How you spend your money is largely determined by your financial purpose. Your financial purpose is made up from your philosophy about money and your goals. Most people have a difficult time expressing their financial purpose, yet it drives every penny you spend.

When you clarify your financial purpose, you make sure it also works for you in the long run. Then let it take over how you use your money. Here's a simple way to begin:

Write down what you imagine a perfect week would be for you. Who you're with, what you're doing, when you do it, and how it makes a difference to you, etc. This defines your financial purpose. Read over it daily, update it often, memorize it and it will automatically change how you invest your hard earned money.

Financially healthy people when working with their debt, focus on the length of time they will be in debt, more than the interest rate or monthly payment. TIME is the critical component. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of time you are in debt will save you money and accelerate the achievement of your financial purpose.

For example:
You want to buy a new car, and you have planned for a $400 monthly payment. Instead of a new car costing $400 a month, find a used car in good shape with a monthly payment of $300 a month. Then invest the $100 difference every month toward an early pay off on the car or another debt. Over the life of your car loan this can greatly speed up your payoff date by months, even years.

Three Steps to getting the most from your paycheck

1. Take advantage of Direct Deposit if your employer offers this benefit. Using Direct Deposit increases how quickly your money is in the bank and helps you resist the temptation of getting cash back when depositing your check.
    
2. Participate in a Flexible Spending Account if offered by your employer. These employee funded health plans help you to set aside money monthly to pay premiums or any health expenses not covered by your insurance. The best part about these accounts is you can use tax-free dollars to cover rising health care costs.
    
3. Set up a 401(k) Retirement Plan if offered by your employer. With a 401(k) plan you can contribute pre-tax dollars to a fund of your choice. This pre-agreed upon portion of your paycheck automatically starts building a nest egg for your future retirement and helps you make the most of your income.