One of the most important parts of your financial plan is your goals. In order to find clarity and reduce our guilt around our spending, we have to have clear goals. That means knowing how much we need for each goal, by when we will achieve it, as well as which goal comes first.
Is it more important to me to pay off ALL of my student loans before saving for my future home? Do I want to aggressively save for retirement (and retire early!) or take an extra vacation each year?