Trying using these helpful tips for financial planning: 

* Define and prioritize your financial goals. These goals may include: saving to send your children to college, buying a new car, saving for a down payment on a house, going on vacation, saving for the holidays, or planning for retirement. 

* Break down each financial goal into manageable short, medium and long term goals, e.g. less than one year, one to three years, and five years and more. 

* Educate yourself! Read books, magazines or on-line information about investing. With much less effort than you might think you can make more informed decisions that will help you craft and execute your plan.

Benchmark your progress on a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually basis to determine if your action plan is meeting your established goals. Involve the whole family! Establish goals for your children now so that they will begin to learn the value of money, and that it doesn’t grow on trees. The most important thing is to do something and start now!

• Unplug electronic devices and chargers. Modern devices use electricity even when turned off. An easy alternative is to plug as many devices as possible into a surge protector, which is easy to turn off when you leave for the day.
• Fill up your refrigerator. More food in the fridge keeps the air inside cool when its opened.
• Cook in the microwave or outside. Microwaves use less energy than most stoves and using the grill will keep the inside temperature from warming up.
• Replace your air conditioner filters. Dirty filters force the unit to work harder because the airflow is restricted.
• Cover your water heater in an insulated blanket. Older models loose heat forcing the unit to work in overdrive. Water heater insulation can be found at most home improvement stores.