 TITLE: How to Improve Credit When Living Paycheck to Paycheck CONTENT: Step 1: Know Where Your Money Is Going Now\n------------------------------------------\nIt's very important to obtain a precise idea of where your income has been going so you can determine what you can reasonably cut down. Unless you've been carefully tracking, there's a good chance that you've been spending more than you think, and possibly on non-essential expenses.\nTo get an accurate picture, use the Federal Trade Commission's Make a Budget worksheet. Plug in your monthly income and then fill out the categories for what you might spend on both a regular and an occasional basis. At the end, it will tally the result. If the figure is in the negative, you'll immediately understand why the paychecks don't seem to be coming in fast enough. That's OK. Consider it as a signal you need to make some positive changes. END