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If you're facing sticker shock from your travel this summer, earning points and miles is a great way to save on next year's vacation. And while you might think airline miles are the best place to start, there are several ways hotel points can save you more with less hassle. They're worth a look if you've given up on airline miles, or of you're just getting started thinking about travel rewards.

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When it comes to your finances, positive affirmations, a willingness to learn, and a good attitude are a plus. However, none of these attributes will help you grow your bank account unless you back them up with some action.

To add to that, far too many people are plagued with bad financial habits as well. Whether it boils down to overspending, not being realistic, or not setting goals, it's much easier to bury your head in the sand than to make an uncomfortable change.

If you're not saving money, the first question to answer is "why?" If you're drawing a blank, here are six possible scenarios that might apply in your situation:

If you're spending all you make or more each month, you should do your best to locate your "budget drains," says Peter Huminski, President and Wealth Advisor at Thorium Wealth Management.

Wasteful spending can come in many different forms, and it's not the same for each person. For someone, weekly stops at the local mall might be a problem. For another, it might be an addiction to pricey electronics and gadgets.

For a large percentage of people, however, it's food spending that's to blame for their money troubles. If you're heading out to a restaurant for lunch each day, for example, you could literally be eating your savings away.

"Stop going to out to lunch at work and bring your own lunch," says Huminski. "If you have a job that is conducive to bringing your own lunch, you can save over $50 per week. That is $2,600 per year. If you do it for 10 years you would have saved over $26,000 and you will be healthier as well."

According to financial planner Joseph Carbone, Jr. of Focus Planning Group, not having goals hurts more than people realize. When it comes to retirement planning, for example, people often contribute enough to get their company's 401(k) match to feel good, yet don't have a clue if their retirement savings will be enough. And the same can be true for any of their other savings goals, whether it's saving up the down payment for a house, saving for a new car, or simply building an emergency fund.

If you're going to save towards a goal - and you should, Carbone suggests starting with the end in mind then working backwards. For example, after fiddling around with a retirement calculator and speaking with your financial advisor, you might figure you need $2 million dollars to retire. If you have thirty years left until you reach retirement age, you should determine how much you need to invest each month - and how much your investments need to earn along the way.

"If you don't go through this simple task, you need not even bother to start working toward this kind of goal because you're setting yourself up to fail," says Carbone.

Often times, people honestly believe they are doing the best they can with their money. They think they're stashing plenty of money away. They think their savings account is growing. They think they're keeping up with their bills and avoiding debt.

But at the end of the month, the situation doesn't look anything like they perceived it would. Despite having good intentions, too many otherwise capable people find themselves out of cash, behind on bills, or worse, spiraling into debt.

Just like anything else in life, good intentions only get you so far when it comes to your money. If you feel positive about your situation but constantly fall behind, a lack of action is probably the culprit.

"One way to manage this debilitating syndrome is to automate," says Ronn Yaish, New Jersey Wealth Advisor at Yaish Financial Services. If taking action is not your strong suit, you should set up and automate withdrawals to your savings accounts, contributions to your brokerage accounts, credit card payments, and all other monthly financial tasks. You should also sit down with your HR representative to hash out which financial moves can be automated through payroll, says Yaish.

By taking action just one time, you can get the bulk of your finances humming along indefinitely.

The advertising industry exists to separate us from our money, and far too many of us fall for the pitch - hook, line, and sinker. We stand in line for days to get a new iPhone, often paying a week's salary or more to do so. We buy overpriced clothing, new cars with outrageous monthly payments, and pricey gadgets. And if we can't afford to pay in cash, we charge it.

"Most people are not willing to postpone the instant gratification of spending now," says Charles C. Scott, founder of Pelleton Capital Management in Scottsdale, AZ. And far, far too many of us just don't know how to tell ourselves "no" to the things we want.

"The enemy is Madison Avenue marketing which has won the war on being financially smart about your future and instead hammers home the pleasure of spending it all," says Scott.

Learning to delay gratification, save for a goal, and prioritize your spending are hallmarks of real adulthood, yet it's not that common for American families to have these attributes.

