 TITLE: How to Avoid Overspending Each Month CONTENT: Take Inventory of Your Spending and Create a Budget\n---------------------------------------------------\nYou can't really control your spending until you know where your money is going. Start off by tracking your expenses for a month. Gather up your recent debit and credit card statements, along with any receipts you have for cash transactions. Using a paper and pen, spreadsheet or money-tracking app, divide your expenses into categories—groceries, housing, utilities, dining out, clothing, savings, car and any other grouping that makes sense to you. Total up each column to see how much you spent.\nIf you've already created a budget, compare it to your monthly expenses to see where you're spending more than expected. If you don't have a budget yet, use your tracked expenses to sketch one out. Here are four questions that might help:\n*   What was your actual net income for the month?\n*   How much did you spend in total—cash, debit and credit transactions?\n*   Did your expenses exceed your income? By how much?\n*   Are there categories you can readily cut back on?\nIn some cases, however, overspending isn't the issue. You may have lost your job or had your wages reduced, or you've had emergency expenses pop up that decimated your budget. When your financial concerns go beyond simply spending too much, it's important to consider other options. For instance, financial assistance services are out there that can help connect you with things like government benefits, rent relief, legal aid and food assistance. You may also want to talk to your lenders about deferring payments. END