When your career requires you to stay away from home weeks at time, chances are there is plenty for you to worry about it. According to the American Psychological Association, 64 percent of Americans say money is somewhat or a very significant source of stress. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans say that they have either considered skipping or have skipped going to a doctor when they needed health care due to financial concerns. There are steps you can take to help keep your financial concerns at bay.

Track your spending

Understanding how and where you spend your money can help give you a better understanding of your finances. Are you spending your money on necessities like food, shelter and clothing or is being spent on non-essential items like entertainment or eating out when you could cook in the truck? A closer look at your spending habits will help you create a budget that is realistic.

Stick to your budget

Once you create a budget, stick to it! Creating a budget doesn’t mean you can’t ever spend money on non-essential items, it just means that you are spending your money responsibly. For example, if you used to eat out for every meal five days a week, try to cook or have food in your truck and eat out one meal every week.

Pay yourself first

Once you make saving a priority you’ll be amazed at how easy it will become. Open a separate savings account and treat it like a bill you have to pay to ensure you stick with it. Most employers have an option where you can automatically deposit money into some type of savings account and the majority of employers will deposit a matching contribution for every employee who contributes to their 401(k).

Plan Ahead

Plan ahead for good weeks and not so good weeks. The trucking industry depends heavily on the economy and as a result can change quite often. Once you get familiar with how it affects you, plan your budget around them. The same can be said about taking your time off.