As a financial advisor, I've seen this tragedy play out time and time again. Too many good people don't put their finances first and simply let the chips fall where they may. Sadly, letting your finances "happen naturally" is the worst way to get ahead, mostly because life happens, bills happen, and it's easy to get off track.

To Clint Haynes, a Kansas City Financial Planner and founder of NextGen Wealth, this line of reasoning is on par with saying you don't have enough time. "Time can always be found, but rather what we are saying is that it's not a priority for us," says Haynes. "This is the exact same excuse as saying you can't afford to save any more. Extra savings can definitely be found in the budget, but it's just not a priority for most people."

When you don't make your finances a priority, it's inevitable that your situation won't change much. If you really want to get ahead, you have to put your money first and take actionable steps to save, pay down debt, and invest.

Even high earners can benefit from keeping a watchful eye on their spending and keeping a monthly budget, but too many people feel they are above these tried and true methods for getting ahead.

According to financial advisor Kenneth Feyers, this issue is commonplace among workers from all income groups.

"Many high income earners are terrible savers," says Feyers. "They maximize their 401(k) but they don't put additional funds away."

Since Feyers steers clear of the word "budget," he focuses on helping them create a spending and savings guide. "It's a guide because it helps people to make better spending decisions tied to their long term-goals," he says.

And if you're not tracking your spending, chances are good you're wasting all sorts of cash each month. Josh Brein of Brein Wealth Management says he suggests his clients track their spending religiously for this reason.

"I always recommend that my clients and friends track their spending just as much as they track their earnings," says Brein. "This way, you will always know exactly where you can cut a little bit of the fat out of your budget when you need to stash some cash away for a rainy day."

If you wish you were saving more money but fail to do so month after month, it's likely there is some disconnect between your thoughts and your actions. Meanwhile, it's possible there are some roadblocks standing in between you and your financial dreams - whether those hurdles are mental, physical, or spiritual.

Want to get ahead but can't? Figuring out your "why" might be the only thing that can save you. Chances are, the power to change rests in your hands.

RELATED: Secret ways to save money on Amazon

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If someone is going to make the biggest, most consequential retirement mistake possible, it's usually going to be this: neglecting to create a vision of what they want from their retirement.

Not having a plan for retirement is like launching an interplanetary space shuttle without having any regard for its destination. You'll likely run out of fuel before you reach a reasonable destination.

Have you ever taken a summer road trip? Sure you have. You pack meals (or bring enough money to eat out), get that oil change, bring enough clothes, and check off a bunch of to-dos before you actually hit the road. That's smart. You plan for vacations, why not plan for what could be your longest vacation of all: retirement!

Who knows, your retirement could last 30 years or longer. You're going to need a lot of money saved to last you that long. Well, either that, or discover a missing inheritance just in time or have a money-making business or two.

Don't be like so many people who reach retirement age to discover that Social Security benefits won't cut it and they have to dramatically reduce their lifestyle. That's a bummer.

Instead, ask yourself two questions . . . .

When Would You Like to Retire?

The first question is probably the easiest to answer: "When would you like to retire?"

It's commonly expected that people will want to retire in their 60s, but perhaps you should dig a little deeper and discover when you'd like to retire.

You don't have to go with the flow. Instead, consider retiring early, perhaps in your 50s or 40s. Alternatively, you may never want to fully retire, and would just like enough supplemental income to help you live with only a small, part-time job.

Truly, the choice is yours.

Remember, however, that certain retirement accounts require you wait until a minimum age to withdraw funds. Additionally, there are penalties for taking Social Security benefits early. If you're going to retire early, remember that you may not have access to funds if you are depending on certain types of accounts. Talk with a well-qualified financial advisor to understand the limitations of retiring early.

How Much Money Would You Like to Have?

The second question is difficult to answer: "How much money would you like to have?"

You might think the question is easy, but remember, your lifestyle and the cost of goods and services will probably be different in retirement.

Choosing an arbitrarily high number might put significant strain on your lifestyle in your younger years. Choosing an arbitrarily low number might not get you all the way through your desired retirement years.

