Look no further - here are 9 fabulous financial tools you can use to shave a few bucks off your monthly budget.

At first I beat myself up. "Why can't I keep a job longer than a few months to a couple years? What is wrong with me?" Truth be told, sticking to one job for almost your entire life can actually be more of a curse than a blessing - and could even be extremely problematic if your job can't grow with your needs.

Well, the only good way to find out is to try it out. But, not everyone has an endless stream of cash to blow on the financial learning curve. Unless, of course, you play with fake money...

You just need to learn it all on your own - invent your own rules - because this is one lesson everyone is learning now too. So think of your "lack" of knowledge in money management as an advantage, since you're not an old dog trying to learn new tricks.

With gas prices rising and social support wages declining, what is a certain silvery someone to do?

The truth is – you don't need any money to start a business. I dropped out of the rat race completely 4 years ago with hardly a dime to my name, but I have managed to survive and even live my ideal lifestyle the entire time.

I'm sure you know by now most of those “business opportunities” that charge money to join are scams (most people I know ended up in debt because of them too). You can do exactly what they're doing, and not pay them a dime – or you can start a myriad of other businesses absolutely free as well.

Don't get mad or frustrated. Consider the very obvious, but rarely taken alternative path: get *excited* about your money.

Take for instance, I don't owe anyone any money – no student loans, no car loans, no mortgages, no balance on a credit line – and I am in control of my paycheck. However, I also travel a great deal. Before you read on, ask yourself if you think I need an emergency fund.

Does this sound familiar? "I've had a rough day. I deserve a treat." Add a little bit of self-congratulatory confidence, and the treat varies in proportion. Stressful meeting? Buy yourself a special latte or top-shelf cocktail. Rough week? Take yourself out to a fancy dinner and order something special. Tough summer with the kids? Spend a little extra and take a better vacation than last year. Rough year? Buy a new car, because you've earned it, after all.

Here's the bad news: you don't deserve that treat.

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There are three big factors in the corporate equation – expenses, sales, and profits. The single most important part of that equation is profit, period, in any economic climate. Sales don't matter in a recession. When the economy turns sour, corporations get a clean excuse to cut expenses, be sloppy, and perform terribly – all the while making profits rise at an astronomical rate.

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Unfortunately for him, I meticulously check every charge on my account every few days. It has been a big pain in the rear, and I nearly lost my checking account, but all is well now – and hopefully I can help you avoid the mistakes I made.

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If you haven't already started to feel the pinch, you will soon – and you might have to pay much closer attention to when you let the bank subtract from your account. You could buy overdraft protection, but that just means you are subject to even more fine print than before.

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I'm not going to terrorize you with senseless statistics – truth be told the whole “buyer confidence” thing is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Let's get real here and take our heads out of the sand, shall we?

What I've been working on in the last few months is understanding all of my recurring monthly bills and evaluating whether they're really worth the money or not.