As a longtime personal finance writer, I've lost track of the number of stories I've written about the importance of creating a budget. So now it's time for a confession: When I was working, I never really had one.
Instead, I took an approach that I suspect is pretty common. If I had money left at the end of the month — and was able to pay off my credit card balance — I figured I was doing okay. And like millions of working Americans, I had contributions to my 401(k) plan automatically deducted from my paycheck.
