“Manifest More Money Into Your Life in 7 Steps- Step 3″ is part of  a 7 week series that will run every Tuesday until September 28, 2010.” The entire series can be found under Money Tips.

3. Make A Budget

A budget really is one of the most important things you will need to manifest more money. Think of this illustration. I was a huge fan of the show “The Unit.” It was about a team of special forces soldiers who were sent all over the world to maintain world peace. Peacekeeping often involved ‘shooting the bad guys’ so to speak. Shooting requires a great deal of concentration, aim, and focus. The more focused and aimed you are at your target, the greater chance that you will hit it.

It is the same with your budget. Don’t spend time and energy worrying about the balance in your account. Use your budget to guide you. Make your budget your target and focus on hitting it. Sit down and write out your monthly income on a sheet of paper or enter it into an Excel spreadsheet. Then on a separate sheet, write down you monthly costs and expenses. Then compare your income to your costs and expenses and come up with a budget. Ask yourself what is a reasonable monthly cost for each category and set that as your budget. Lastly, compare your budget to your monthly income and make sure finish positive. This is the most important piece. If you end up negative, go back and adjust your budget. Each budget category will serve as your target. Aim to hit that amount and not go over it or miss it so to speak. This exercise might even help you find some areas where you can cut unnecessary spending.

Remember this. Bank accounts are where your money is but your budget keeps track of your plan and what your money does. You bank account doesn’t know your plan or intentions or what your targets are. Having your budget or target is the only way you are going to be able to shoot for success and manifest more money in your life.