One of the biggest worries that people have is in dealing with their finances. Will they have enough money to pay the bills this month? If you are overwhelmed with financial stress, you need to get a handle on it and live a more comfortable life. Here are several things you can do to rid yourself of stress related to finances.

1. Evaluate your spending habits. If you are like most people, you could be saving lots of money by eliminating habitual purchases. Every day, you stop for a designer coffee on the way to work. If this costs $5 a pop for five days a week, you are spending over $100 each month. That’s money that could be put toward a new car, a college fund, a vacation, or even saved for retirement. Look at where you are spending your money and plan to change it.

2. Start a budget. After you have evaluated your spending, develop a budget. If you do not have enough money coming in as you have going out, you need to eliminate some of your spendings, or you need to find additional forms of income (in some cases, maybe both). Knowing where your money is going each month and knowing that you’ve budgeted for all your bills can take a lot of stress off an individual.

3. Set financial goals. You should establish some financial goals. Even if it is just one simple goal to save 10% of your income each month, it’s a start. Start small and build up as you learn to make changes to your finances and see the results. After saving $20 a month for six months, you realize that you could save even more.

4. Get rid of debt. Carrying around massive amounts of debt can lead to financial disaster. The average American household has over $15,000 in credit card debt. Making minimum payments is not the answer. Work out a plan to pay off high-interest credit card debts as soon as possible. A creative strategy may be to use a car title loan from Embassy Loans to consolidate your debt. If you are a car owner, you can use it as collateral to get yourself out of debt. Car title loans are short-term loans that are easy to obtain, and you can get your hands on the cash within a few days.

5. Avoid thinking that money can buy happiness. Don’t fall into the trap that our modern culture creates. You don’t always need the newest gadget. You don’t have to keep up with what your neighbors or friends are doing. Stay within your means and enjoy true happiness without financial stress.