Do you have too much month at the end of your money? How do you feel when you look at your checking account balance three or four days before payday? Do you intentionally not balance your check book because you know what you are going to see? Do you get a queasy feeling or worse when you peer into your checking account and find it empty -- then realize that payday isn't for several days?

You're suffering from Paycheck-Itus, a symptom of a greater illness called Lack-of-Good-Budgetosis. This illness can affect anyone -- regardless of income -- who regularly runs short of money in the bank. Other symptoms include sleepless nights, high blood pressure, family disagreements, fits of guilt, and denial.

The good news is there is a cure. The bad news is the cure isn't easy, and it can be bitter tasting in the short-run.

 Let’s explore this illness and see how we can get to feeling better:

 To become financially worry-free is not an impossible goal. Through a common sense approach, you can achieve this goal by working at it systematically. Imagine five buckets hanging in stair step fashion, each below and a little to the right of the one above it. As water flows into the top bucket the bucket begins to fill. When it is full, the water flows over the edge and into the second bucket. This process continues until all the buckets are filled.