Are you trying to make some big financial changes? If you’re like many people, you probably mentioned some finance-related resolutions for the New Year. Resolutions are good when they are backed up by plans. One plan might be to start a budget.

Yet we’re here to tell you something really important: if you aren’t ready to do a budget, you’ll know about it. You have to make sure that you slide into a budget rather than just rushing in. You should actually look at a budget as not just a system, but it needs to be an emotional pathway for you as well. We’re emotional about money in a lot of different ways, for a lot of different reasons. You have to make sure that you’re always thinking about the bigger picture as it relates to your goals. Do you really want to be delayed in your dreams because you can’t get your budget together? Probably not. So what this means is that you absolutely have to think about the best path to success. There’s no reason to think that you have to deal with confusion forever. Here’s how to ease into a budget without losing your mind.

First and foremost, you want to figure out what really matters to you. The biggest mistake that people make is that they get in a rush to cut everything even the things that they really love. Most people simply do not have the financial willpower to cut out everything and be okay. Sure, we all have seen those documentaries about people who live on barely anything and they enjoy it, but they have taken a lot more time to get comfortable with that state of living than you have. They would rather have savings than go out and about on the town with their friends. You need to make sure that you’re thinking about the type of lifestyle you want in great detail.

Maybe you should start with moving just one thing every single month. It could be something as big as the cable subscription you enjoy, or it could, be something as small as going to the shop every day for a candy bar and a cold Coca-Cola. You might laugh, but it’s often those small purchases that lead to us breaking out budgets, and not the other way around. It’s going to be a matter of thinking about the type of world that you ultimately wish to build. That’s all there is to it, but some people will find that difficult.

You can’t get emotional when it comes to getting what you want. You have to make sure that you stay focused on your goals. A budget is what you make of it. If you find that you’re having a hard time remembering to pay all of the bills on time, then you might want to set everything up on autopay. That’s the real way to get things under control. You will be able to dodge a lot of fees that end up tripping other people.

Overall, it’s a better idea to ease into a budget than rush in. We hope that these tips will serve as a starting point for you to figure out the rest of your financial blueprint.