The most important action that helped me achieve financial freedom was preparing an INCOME - OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO budget. The simple act of sitting down with my bride and planning our spending for the upcoming month is what allowed us to become debt-free in just 14 months and has allowed us to fund tons of dreams like giving a ton of money away and saving money for college, retirement, and vacations. Every single time that we sit down with an individual or couple in a financial counseling appointment, we work with them to prepare a budget.   For most, it is the first time in their lives that they have planned their spending out to the very last dollar.   When I meet with many of the counselees a few months later, I discover that they have failed to prepare another budget since the time that they left our last meeting   - and, guess what, they have not been able to maximize their money. It makes me want to ask the AWESOME readers of JosephSangl.com these two questions:

1. How often do you prepare/update your spending plan?
2. How well is your plan working?

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