the rules.