If you want to be financially prepared for your retirement when the time comes, it is important to keep saving. That probably means creating a budget and living by it. There are so many temptations today to “keep up with the Jones’s” that people keep piling on debt even when it is beyond a reasonable budget. People who fall into this trap will have a very hard time ever retiring.

Here are some tools that can help you prepare:

66 Ways to Save Money - a simple list of easy ways to cut costs from the Consumer Federation of America.

Get Your Finances Organized - a good overview by the AARP on getting your finances organized, creating a budget, and sticking to it. Has handy worksheets.