There's a good reason we call our currency funny money and it's not because it usually makes us laugh. Like Eskimos and snow, we have many words for it because it's important in our culture. Moolah, dough, bread, Benjamins...however you stack your paper, chances are you have some mixed feelings about bean counting. In order to take control of your finances (and if you're broke like us, it's probably about time), you need to do a little bit of that head shrinking business. Whether on your own, with professional help, or with your support network, get to thinking hard about how you to relate the old smackaroos.

Life can be expensive. Every bum has those months where just a bit (or a whole lot) more cash goes out than comes in. Lately, it might even have happened somewhat regularly. Oops. It may seem easy to get through those times by swiping the old plastic, but be very aware of how much action that magnetic strip is getting. Spending a hundred dollars on a credit card is an easy feat. Sometimes, charging things can be a saving grace or just not a big deal. Other times it can be a disaster. Of course, you want your plastic to be fantastic. Do you know what you're doing?

Did you know you may have money just waiting to be claimed? No this isn't an infomercial. A few years ago, during an especially bummy period, I saw an Oprah show about unclaimed property. Turns out there are a staggering amount of Benjamins twiddling thumbs because people either forgot or never knew they were owed the good stuff. Is it your lucky day?

Last time, we learned how to calculate how much money you earn and how much you have at the end of each month. Now that you've got the basics down, it's time to think of the future...

Budgeting isn't just about setting arbitrary "I think I will spend this" numbers, making it balance and letting it ride, thinking that you are now in control of your money. You need to track your expenses on a daily basis, and the most important task is analyzing what those numbers are telling you at the end of the month, and taking action on what they're telling you. Here is my 10-step process for how to bust out a budget and analyze it at the end of the month, along with some brief guidelines on what you should be aiming for.