You're going to need to do some homework to figure out how much money you'll need in retirement. Is it $1 million? $2 million? More? Less? Talk with a financial planner to consider all of the variables at play in figuring out how much money you'll need for retirement.

One approach is to work backwards. Ask yourself: How much money would I like to have every year in retirement? $40,000? $50,000? Your financial advisor can work the numbers to figure out how much you'll need to save in order to raise your chances of being able to take your desired withdrawals in retirement.

If you find yourself having difficulty answering these two questions, and you can't see that far down the road, you're certainly not alone. Instead, try asking yourself what your three-year goals are. What would you like to achieve financially in three years? Perhaps it's obtaining a new job, paying off all your debt, or selling a home with space you no longer need.

If you can't envision your retirement right now, you have to start where you're at. Don't give up on creating a financial plan just because you don't know what you want your retirement to look like.

It's best to start now. Be thinking about what you want your future to look like, even if you don't yet know what you want your retirement to look like. Over time, as you get closer to retirement, you'll discover what's important to you and will be able to more clearly envision your retirement.

Don't make the mistake of never envisioning it, however. Too many people do that, and then their retirement is determined by chance instead of a plan. And oftentimes, when that happens, retirement doesn't look so pretty.

I encourage you to sit down with a good financial planner to work out the details of your retirement. At the least, have them prepare a financial plan for you. It will be worth the effort. Believe me, once you have a plan in place, you'll be able to breathe easier knowing that you're on the right path toward a better future.

RELATED: The 3 retirement mistakes made by baby boomers.

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When it comes to the qualities it takes to become "financially sexy," several personal finance bloggers have already weighed in.

One example is a blog post written by Shannon of Financially Blonde. According to Shannon, a good credit score and a savings rate of at least 15 percent are the biggest indicators of a financially sexy person.

J. Money from Budgets are Sexy wrote a post on the topic as well, citing good credit, a solid savings rate above 15 percent, an emergency fund, and very little debt as the top qualities of a super sexy, fiscally responsible person.

But I wanted to take things a few steps further. Being financially sexy is great and all, but why not become financially sexier?

In my eyes, financially sexier individuals are the ones who shoot for the stars when it comes to their finances. Not only do they take care of their credit and financial well-being, but they aim to retire early, fund exciting financial goals like paying for college or building a business, and even become filthy rich.

Financially sexier people don't just have a solid job in an in-demand industry; they actually own the company. And instead of saving just 15 percent of their income, they might save 30 percent, 40 percent, or even 50 percent, and live on the rest.

Since financially sexier people come in all shapes and sizes, I reached out to several money bloggers and financial planners to get their take on the best ways to boost your appearance when it comes to looks and money.

Want to become financially sexier? Here are some ways to make it happen:

"Sexy is purchasing life insurance to make sure your loved ones are taken care of in case you pass away," says Joseph Carbone of Focus Planning Group. "Sexier, however, is purchasing 10 to 15 times your salary to protect them."

According to a recent survey from Bankrate, 42 percent of families don't have life insurance at all. Plus, nearly half of respondents who did carry life insurance reported having $100,000 or less in coverage. For most people, that is not nearly enough.

By buying enough life insurance to take care of your family in the event of your death, you're covering your bases and helping your family sleep better at night. Can you think of anything sexier than that?

"Sexy is paying off all your high-interest credit card debt and making sure your bills are paid in full every month," says Andrew McFadden, CFP and Founder of Panoramic Financial Advice. After all, it's never sexy to carry a balance on your credit card, and it's not sexy at all to pay interest on your purchases.

"Even sexier, though, is paying your balance every month and maximizing the rewards of the credit card to furnish one of life's pleasures," says McFadden.

Using credit wisely and responsibly is a must if you hope to be financially sexy. And obviously, a debt-free lifestyle is crucial, too. However, earning awesome rewards can take you to the next level. After all, is there anything sexier than earning free stuff?

The sexiest among us financially would never leave their loved ones in the lurch in the event of their death. Still, you can become even sexier by creating a comprehensive plan for your estate.

