Introduction:
If you're like most people, your finances are probably a mess. You might be trying to get ahead in life and build your savings, but it's easy to fall short of your goals when you don't know what's going on in your accounts. That's why we've put together this list of seven tips that will help improve the way you manage money:
1. Pay yourself first
Pay yourself first.
This is a simple concept, but it's one that can be difficult for most people to understand. The idea behind "paying yourself first" is that you should put money into your savings account before you spend any of the money from your paycheck each month. This way, when an emergency arises or something big comes up in life (like buying a house), there will be some funds available for those purchases without having to borrow from another source first or sell assets off at their current value before they appreciate enough so that they'll actually make more than what you paid for them in the first place!
2. Use Your Tax Refund Wisely
Use your tax refund wisely.
It’s tempting to spend the money you’ve earned, but don't do it! Instead, use your tax refund to pay off debt and save for retirement, as well as other important goals like paying off your mortgage or student loans. If you have any credit card debt that needs to be paid off, consider using part of that money too (but only if there are no other debts). Just remember: the best time to get rid of any kind of debt is when you receive a large sum of cash in your hands so that it can be used for whatever purpose(s) makes sense at that moment in time.
3. Stay Out of Debt, or Get Out of Debt.
Don't borrow money if you can't afford the payments.
Don't borrow money for things that lose value over time.
Don't borrow money for things that you don’t need or want in the first place!
If possible, avoid borrowing anything at all—especially credit card debt—and instead save up enough in your emergency fund so that if something goes wrong (like losing your job), there won’t be any problems getting back on track financially.
4. Start Saving for Retirement in Your 20s
If you want to start saving for retirement early, it's important to know how much money you need. The Social Security Administration has a website where you can calculate your retirement benefit at any age and see the amount of money that will be available when you reach retirement age. You can also get a Roth IRA calculator on Investopedia if this sounds like something that might interest you—just remember that these are general formulas, so they may not match with what's best for your particular situation (for example, if one parent is working while another parent is home taking care of kids).
Once decided upon those numbers then it's time to start putting them into action! Here are some tips:
Start investing as soon as possible after graduating college or high school (if applicable). This is especially true if there isn't much in savings yet because starting early makes sense because then there won't be any risk associated with new investors' inexperience! It also allows them time to try out different investments before making big decisions later down the road; plus since these days everyone knows about mutual funds through commercials aired during prime-time television shows there shouldn't be any problems finding one locally either."
5. Save Money on Interest with a Balance Transfer Credit Card
Balance transfer credit cards are designed to help people pay off their debt more quickly by transferring that balance from another card they might have. By transferring the balance, you're paying less interest on that debt than if it were still on your old card.
You can use a balance transfer credit card to save money on interest by paying off high-interest loans or payday loans with credits from those same companies (it's called "reloading"). For example: if you owe $500 for an emergency loan and don't have enough money in your checking account to cover it, then apply for a new credit line at $200—that way you'll pay just $100 per month instead of $200! Or if someone charges additional fees when making payments through other methods such as direct deposit or monthly automatic payments through PayPal (for example), try using this method instead so there won't be any extra fees involved when getting paid back again later down the road!"
6. Write it Down to Stay Motivated.
One of the best ways to stay motivated is to write down your goals.
Writing down your goals can help you see them in black and white, which will help keep you focused on them when times get tough. It also helps that writing things down makes it easier for your brain to store information, so it's more likely that this information will stick around for years when necessary.
Using a calendar is another great way to plan for the future. You should always make sure that all important dates are marked on your calendar before they occur because otherwise there would be no way of remembering what was supposed to happen at all!
7. Stop Buying Bottled Water
Bottled water is expensive.
Bottled water isn't any better than tap water.
Tap water is free, healthier, and more environmentally friendly than bottled water.
Tap water tastes better!
You can make better financial decisions if you remember these tips
You can make better financial decisions if you remember these tips.
Saving for retirement is important, but it's not easy to do.
Get a balance transfer credit card and use it to save on interest charges by transferring your debt from another bank or credit union. That way, the interest paid by the new loan won't be deducted from your savings account until after taxes are taken out (and then only if you have enough money in there).
Stop buying bottled water! Instead, use filtered tap water at home—it's cheaper than buying bottled water in bulk and less wasteful because no bottle ends up in landfills once its contents have been used up by someone else who has no idea how much they paid for what amounts to nothing more than tap water filled with chemicals (and sometimes even worse things like plastic).
Conclusion:
I hope this article has helped you better understand how to manage your money. If you’re still having trouble, check out our ever-growing list of resources for more tips and information. And don’t forget to share your own best practices in the comments below!

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