---

By now, you should have a good look at your financial situation—even if it isn’t pretty. Before we move on to phase 2 in our series (you know, doing something about it!), you have to set a goal for your new budget. Do you want to free up more money for vacations or large purchases? Do you need to pay off debts or build emergency savings?

It doesn’t matter what your goal is, you should define it. Make it specific, write it down, share it with someone—just set a goal before you start adjusting the budget.

I like the idea of a vision board so you can literally see where you’re headed. The coming changes will be easier to handle, if you’ve got your eye on the prize.

My vision board would probably be a bit of a mess these days—our immediate goal is debt reduction. How do you represent that in pictures? Our secondary goals would be a lot easier to visualize—vacations, a bit of a home update, sports & lessons for the girls. But, first things first—it’s time to get serious about getting out of debt.

Decide what you want out of a budget plan, and tomorrow we’re start working on getting you there.

---

I’m not a financial planner or a budget expert. I’ll just be walking you through the steps I take each time my budget needs an adjustment. In fact, I’ll be participating myself!