This is a discipline that makes your money work harder for you. You cannot skip this step. Everyone is on a budget, whether it is deliberate or accidental. The smart people take charge of their own financial destiny, and work a budget. ACS offers some excellent free material that can assist with budgeting.
Money is a good servant, but a poor master.
The single best investment that you can make for your future is to vigorously get out of debt. Car loans, mortgages, DPP, and credit card debt can all add up to trouble. No plan for your future will succeed until you free up your money to work for you instead of working for loan agencies. This can be the most painful of all the steps. An Amish proverb states the obvious, Spend less than you make, and you will never be in debt.