The most important principle in budgeting is to spend less than you earn. If that's a problem for you, but maybe want to consider looking at the same idea from another perspective. Earn more than you spend. How to keep track of everything is the question. For some people, it may seem extreme, but I keep a detailed record of every penny I spend and every penny I earn. I made a convenient spreadsheet in Google Sheets where I write down every expense I make and every time I earn something. All of my expenses are categorized. I can can easily see where my money is going and how much more I am earning than I am spending. I love it. It may seem intimidating at first, but, once you get in the habit, it doesn't take much time at all.