In the first box in the illustration below, the header says "Budget Surplus...Spend less that you make. Cut your spending until you have a monthly budget surplus." There are two ways to cut your spending. One is to control the spending that you already engage in. The other is to renegotiate some of the debt that you already have.

When you pay off or at least pay down your debt you can apply the same principle to your savings. After that it is the same master/grasshopper relationshsip. It is cyclical. Money is simple and it works the same whether you are in the spiral of death(debt) or the ascending spiral of savings. Money is Simple.