The best way to get finances under control is to see what impact decisions will have.
But lots of people do not enjoy writing spreadsheets.
I do.
Credit Cards
If you pay the minimum on a credit card, it will take up to 18 years to pay off.
With a couple of really simple steps, you can clear those debts in a fraction of the time.
Input your numbers here
docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiZqlQ7-gn07dHRoTXA5Qnlld25UWkw1TEhZZk9IYVE&authkey=CMjc4JEB&authkey=CMjc4JEB#gid=0
Mortgages
Lots of people have mortgages where they are only paying the interest, without fully understanding that this means they are only really renting their home, rather than paying off the loan.
Have a look at the implications here
docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiZqlQ7-gn07dDN4clg5OXhLMGJWbHZhOEo4UTJINEE#gid=0
Budgeting your income and expenditure
Its easy to firefight rather than plan when life gets tight.
This spreadsheet puts spending by order of necessity so makes it easier to see where you are
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z-H-XULWnMlcf1nV8fXNbtz9p-5c44vwfUOFDbGzTu8/edit?pli=1#gid=1790786598
All of the spreadsheets are a general resource - feel free to download them to your own computer and make use of them.
Please do not damage the master copies - but I do check them every week or so.
If there are any spreadsheets that you would like me to write, ask and I'll see what I can do.
As a slight aside, here is the link to my Ebay Me page all about the tax side of running a small business
members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=talkinpeace