Step 1: Get organized

• Financial account statements
• Bills + receipts
• Checks, pay stubs, and employee benefits
• Insurance policies
• Tax statements + returns
• Mortgage and personal property records
• Retirement plan and investment statements

Step 2: Understand your habits

1. Essential: Rent, food, and other necessities
2. Lifestyle: Expenses that bring joy (aka, the fun stuff)
3. Fixed: Non-essential monthly expenses (think: subscriptions + memberships)
4. Variable: Sporadic or annual expenses (insurance premiums, new tires, etc.)
5. Savings: Money set aside for cash reserves, retirement, and other long-term goals
   

Step 3: Manage your expenses

• 50/30/20 method: A flexible way to allocate monthly funds
• Envelope system: A no-nonsense method to rein in excess spending
• Zero-based approach: Perfect for Type A personalities

Step 4: Tap in a professional

• Dreamville Public Access | Friday, April 5 | 12-10 p.m. | CAM Raleigh, 409 W. Martin St., Raleigh | Free | Meet with music industry professionals and attend panels to learn more about the biz behind music.
• Studio Tours and Shopping | Friday, April 5 | 5-7 p.m. | Designed For Joy, 517 W. Cabarrus St., Raleigh | Free | As part of First Friday, explore the studio providing employment to women in crisis.
• City Beats and Visual Vibes Event | Friday, April 5 | 5-11 p.m. | Moore Square, 201 S. Blount St., Raleigh | Free | Jam out to tunes from an “America’s Got Talent” competitor, an 8-year-old local talent, a marching band, and so much more as part of First Friday.

• Dean Martin Tribute Show | Saturday, April 6 | 3 p.m. | A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater, 2 E. South St., Raleigh | $45-$65 | Enjoy the tunes from the “King of Cool” in this special tribute show.
• “A Little Night Music” by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler | Saturday, April 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Burning Coal Theatre Company, 224 Polk St., Raleigh | $5-$30 | Watch this musical about the comic misadventures of several couples who decide to spend a weekend together in the country.

• Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets | Sunday, April 7 | 5 p.m. | PNC Arena, 1400 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh | $30-$285 | The Canes and Blue Jackets will hit the ice.

• Logan’s Garden Shop has found a new home. Logan’s will renovate an old garden center at the NC State Farmers Market and plans to open by February 2025. The shop sold its current space at the historic Seaboard Station to make way for a new development of the same name. (Triangle Business Journal)

• Grab your red-and-white gear and meet at Mitch’s Tavern for a Final Four street party this Saturday, April 6. The street + sidewalk will be closed, food trucks will be joining, and the NC State men’s basketball game will be playing on a big screen at the corner of Horne and Hillsborough streets starting at 5 p.m.

• City Editors Cat + Allie hopped on My Carolina on CBS 17 today to talk about this packed weekend ahead, including Dreamville, First Friday, and NC State’s Final Four games. Give the short segment a watch at 9 a.m. or catch it online later in the day with host Amber Freeman.

• This weekend is Dreamville Festival at Dorothea Dix Park, and the festival often comes with traffic and road closures due to record tourism numbers. Review this map of closures from Dix Park to navigate the roads safely.

• Raleigh hit a new record pollen count this week with a tree pollen count of 16,284 on Sunday, March 31. This count surpasses the previous high recorded in 2010 of 10,995, and pollen levels might continue to increase year over year. (Axios Raleigh)

• Talk about a glow-up. Local insect repellent company Murphy’s Naturals recently launched a complete rebrand that eliminated unnecessary plastics + dyes to further reduce its environmental footprint. See the new look.*

• BetterHelp creates a safe, stigma-free space where you can be your authentic self and explore your concerns. Get 25% off your first month of therapy.*