As the new year settles in, many of you are still figuring out how much money you spent during the holidays and how much do you still have left on hand. But perhaps some of you are finding it difficult to account for all your past month’s expenses, right? You may be at a lost as to where some of your money went.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. A recent survey has confirmed that many Australians are not able to figure out where a third of their money went every week. This is despite their claim of following a certain budget for each week. The survey conducted by Visa, which covered more than 1,000 Australians, showed that more than 50 percent of people who tried to stick to their budget were not able to account for the $59 they spend every week. This figure is, in fact, higher than the international average of $24 so called mystery spending.

People found better at monitoring their money are the Americans and Japanese. Those from Japan failed to account for only seven percent of their cash while it was only nine percent of their expenses that the Americans lost track of.

So for Australians, the $59 per week they were not able to figure out totals to $3,068 when computed for the entire year. In terms of gender, women accounted for 50 percent and men comprised the 44 percent of those not being able to keep track of their spending. Women tend to not account properly for what their spending while shopping for groceries and food. As for men, it’s when their on a night out that they tend to be unconscious of where they spend their money.

If you’re one of those who belong to this type of people, it’s time to make a change. A change of attitude is worth doing this 2010 all for the effort of managing your family’s finances well. Being forgetful is not an ideal trait but being a responsible with your money is.

Being conscious of one’s responsibility does not apply only to keeping track of your budget but even when borrowing money and using your credit card. Know that when you borrow money, you have to pay it back. Escaping from your financial obligations will only make things worse and will only haunt you for a long time.

Hopefully, what the financial experts foresee for a lifestyle change to occur among families will come to a reality. This change in lifestyle is expected among families with both parents working – the husband being full time and the wife involved in a part time work.

Debt is something we all should avoid as we journey through life. It is not bad to borrow money once in a while using the short term loans such as the payday and cash advance loans as long as you know how to pay your dues on time and you take out a loan one at a time. If you’re earning enough, it’s best to create a budget plan and spend only within your means. This is the more appropriate attitude people need to apply consistently.