When making out your budget, plan for savings first. You can grow richer each month if you pay yourself first. Here's an idea you might want to try. Before paying any bills, decide on an amount, to pay yourself first--say five or ten percent--or whatever you decide-- of your paycheck.

Then, deposit the amount into a savings account before paying any bills. When you do this at the beginning of the month, your entire paycheck will not slip through your fingers. If you wait until the end of the month, there may be nothing left to save.

Paying yourself first gives you a systematic way to make your money grow. Regardless of the kind of job you have or your income, this system works! Another technique you might try for saving money is to empty your change into a coffee can or jar each day. At the end of the month, roll the coins and put them into your savings account.

You may be able to save up to $30 a month this way. Remember, good money management is more than a mathematical formula. It's too closely tied with the ups and downs of living for that. Your money management plan is always subject to change if your life situation changes.

The object of a good budget is to make your money help you reach your goals, not to force you to conform to rigid rules. Don't be discouraged if this budget plan doesn't work out right away.

You may have to revise it several times until it fits your wants and needs. Then, review it from time to time, to be sure it continues to help you use your income in the best way.