Automating your finances to directly distribute your paycheck where it needs to go - toward bills, insurance, emergency funds, and savings accounts, like your 401(k) - can help you stick to your budget. "Make sure the mandatory things in life are paid off first," says Souffrant. "You never know what's going to happen and you always want to be prepared." Once you have those protective mechanisms in place and your basic needs are met, you're freer to spend discriminately.
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