Do you feel as though you aren’t as stable as you could be in terms of your finances? Maybe you spend every month worrying and you feel as though it is time for you to change that. Either way, if you want to make a major difference to your situation then this is the guide for you.

Let’s face it, if you have no idea where your money is going then you could easily be spending way more than you should be on things. If you have a major expense, such as a car, then it’s even more important that you calculate your outgoings. Knowledge is power at the end of the day, so use it to your advantage. One mistake you could be making is not revisiting your budget. A lot of people find that they work out their income, create a budget and then forget about it. This is the last thing you need. You have to go back to your budget time and time again so you can adjust it properly. If you don’t then you may find that expenses creep in, or that you don’t have as much money as you did due to a career change. If you want to do something about this then make sure that you calculate your expenses and that you revisit them every month. Every new subscription you take out has to be accounted for, because if it isn’t then this will make things difficult for you.

Another huge mistake that people make is not paying their credit card as much as they should be. It’s too easy to pay just the minimum and then for them to forget about it. The problem with this is that it means you’ll be in debt for longer than you have to be and on top of this, you may find that you end up struggling to get ahead from a financial perspective. If you want to do something about this then one thing you can do is increase your minimum payment by 10%. This probably won’t make a major difference to your current situation but it will mean that you end up clearing your debt much faster.

Emergencies tend to happen when you least expect them. They are almost guaranteed to happen when you don't have money set aside to cover them as well. If you want to do something about this then having savings is crucial. If you have a savings account then this will help you to relieve some of the stress that comes with handling the emergency, so be mindful of that.

Retirement will come around before you know it. Are you going to be ready for it? The key to having the retirement of your dreams would be for you to start right now. You need to save a little bit each month so you can grow it over time. One advantage of doing this is that you will usually be able to ask your current company to match your current contributions. You can stop yourself from missing out here and that is great, to say the least.

Do you know what your credit score is, right now? If it's low then you have a major problem as bad credit will work against you in more ways than one. It means you’ll end up paying more interest on your credit cards and that you don’t get a mortgage that is as favorable. Fixing a bad credit score will take a lot of time, and it will also require a great deal of discipline. That being said, it is possible, if you are willing to take action right now.

Paying for a financial service is always a good thing. Some services, or unions, will allow you to take advantage of lower loan fees as well as lower deposits. The money that you save will be repaid at a later date, so if you do decide to bundle your insurance, you can save a great deal here. If you want to make sure that you get the best result however, then you need to avoid paying too much here. If you pay too much then you won't be saving at all, and the worst of it is, you won’t be seeing any reward from all of your investments.

There are a lot of reasons why you might want to cosign a loan. Sometimes it may even be to help your child get on the property ladder. That being said, this is a risky thing to do. If you co-sign something, then this means that you are responsible for paying the full amount, should something go wrong. This is the last thing you want, so make sure that you avoid it if possible. If something happens, it can take years for you to rebuild your credit rating, not to mention that it can be a good way for you to wreck a relationship too.

Being underinsured is a major mistake. If you don’t have any homeowner's or renter’s insurance then this is even worse. Even if you don’t think much of it, insurance provides you with a great deal of liability coverage. It even protects you if someone was to have an accident within your home. 

Sure, sometimes it’s tempting to splurge, but if you do, then you may find that you end up going into your savings, if you have any at all. You may also find that you eat out too often or that you take vacations that you can’t afford to pay for. This is a huge mistake and it’s also how things quickly spin out of control. If you want to do something about this, then you may be tempted to put it on a credit card so you can at least spread the cost. That being said, this is another huge mistake that you need to avoid. As a general rule, if you don’t have the money then you can’t afford it, so make sure you follow this philosophy as much as possible.

If you have a lot of bills, then you may just go through the motion of paying them. This is great, but at the same time, you need to make sure that you don’t overpay. As time goes on, you may find that your bills slowly creep up and that you don’t even notice the difference. That being said, over time, this can make a major difference to your household budget. Take note of any bills that may have shot up over time and take action on them now. Ask your provider if you can lower the bills and also make sure that you are not paying more than you should on things. If you can make sure this is the case, you are bound to reap the benefits later.