4. Start an Emergency Fund

One of personal finance's oft-repeated mantras is "pay yourself first". No matter how much you owe in student loans or credit card debt and no matter how low your salary may seem it's wise to find some amount - any amount - of money in your budget to save in an emergency fund every month.

Having money in savings to use for emergencies can really keep you out of trouble financially and help you sleep better at night. Also, if you get into the habit of saving money and treating it as a non-negotiable monthly "expense", pretty soon you'll have more than just emergency money saved up: you'll have retirement money, vacation money and even money for a home down payment.

5. Don’t Stop Learning And Start Earning

Even though this tip has little to do with spending or saving money, it can have a bigger impact on the future of your finances than anything else you might do. No matter how well you’re able to invest your money, you will almost certainly earn more money from your career than you will from any investment or combination of investments.

The job market is more competitive than ever, and promises to be even more so in the future. The best way both to survive and to increase your future income stream is to invest in yourself and commit to continually learning and growing in your abilities.  Learn more about your job, your company and your entire industry. The more you know, the more you can do and the more valuable you will be to your employer or to future employers. Develop enough job skills and you may be paving the way to starting your own business.