Basic advice. It's amazing how so many people don't know these things though. Dave Ramsey advocates the same thing. Know where the money goes so you can decide in advance where the money should go instead, and exercise self-discipline to follow the plan.

The hardest part about budgeting is when debt has been built up though. The prospect of paying off tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars is the most daunting prospect. Focusing on one bill at a time, and starting with the smallest, does allow a sense of achievement as they are paid off, and the saved money can be snowballed into bigger payments until they are all gone.