5 financial resolutions moving ahead in the new year. 1) Make a budget:   Creating a budget means listing your recurring monthly expenses, factoring in one-time expenses,  and comparing your total spending to your post-tax income. The figures you use should be rooted in reality, which means you'll need to check your bank and credit card statements to get an accurate sense of what you spend across various categories (think food, home maintenance, entertainment, and so on). Once you have that framework in place, you'll see where your money is going and where you have room to cut corners if you aren't saving enough. You might be surprised by how much you're spending in one area, and find that you could reallocate those resources to saving or something you're more passionate about. 2) Build an emergency fund:   B oosting your cash reserves should take priority over all other financial goals in the coming year. Even if your savings account balance is above that th