"Sexy is having a will in place in case anything happens to you," says Portland financial planner Grant Bledsoe. "Sexier is combining your will with beneficiary designations, advanced medical directives, trust documents, and powers of attorney to create an estate plan."

No matter what, there is nothing more attractive than having a plan in place to protect your family - and your assets - for future generations.

"Sexy is asking for a raise at your job to increase your income," says financial planner Aaron Hatch of Woven Capital. "Sexier is creating additional streams of income by participating in the sharing economy or starting a side hustle."

Almost nothing is sexier than an entrepreneur who is able to set their own hours, work at their own pace, and earn unlimited income. And if you have a full-time job already, don't let that hold you back. After all, side hustles are sexy, too. The more money you can earn through hard work, the sexier you become.

This piece of criteria to become financially sexier comes from Lance at Money Manifesto:

"Sexy is paying all of your bills on time and in full every month. Even sexier, however, is having a spreadsheet that lists all of your bills and due dates so you never miss a payment even if your significant other needs to pay the bills for a month."

Lots of people manage to stay on top of their bills somehow, but the sexiest among us are much more organized than most. Not only do they pay their bills in full and on time, but they keep track of them, track them, and make sure their spouse or partner is in the loop.

Having an annual family meeting to discuss your finances is an extremely smart move. But, do you know what's sexier? Here's what Jim Wang of Wallet Hacks has to say:

"Sexier is having that meeting on a monthly basis so you're never more than four weeks away from being able to talk and think about big picture financial issues."

If an annual meeting can help your finances, a monthly meeting should produce even better results. Of course, the financially sexiest among us are already having monthly meetings and using them to reach all of their short-term and long-term goals.

"Sexy is having a 20% down payment when you buy your new house to avoid PMI, says John Schmoll, the blogger behind Frugal Rules. "Sexier is putting down more, and paying more aggressively so you can be mortgage debt free in less than half the term of the mortgage."

A fifteen-year mortgage is definitely sexier than a thirty-year loan since you'll own you home outright in half the time. To take things a step further, paying down your mortgage faster is even better if you're already investing heavily and meeting other financial goals.

Can you think of anything sexier than owning our home outright before the age of 40? I can't.

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents says it's sexy to create a budget and live by it. What's even sexier, though?

"Even sexier is, no matter how much money you make, still living by that budget," she says.

It's normal to improve your lifestyle as you earn more money, but keeping lifestyle inflation in check is a smart way to grow your wealth. It's not only okay to stick to your budget when you're already rich; it's also sexy.

"Sexy is getting on a monthly budget and controlling your money," says money blogger Greg Johnson of Club Thrifty.

What's even sexier though, says Greg, is getting out of debt and using the extra money to seize control of your life!

"Being in debt consumes big chunks of your paycheck each month," says Johnson. "Living without debt is like giving yourself a raise, creating more options for living life on your own terms."

Ask anyone you know, and they'll say there is nothing sexier than someone in control of their own destiny. Want to be financially sexier? Take control of your life, and don't let anyone stand in the way of your dreams.

While giving to charity is undoubtedly sexy, San Diego Financial Planner Taylor Schulte offers a suggestion on how to take that sexiness up a notch.

"Sexy is being charitably inclined and giving back to the organizations you love and support," says Schulte. "Sexier, however, is using a donor-advised fund to maximize the tax benefits of your annual donations and develop a more strategic giving strategy."

Giving to charities you believe in is the right thing to do and a goal all of us should strive for, but there is something inherently sexy about someone who knows how to maximize their donations as much as possible. So, don't just give blindly; create a plan that helps you maximize the tax advantages of charitable giving as well. It's not just smart; it's sexy, too.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but almost everyone will agree that, the better you are with money, the sexier you become.

If you want to take your financial sexiness to the next level, look for ways to make more money, make smarter decisions with the money you have, or leave your family better off. Not only will doing so make you more attractive in the eyes of everyone you meet, but it will leave you richer in the long run.

What do you think makes someone financially sexier? What would you add to this list?

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