If you have ever lost sleep at night over money, you know that getting your finances under control is crucial. Learning to deal with your money in an effective way is not as hard as you might think. Here are some excellent ways to keep an eye on your personal finances.

Credit card debt is a major problem in United States. Nowhere else in the world experiences it to the extent we do. Keep yourself out of debt by only using your credit card when you have money in the bank to spend. Alternatively, get a debit card instead of a credit card.

Try using the automatic withdrawal plan at your bank so that you will automatically have money transferred into your savings account at regular intervals. This is a good way to put money away every month. By setting up a savings plan, you can save for a wedding or special vacation.

A good rule of thumb for savings, is to put away 10% of your income each payday into a savings account. Make sure that you don’t have a debit or credit card linked to this account, as it is too tempting to spend it if you find something you can‘t seem to live without.

To help with personal finance, if you’re normally a frugal person, consider taking out a credit card which you can use for your day to day spending, and which you will pay off in full each month. This will ensure you get a great credit rating, and be much more beneficial than sticking to cash or debit card.

Don’t get talked into quick money making schemes. It can be very tempting to give up your savings account to someone who promises to double or triple your money in a short period of time. Take the safe route, and realize that nothing is free. You will be better off slowly and steadily growing your savings rather than risky moves to get more faster. You could end up losing it all.

Taking advantage of a bank’s program to automatically make deposits into a savings account, can be a wise personal finance move. Many banks offer such programs. They take a fixed percentage of every deposit or a set monthly sum out of a customer’s checking account and deposit it in a savings account. This can help the customer build up savings without any hassle.

If you are planning to adopt a child, do it this year. The government has created a larger tax break for those people who choose to adopt. It is not just for special cases, but all adoptions. This tax break can even be refunded if you don’t owe any taxes.

Having a system in place for dealing with your money is an essential part of adult life. Use these tips as a foundation for a good personal finance system and you’ll be able to handle your personal finances better than ever. Best of all, you’ll be able to sleep better, too.