This may strike some as an odd topic for a self-improvement blog. Money, or having enough of it, is really a secret to an amazing life. Lack of money can cause us to make questionable decisions or prevent us from being the wonderful giving beings we were created to be. Today we are all facing rising prices and inflation. The causes of these can be endlessly debated, and to be honest, does little to help us navigate the present situation. What we need is some concrete tools and strategies to help us make the most of what money we have.

Recently, I was interviewed by Madison Alworth of Fox Business News. She asked some very thought-provoking questions that are on the minds of most of us in this economy. One of them was what financial challenges I was facing. Like many of you the answer is not the price of any one item. It seems the price of most items has seen an increase. Some of them may be significant, but most are slight. The issue becomes when all of those slight increases are added together, the strain on our budget is anything but slight.

The two avenues I suggest we employ to tackle these challenges are planning and focus. One issue that Madison brought up was credit card debt. This is a huge strain on many budgets. Setting the focus on paying off, and discontinuing the use of, high interest cards should be a priority. Store credit cards can have interest rates as high as 25%. That would amount to paying $25 for a $20 item. Imagine doing that over and over again. Most of us are carrying a balance well over $20. Reducing the principal on these cards as soon as possible will save us considerably in the long-term.

This brings us to the planning aspect. Incurring a little pain in the short-term, such as making a coffee at home instead of stopping at the local coffee shop, at least not as often, and applying that money to paying off our credit cards. This may not seem fun at the moment, but it will help keep our heads above water. The more ways we can get creative with our spending and our saving, the better position we will be to make it through the tough economy. Once through, these tools and strategies will position us to get ahead in the future.