To successfully manage your money and establish a budget that you and your family can follow, you need to know the answers to the following:
1. What your total income is;
2. How your money is spent;
2. Where your money is spent;
3. Why your money is spent.
What you will want to focus on are weekly, monthly, and yearly expenses. Based on these expenses, you will then need to determine how to budget your money based on your family's present and future financial obligations and needs. Basically, you will want to budget your money in such as way as to meet the family's needs, save money, and avoid long-term debt.