Always check for suspicious transactions

Credit or debit cards are convenient, but you don't see your shrinking bank balance with every purchase.  

If you use mobile banking or money management apps while using your card, and it’s working, keep doing your thing. Otherwise, you might want to consider...

Write down your expenses from the past few months (look at your debit and credit card bills, your bank statements, etc.)

Next, see what is essential to support your basic needs and what you can cut if you had to.

The most valuable part of budgeting is actually the process of building a budget correctly. 

You build a budget based on looking at your actual spending over the previous few months. Get real numbers, not estimates. Dig through your bank statements and credit card statements and fi...