We are grateful to Tisha Kulak for this guest post. It’s good to have new friends cover for you when you’re not well. Thanks Tisha!

How many times has a payday arrived and you find yourself with little or no money for yourself? Even worse - maybe you are even in the negative numbers? If you are living paycheck to paycheck, it may seem impossible to get ahead in this game of life. Unfortunately giving up is not an option, so the best thing to do is tackle your finances head on and come up with a plan. Here are some quick tips to help you get on the road to financial repair…

• Make a budget. It’s been written and said a million times but creating a budget is the very first step to really “looking” at what you owe and what you earn. You don’t have to buy an accounting program or be a mathematician to do this. Simply grab some paper and a pen and make a list of monthly expenses, the amount due, and the date they are due. Many expenses stay the same or reasonably the same each month. You can then make a list of your pay dates and breakdown what expenses get paid out of which paycheck. Some suggest doing this by month or year, but let’s face it, if you are living paycheck to paycheck, you simply need to get on track and get things paid on time. I know, I’ve been there and having the luxury of worrying about three months from now is sometimes not an option. But if you start with a budget and get current, you can stop playing the catch up game and begin planning, which will ultimately get you out of this crazy cycle.

• Track your spending. Now that you have your budget, you can see what bills have to be paid and when, so as to not fall behind. Your next step is to look at your daily spending and see where your money is going. There are always ways to cut back on spending: make your coffee at home and take it with you instead of stopping at the local shop; pack your lunch rather than ordering out. By changing simple daily habits (a.k.a. conveniences), you can begin to stash those dollars away for better use.

• Take charge of credit card spending. If you have been living paycheck to paycheck, there is a good chance your credit card debt has been building too. Let’s face it, credit cards are part of our lives. They help establish and maintain credit. They are great when used as a tool and not an extension of our income. But when you fall on hard times, you may find yourself using your credit card to fill up your gas tank, or to buy groceries or other household items. This is all well and good if you are paying them off in full each month, but if that is not in your budget (see first tip), then you must rein yourself in and start using the cash you are saving (see second tip) to pay for expenses and not add to your debt. If you think gas is expensive now, wait until you add the interest from your credit card statement to it….now that is scary!

You can take control of your finances. It will take hard work, sacrifice and determination, but it is possible! By starting with the three simple steps above, you can stop the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and start planning your financial future and enjoying life again.

Tisha Kulak is a writer for Creditorweb.com, where she writes about credit card offers, business credit cards and responsible credit card use.

This post appears in the carnival of debt reduction at Jill’s finance blog