[Linnette1973]

I am a single mom and make a really good salary. I currently only have student loan debt which I'm paying a very small payment of 51.00 a month and parking tickets (damn City is ripping me off). Every time, I start to save money something comes up (unexpected expense) and it wipes out my savings account. Then I start to pay things late and can't catch up.



Any advise on budgeting is appreciated. Thanks

[George_1950]

Have you looked into Dave Ramsey's materials? A budget is a great idea, especially if you are nearly debt free.

[ScottGem]

You might want to look at either Microsoft Money or Quicken to manage your money. Both programs allow you to categorize your expenses so you can track where everything goes. This is important when setting up a budget.

You could just make a list of your fixed expenses and compare that to your income, but I think you need to track your expenses for a bit before you can really setup a workable budget.

Frankly, though, if you make "a really good salary" and have no debts but student loans, you shouldn't get behind so much.