Making a realistic budget and sticking to it starts by calculating your total income, then adding up all of your expenses — both variable and non-variable — to understand where your money is going. From there, calculate the difference. If your expenses are already greater than your savings, you have 2 options: either make more money, or spend less. Finally, set budgets around each expense category (such as utilities, subscriptions, etc.) and be diligent about tracking each month.