Patty,

When I need to get a handle on my outflow... I deal strictly in cash or money orders.

It was so much easier to know what I was spending because I only spent the cash I had on hand. And that meant thinking ahead and planning and withdrawing what I needed. Fewer withdrawals from my account to keep track of too.

It's hard for those who make minimum wage. It's hard for those of us who are single or have single incomes too.

There is a good book out there an old pdoc recommended to me and I don't remember the author, but the book is titled "How to get out of debt and stay out of debt". It was very helpful and I probably should get another copy myself...

Anyway, the key is in your title: managing. To manage your finances is to know where every penny is going rather than where it has gone because by then it's too late.

Wages have not kept pace with inflation or the 'real' market--the markets where we need to shop for necessities!