People establish budgets because they have financial goals that are not being met. They may not realize that they have any goals at all — they may just be tired of bill collectors calling — but everyone who establishes a budget has at least one unmet financial goal. For example, you may want to:

• Be able to pay all your bills from your paycheck — and maybe have a little left over

• Buy your first house

• Save for retirement, but can't seem to find any extra money to get started

• Pay off all your credit cards and never get into debt again

• Give more money to your church or to other nonprofits

• Be your own boss, but are nervous about not having money in the bank

• Take a vacation

• Stop hearing from the hospital about your medical bills

• Buy a new — or at least newer — car

• Stay home with your baby

• Remodel part of your house

• Pay for laser eye surgery

• Finance at least part of your child's college education

• Buy medical insurance

• Rebuild your credit

• Find a way to care for your aging parents

• Finally build your dream house

• Take a leave of absence from your job to work in the Peace Corps

• Go back to school and begin a new career

• Buy the downtown coffee shop when the current owners retire

• Get a whole new wardrobe

Are any of these your goals? If so, budgeting will get you there, even if the odds seem impossible right now. Even if you're stuck in a job you don't like, desperately want to go back to school, have to take care of an aging parent, and have $19,000 in credit card debt, you can meet your financial goals — just as others have done before you. With a good budget, a little patience, and a whole lot of determination, you'll eventually get there.

Not convinced that you need a budget? Here's a test to determine whether you need one: Do you have even one unmet financial goal? (See the preceding section for ideas.) As long as it's important to you, from wanting to put a decent meal on the table for your family to wanting to buy a great dress for your high school reunion to simply wanting to see a credit card bill that says your balance is $0, no goal is too big or too small. And if you're having trouble reaching your goal, you need a budget. Period.