<prompt> Human: I want to open up by saying that Ive been a long time browser, but never thought I would end up in a situation like this one. Right now Im unemployed, it has been hard financially but its been great for me to focus on my last year at college and this week it seems to have paid of big time.I have never been good with money, it seems to burn holes in my pocket. I pay my bills on time, but I am nowhere as frugal as I should be. It seems Ive got roughly 6 months of time to prepare myself for a huge change in lifestyle. I plan on putting as much savings away as I can while also getting rid of my loans. But what else do I need to research?Edit:I just wanted to thank everyone for giving me advice. Of course Ill keep doing my research and hopefully in a year I can post a success about how Ive not fallen deep into credit card debt after buying a new car thanks to lifestyle creep.  <response>: Live on a set budget that you plan out before the month starts. Dont let your lifestyle get ahead of you. Youve been living paycheck to paycheck so far, and youve been surviving. Keep your lifestyle close to the same and use the difference to pay off any debts and invest. As others have stated lifestyle creep will kill you. 62k is a nice income, but youd be shocked how many people live paycheck to paycheck with 2 or 3 times that income. 