For those who are starting to feel the strain on their wallet it is crucial to budget. A budget may be very critical to your financial future and is imperative to your present situation. The first thing you have to work out is how much money you have to spend. It is important not to think that by budgeting you are downgrading yourself, it is important that you keep the same standard of life, but it just involves going about it in a different way. For example, shopping for necessity's is an important staple. Maybe it is time to avoid the expensive brand names and start buying their supermarkets own brands. When clothes shopping there are now many high street shops that sell a wide range of items at low prices.