The cross point

1. Gather every financial statement you can (bank statements, investment accounts, recent utility bills).
2. Record all of your sources of income.
3. Create a list of monthly expenses.
4. Break expenses into 2 categories: fixed and variable.

Compare the total monthly family income with total monthly expenditures. If you have excess money after paying your bills you can save or invest it, otherwise, you have to reduce expenses, increase revenue, or do both.

Analyze your monthly expenses, and set priorities in spending. After ...

We are often excited at the idea of learning something new. We are excellent at identifying new skills and can visualize how they may change our life. 

But, we tend to overlook where we are starting from because a realistic starting point is hard on our pride.