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You can track your spending by checking your account statements, managing a spreadsheet, or by using a money management app like Credit Karma that can automatically track everything for you. A spending tracker pulls all transactions from your connected accounts and organizes them by category (groceries, bills, subscriptions, etc.), so you can easily see where your money is going.

Knowing exactly how much money you have available — with upcoming bills already factored in — is a great way to help avoid overspending. Left After Bills, Credit Karma’s free tool, calculates this automatically for you. Once you connect all your accounts, it gives you a Left After Bills estimated available balance that reflects all transactions — including regular, upcoming bills you haven’t paid yet.

The 50/30/20 rule is a simple budgeting approach that splits your take-home income into 50% for essential expenses such as rent, food and transportation; 30% for non-essential expenses like entertainment, subscriptions or memberships; and 20% for savings and paying down debt. You can change the percentages to fit your situation, especially if your expenses are low or your needs exceed 50% of your expenses.

To calculate your net worth, you add up all your savings and any other assets like investments and property value, then subtract any loan, credit card or other debt balances. Credit Karma calculates your net worth for you when you connect your financial accounts. Tracking your net worth over time gives you a bigger-picture view of your finances, so you can see how far you’ve come even if day-to-day cash flow feels tight.

Seeing all your recurring charges in one place is the first step to cutting what you don’t need. Credit Karma shows you recurring charges across your connected accounts so you can see exactly what you’re paying for — and decide what’s worth keeping. For subscriptions you want to cancel, you can cancel on the company’s website or possibly through your phone’s app settings.

Cash flow is the movement of money in and out of your accounts — your income versus your bills, subscriptions, and everyday spending. When you have more money coming in than going out, you have positive cash flow. If you have more money going out than coming in, your cash flow is negative. Managing cash flow means keeping tabs on income and recurring charges, staying current on bill payments and adjusting expenses if you need to.