Not having enough money is one of the reasons who make a person want to change their lives. This article will not focus on how to make more money but on how to be more fulfilled with the money you already have, thus not exactly changing your life but changing the way you see your financial life.

Start by making a habit of writing everything down.  What you spend and why. This will help you make a plan, cut corners and lower your expenses. Knowing where and how your money goes is no small feat but it is the only way to manage your money.

Once you know where your pennies are going you can get rid of superfluous expenditures and find coupons or discounts for those are necessary ones. It is all a case of looking at your expenses on a sheet of paper in black and white.

Please do not consider having fun and relaxing times with your family as superfluous expenses, as a person who relaxes properly and spends quality time with those who are important in their life, is a happier more fulfilled person. But do be careful how you spend your fun-and-relaxation budget, since there are always ways to stretch your pennies. For instance you can plan to go to the movies on discount days or eat out less, having a fun BBQ at home instead.

Be careful of debt, use cash or debit cards whenever possible. Live within your means and don´t compare yourself with others. Sometimes you are up and others you are down and so is everybody else.

Save 5 to 10 % of your income and invest through a retirement savings account to reduce your taxes, this means more money coming back to your come tax season, and less money going out from your weekly paycheck to go into Uncle Sam’s pockets.

If you are serious about this and would like to get more information from the experts there are several courses you can take online or at your local university called “Finances for non-finance people”.