If you are like many Americans these days, you dream about financial independence. You long to abandon the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle and live a life free of worry about how you will provide for yourself and your family. It is possible to live this way if you have a plan and the discipline to stay it. Here are four easy steps to finding financial freedom in 2017.

1. Analyze and change your spending. If you look at where you are spending your money, you will likely be surprised. The $7 deluxe coffees and the $10 lunches add up when you see how much you have spent in a month. Cutting, or at least limiting, spending on these types of things can help you save money in 2017.

2. Clean up your credit history. One of the first things you should do in the New Year is obtain a free copy of your credit report. You are entitled to a free one every year. Look at it and look for any errors. You will be surprised to find things that do not belong on your credit report. You can correct these by contacting creditors and the credit bureaus. A solid credit history and good credit score can make a world of difference when it comes to buying a home, a car, or even getting a job.

3. Pay off high-interest debt. In addition to incorrect items on your credit report, you should begin paying off any or all high-interest debt. The average household has at least one credit card that is thousands of dollars in debt. If you own a vehicle that is paid off, consider using it as collateral for a car title loan from Embassy Loans to consolidate any credit card debt and pay it off. Once the car title loan is paid off, you will reap the benefits of being debt-free (or almost debt-free).

4. Develop a budget. These steps to financial freedom all work together. Changing spending habits is much easier once you have developed a budget. If there is money in the budget for a weekly trip to a local eatery for a $10 lunch, then you may partake. By making a budget, you will know exactly where and how much you are spending. Any money saved can then be used to help pay off debt, which in turn, contributes to clean up your credit history.