How to Create a Personal Budget

Early in your job search you must determine your financial survival needs. Knowing how much money you need to make to cover your monthly basics will help you avoid financial disasters, feel confident in establishing a minimum salary requirement and give you a better understanding of where you can afford to cut corners during difficult times. Planning for the future means looking at both short- term costs and long- term potential expenses. Using a Personal Budget (pdf) will help you do both. 

Now that you have created goals, you can move on to Step 4: Expand Skills.