When most people hear the word budgeting, they think unpleasant thoughts, like those associated with dieting, and rightfully so. Who wants to count calories or dollars and pennies? But budgeting — planning your future spending — can help you move from knowing how much you spend on various things to reducing your spending.

You want to get your hands on your credit report so you know what lenders are reviewing. You're entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report (which does not contain your credit score) every 12 months from each of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If you visit this website, you can view and print copies of your credit report from each of the three credit agencies.

People typically learn their financial habits, both good and not so good, at a young age. During childhood, most people are exposed to messages and lessons about money, both at home with their parents and siblings and also in the world at large, such as at school and with their friends.The expression "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" has some validity, at least for our four-legged friends, but even then, the expression actually requires some modification to be accurate.

You may want to consider establishing automatic investment programs to save for your retirement. Several automatic savings programs may be available to you. You need to determine how much you can direct to each of these automatic plans. Here’s how you do it: Make sure that you’re taking full advantage of any employer matching contribution for which you may be eligible with your company’s retirement plan.

Macs come in all shapes and sizes, but you turn all of them on and off, and do things with the keyboard and mouse or trackpad the same way. This Cheat Sheet of timesaving keyboard shortcuts, mouse and trackpad actions, Mac-related websites, and definitions can help you get the most from your Mac right away.Using Mac special feature keysNewer Macs feature keyboards with a row of dedicated special feature keys marked with descriptive icons that also double as function (Fn) keys.

As an older adult entering the world of Mac computers, you can use a few basic things: a guide to prices and uses for various types of Macs and helpful keyboard shortcuts that get you quickly where you want to go. And you can never be too safe, so it pays to know how to avoid potential predators on the internet.

Before you can use your Mac, you obviously have to start it up. And, of course, it's important to know the correct way to shut it down. Starting up your Mac Here’s the simple way to start up your Mac desktop computer — the way you’ll probably do it 99 percent of the time: Press the power button. Newer Macbook laptops start up automatically when you open their lids.

You know that frustrating, annoying, sometimes panicked feeling you get when your Mac isn’t doing what you expect? If an application freezes or your computer is generally misbehaving, try these tips to escape with minimal disruption. Use Force Quit when an application is unresponsive. Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu or press Command+Option+Esc keys.