Our friend Young American has a problem: Though he has a college degree and a job that pays $30,000 per year, his lifestyle spending is outpacing his earnings, so he is bouncing checks and running up credit card debt. When he realizes that something is amiss, he may come to you or me for help in sorting out his finances. What are we going to do to help him?

The biggest mistake that our friend is making is that he doesn’t have a budget. Sure, he knows what some of his biggest expenses are each month (rent, car payment, student loans), but he has no idea how much his other expenses cost him each month. If we track his spending for a few months, though, and put together a budget for him (as we did here), we find that although he grosses $2,500 per month, he is spending $3,539.49 — that’s a deficit of $1,039.49 every month.

Getting a good grip on the realities of our friends spending makes a great first step in helping to solve his problems, but it’s only a first step. He has to make some difficult decisions and cut his spending. That will mean drastically reducing restaurant patronage, selling his financed car and driving something cheap, living with a roommate, ditching the smartphone and numerous other moves.

Here’s a look at Young American’s monthly spending from last time, with some suggestions about how to correct the situation:

• Taxes & Paycheck deductions (health insurance, retirement, etc.) — $722
• Rent or mortgage payment $500 $250 — Save 50% by taking a roommate.
• Car payment — $200  $0 — Sell the financed car and use the equity to buy something inexpensive… or just take the bus.
• Gas (at $25 per week) — $108.33
• Tithe — $250
• Missions (giving to support short-term missionaries, about $150/year) — $12.50
• Special giving (church ministries, charities, etc., at $100/year) — $8.33
• Clothing (for the adult job and weekend fun, at $1,000/year) — $83.33  $25.00 — Buy affordable clothes at discount stores, and build a wardrobe slowly.
• Lunch Out (three times a week, totaling $25) — $100
• Dinner Out (two or three times a week, totaling $40) — $160 $80 — Reduce total dining out to $20/week.
• Starbucks (two or three times a week, totaling $10) — $40 $0 —Learn to live without overpriced coffee.
• Groceries ($40/week) — $160 $195 — You’ll have to spend a little more on groceries since you’re eating out less.
• Gifts (birthdays, weddings, etc., at $400/year) — $33 $12.50 — Spend $150 each year on inexpensive, thoughtful gifts.
• Hair Care — $20 $10 — Get cheaper haircuts, or go longer in between each trip to the salon.
• Household upkeep (repairs, decor, etc. at $200/year) — $16.67
• Car insurance — $100 $75 — Insurance on your cheap car will be less expensive.
• Doctor and dentist visits (at $300/year) — $25
• Medicine (regular prescriptions and over-the-counter) — $20
• Miscellaneous expenses — $50 $30 — Live frugally to keep miscellaneous expenses under tight control.
• Cable and internet — $80 $40 — Roommate pays half of this bill.
• Movies and recreation (bowling, mini-golf, concerts, etc.) — $50 $15 — Go to dollar movies and other discount entertainment. After all, you’re broke.
• Supplies (batteries, light bulbs, makeup, etc.) — $15
• Smart phone & data plan — $75.00 $50 — You can’t afford a data plan. Use a “dumb” phone to talk cheap for now.
• Utilities — $160 $80 — Roommate pays half of utilities.
• Student loan payments — $300
• Credit card payments — $100
• Car registration/property tax ($150/year) — $12.50 $5 — Cheaper car means less property tax.
• AAA Membership ($50/year) — $4.17
• Vacation and travel (at $1,000/year) — $83.33 $20.83 — You can’t afford nice vacations, so spend $250 a year on cheap, small trips.
• Christmas gifts (at $300/year) — $25 $12.50 — Spend $150 each year on inexpensive, thoughtful gifts.
• Car service (regular maintenance and emergency repair, $300/year) — $25