<prompt> Human: Poor planning has put me where I am today, and I am okay with that. I am looking to improve my spending habits and buckle down to budget, but I really will need some guidance.I currently make 2,620 every month. I receive half of it on the 5th and half on the 20th. I have a Discover IT card that is collecting interest, and a Best Buy card that is months away from collecting interest. I was an independent contractor last year, so I am currently in the hole with the IRS and am paying them back in monthly payments.Discover IT: -4,400Best Buy CC: -900IRS: -3500Total: -8,800I live in Dallas, Texas and I believe I can get away with spending 100 on gas per month. Other than that, I am a bit lost as to where to go from there when it comes to budgeting. I own YNAB and kind of give myself boundaries but I always go past them and destroy my bank account.If yall need any other information let me know!  <response>: I paid off 10K in debt while I was in graduate school. This is what worked for me:1. Switch to cash. I literally cut up my credit cards, except for one that I shared with my father, and I froze that one in a cup of water so I could get it in an emergency but couldnt use it regularly. I also left my debit cards at home. Each paycheck I would take out two weeks worth of expenses in person so I could get 5s and 10s at the bank. I split it into categories in my wallet with colored paper clips, and I would literally pay for things at the grocery store in two transactions: one for food, one for household supplies, because they were different categories. Once youre out in a category, thats it. No more of that thing for you. I did switch leftover money around to other categories because my budget was so strict and that gave me a little relief, but I never, ever took more cash out. 2. Create a budget for fun things. Do NOT have a miscellaneous category. Have a bucket for literally everything. I gave myself 20 a month to buy myself a present like jewelry or a new shirt. Trying to have a budget where you ONLY buy necessities will drive you crazy, but if you allow yourself even 20 worth of fun a month it will really help. Be realistic about it, and dont just give yourself whatever is left over after bills. Put a reasonable number on it. 3. Pay your debts first. As soon as that paycheck comes in, put your budgeted amount toward those debts, or even set up an automatic payment. Never touch that money. Everything that is left over will go towards your budgeted categories.4. You asked about building a budget, which can be complicated, but basically the best way is to take an honest, accurate look at what you have spent your money on in the past three months. Account for every single penny. This will take you three or four hours to analyze and set up, but it is time well spent. You will immediately see areas you are wasting your money in. Most likely they are things like eating outfast food, random fun purchases, high grocery bills. Based on those numbers and what you see you can reasonably cut, set a number for different categories like groceries, household items, rent, utilities, savings, etc. Then, start cutting those costs! Switch to Trader Joes or Aldis, and pay attention to price tags. Always take the lower priced non-brand item, especially for things like household cleaners. Put a hold on buying new clothes for a bit, or else switch to thrift stores. I went to an extreme and cut out my internet, and instead budgeted in a daily black coffee that I didnt want to give up, and used free internet at the coffee shops. This is extreme, but I was SUPER broke. The point is, there is always something you can cut.5. This doesnt get talked about a lot, but one of the things that I found necessary was confronting my emotional reasons for overspending. I journaled and asked myself questions about why I spent so much money, and in my case it was a need to please other people and to try to get them to like me. Once I examined those beliefs, I realized a that people who liked me because I spent money werent worth having around, and the people who were worth it wouldnt care, and b that taking better care of my finances would allow me to ACTUALLY help other people by allowing me to stop mooching or to donate to charities. Your reasons may be different, but its worth looking at. Money is just money--its a tool--but sometimes we project our desires and insecurities onto it and that really makes financial health difficult.You can do this. Good luck. 