The best way to manage your money is to have a plan.  Or a budget.  Or a financial checklist.  No matter what you call it, you won’t truly be in control until you know how much money is coming in and where it’s all going.  The tough part is being honest with yourself about your spending.

If you’re like most people, you’re admittedly afraid to see your spending habits written down.  It’s scary, and seeing any negative habits on paper can give you that uncomfortable sinking, twisty feeling in your stomach.  Well, too bad!  You have to do it.  Get someone to hold your hand or offer you a shoulder to cry on or fix you a drink.  You’re going to make a financial checklist so you can get on the right track, right now.

Check Your Spending

Start with your income.  Next, write down all of your monthly expenses.  Include all of your bills, groceries, gas for your car, and yes, even the random but common little expenses like eating out, going to the movies, your weekly magazine, and your daily cup of designer coffee.  You’ll see right away how much of your extra cash is being spent on unnecessary items.  You can make dinner at home, join a movie rental service like Netflix for cheap, read your magazine online, and brew your own coffee for less than $10 a month.

Invest Your Finances

Once you figure out where to cut back, you’ll see a little bit more wiggle room with your money.  Take that money and start a savings.  Invest in an IRA, your 401(k), a CD, a Money Market, etc.  Even a few dollars a week saved can add up quickly enough to come in handy when an emergency arises.

Plan to Get Out of Debt

Make a plan for getting yourself out of debt.  You’d probably have even more extra money if you didn’t have to pay those darn credit cards that keep accumulating interest.  Take some of the extra money you found from cutting back and put it toward your debt.  Start by paying off your smallest debts first, then take that amount you were paying to that account and add it to your payments for the next smallest.  If you follow a plan like this one, you’ll slowly but surely climb out of the hole.

Check Your Future

Don’t forget about your future.  Set some financial goals, and write those down on your checklist, too.  Writing down your goals has been proven to increase your chances of actually achieving them.  Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?  Even better, where do you SEE yourself in that time?  Don’t dream it, do it.  It starts by being honest with yourself and writing it all down.  What are you waiting for?

Whether you’re looking for a new job or hoping to get ahead in your current one, networking can be a helpful asset.  It’s true that despite your talent or lack thereof, many times it’s who you know that can help you get where you want to be.  Making contact with as many people in your field as possible can open up many opportunities that you may not have found otherwise.  And networking doesn’t have to be a chore.  It can be fun, easy, and even become second nature if you follow these tips:

• You don’t have to network face-to-face.  The internet is a very common way to find colleagues and helpful contacts.  You can join a website devoted solely to professional networking, such as LinkedIn, find designated chat rooms, or even use your social networking profile (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.) as a way to find the right people.
• If you do choose the online world as your forum, remember to stay tactful.  Especially if you’re using a social networking platform as your main method, keep it as professional as possible.  Don’t post status updates or photos about your wild weekend.  Definitely be yourself, but don’t include every last vulgar or simply unnecessary detail.  Employers have been known to check candidates’ personal sites even if that’s not how the contact was made.  Post pictures of the one night in three years that you got a little rowdy and the employer may believe that’s how you act all of the time and choose not to hire you.
• Visit trade shows, attend any meet-and-greet opportunities offered to you, and generally keep your eyes open in your daily life.  Don’t be afraid to talk to people.  Small talk is not taboo as a way to get a conversation going.  You may start talking to someone at the grocery store about a similar interest or hobby and find out later that they can help you in your career field or direct you to someone they know.  Carry business cards or any other convenient item that can help your new contact find you again later.
• Stay positive and have some enthusiasm.  Networking won’t create the ideal job opportunity overnight.  It takes time and lots of talking.  Don’t let yourself get discouraged, and especially don’t quit just because you haven’t found the right contact by any deadline you may have set for yourself.  You’ll be networking when you don’t realize it even after you’ve landed your dram job.
• Don’t be afraid to ask your networking contacts for help, and be sure to offer help in return.  They consider you a professional contact as well, so the expectations go both ways.  Speak up when you need some guidance (that’s what you’re making contacts for), and make sure you’re available for others at the same time.

Many jobs are offered more through word-of-mouth than through online postings.  Employers can find more candidates by way of referral and eliminate the need to sift through potentially hundreds of unqualified applicants to find the good ones.  If you don’t talk to people, you may miss out on a great opportunity as well as a great reference.  And that’s all job networking really is: talking to people.  If you’re intimidated in person, don’t forget about the internet.  View every situation as a networking opportunity, and you can’t miss.

When you’re looking to buy a car, you have two options: new or used/pre-owned/slightly used/pre-loved, etc.  While the direction you choose is entirely dependent on your own needs and desires, a used car is generally a better investment.

New cars certainly have their advantages, and if you find a new car that has exactly what you’re looking for and you can afford it, by all means get it.  A new car will have all of the newest safety and entertainment features (and the safety features might qualify you for insurance discounts).  The warranty will generally cover more years than on a used car (some going as high as 10 years or 100,000 miles) and may also cover more maintenance issues.  Your interest rate on the loan may be lower, too, and you may even qualify for 0% financing that dealerships only offer on new cars.  But here’s where the advantages end.  The moment you drive off the lot, you car loses value dramatically, and you immediately owe more on your loan than the car is worth as the value continues to drop quickly in the first two years.

Some people might argue that this fact is negated by how much time and money you will save on maintenance, as you are the first owner and won’t have to take care of previous problems that might show up again.  However, the used car market is significantly better than it used to be.  Many franchises have Certified Pre-Owned programs that will guarantee the condition of the car after running it through a long and rigorous list of checkpoints, so you no longer have to worry about surprise problems showing up two weeks after you buy the car.  While it’s true that you may have to purchase an extended warranty to have similar coverage to that of a new car, your maintenance issues are likely to be no different with the Certified program.  You’ll probably just need the same routine service and oil changes.

Financing rates can be higher with used cars, but your car will not decrease in value as quickly as a new car and your insurance is likely to be cheaper.  Plus, you might be able to get more for your money in a used car.  For example, if you’re looking at the basic model of a brand new car, you might want to consider the same model but one or two years older.  The luxury model of a used 2008 car will cost significantly less than the basic model of the brand new 2010 version, meaning you’ll have a lot more fun and better features in the used car!

It’s certainly not a crime to buy a brand new car.  Just be sure to consider your options.  You’ll be handing over a large amount of your hard-earned money, and you want to make sure you’re getting the best value for it, covering all of your needs, and leaving room for a little fun, too.