Editor's Note: This article is adapted from materials used in the  No Debt, No Sweat! Christian Money Management Seminar.

There’s no way to overcome financial problems without a budget. Even if we don't always like budgeting (see part II of this series), your budget is the lumberjack that’ll show you how to get out of the forest of debt. It’s also the map that will guide you to future financial success.

There are five things I believe will help any family develop a successful, long-term budget or as I prefer to call it: A Personal Financial Freedom Plan:

1. Teamwork. The most important human relationship in any person’s life is the one you have with your spouse. If you are married, you and your partner are one. This means that, ideally, all the important, life-shaping decisions should be made together. In my opinion, it is a real mistake for one person in a marriage to take "ownership" of the money and budgeting.

Let me clarify. In every relationship, one person usually has more ability and interest in money management than the other. There is certainly nothing wrong with allowing that person to use his or her natural gifts in the marriage. But, whichever person manages the money should remain humble and open with their spouse. And, conversely, the other mate should not ignore his or her responsibility to be a partner by remaining involved and engaged in the budgeting process.

But what about the biblical roles of husband and wife? While I accept the biblical concept of male leadership within the family, I do not believe that the husband is always the best money manager. I bring this issue up because a lot of Christian couples struggle with this. We did.

Before we married, we were both anxious to prepare ourselves. One of the books I read made a big point about how the husband should handle all the money and pay all the bills. Being too young to discern good advice from bad, I told Bonnie that I would be handling the money and paying the bills. Well, it wasn’t long before I realized I’d made a mistake. I was simply too busy to deal with every last penny of our finances. So, I swallowed my pride, and asked Bonnie if she would mind handling the bill-paying at home. Thankfully, she agreed, and she does a better job than I ever could.

2. Learn what your true income is. Very few people really take note of their true income. By "true income," I’m referring to the actual number of dollars that your family brings in each month. These are "net" dollars after withholdings have been made for taxes, Social Security, and so forth. This money is reliable, for-sure income that isn’t dependant on unpredictable overtime, bonuses, or other wishful thinking. The only way to have an accurate, workable budget is to know exactly how many spendable dollars you have available.