Paying off debt, increasing savings, reducing taxes, investing for the future—with so many different money management goals to work on, it can be hard knowing where to focus your energy. MoneySense's Priority Pyramid suggests the financial milestones you should address in order of priority.

Like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and our own Lifehacker Hierarchy of Goals, this pyramid illustrates what you should tackle first (at the bottom of the pyramid) before moving up to the next level.

Making sure you're earning more than you're spending is priority number one, naturally. If you don't have a positive cash flow, you can't use your money to meet your financial goals. At the top of the pyramid are focusing on investment performance and optimizing your returns.

It's a basic illustration, but still useful for creating a plan of attack to get your finances in order.

The Priority Pyramid | MoneySense

When you sign a two year contract with your wireless carrier, you probably know there's a termination fee if you want to get out early. You may think that fee could be waived if you could demonstrate a real need to end your contract, but this sad story suggests otherwise. In fact, it's easier to break an apartment lease than it is to get out of a cell phone contract. So if you need to get out of your contract but your pleas fall on deaf ears, how do you get out without emptying your wallet? Here's how.

Navigate the Customer Service Maze

Before you do anything drastic, you should always see if you can get your wireless provider to come around to your cause. They won't want to lose you as a customer, but most companies will make some kind of exemption if you talk to the right person and have a good reason. If you're moving because of work or a compelling personal reason (death in the family, etc.) to a location they don't cover, are a soldier who's being deployed, or you've lost your job and are unable to continue paying your contract, they'll usually let you out or work with you on a compromise. Photo by Brad P.

However, don't expect to just call up and have the first person you speak to solve your problem. You may need to call back several times or escalate your issue. Here are some more tips to cut through corporate bureaucracy and get your carrier to listen to you. Don't be afraid to use the company's social media channels to your advantage, or go straight to the top and contact corporate executives.

Trade Your Contract with Someone Else In Your Boat

No one actually likes wireless contracts, and you're not the only person who wants to get out of theirs. Odds are there's someone out there who's trying to get out of their contract with the carrier you want to join, and vice versa. Check out services like Cellswapper, Celltrade, or TradeMyCellular that all play matchmaker between people who want out of their contract with one carrier, and people who want into shorter-term contracts with another. If you have six months left on your T-Mobile contract but you're moving to an area served by Verizon, for example, you can pair up with someone who's willing to trade their 18 months remaining on Verizon for your 6 months on T-Mobile. Even better, the service can find someone who wants only a short-term T-Mobile contract—the service handles the paperwork, and you send out your phone, cover the transfer fee, and walk away contract-free.

Find a Wireless Carrier Willing to Buy Out Your Contract

It's not terribly common, but some wireless providers are so eager for new customers that they're willing to buy you out of your old contract, and pay down whatever early termination fee you may have. The big carriers shy away from offers like this, but smaller ones and MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators, or companies that buy the rights to resell a big carrier's bandwidth under their own name. Boost Mobile, Credo Mobile, and Virgin Mobile are all examples of MVNOs) often bend the rules to bring in new customers.

For example, new Tucows startup Ting is running a month-long contest to get you out of your contract (although that month is almost over, so act quickly!) They're willing to buy one lucky winner out of a contract or your termination fee, whichever is cheaper, every day this month. Considering their approach to the wireless business, you may want to consider it. Keep in mind though, even when Ting's promotion is over, other MVNOs may be willing to work with you when big carriers won't. Here's a full list of MVNOs in the United States and the carriers they resell from—you may even be able to keep your phone.

Hack the System

Finally, if none of the other tricks work, it's time to play a little dirty. We've talked about how contract changes are often a way to escape a long contract, so if your carrier has added new fees or changed the terms of your agreement recently, that may be your ticket out of there. Moneycrashers has some more tips, and while they were written for T-Mobile specifically, most will work with any carrier. Still, your mileage may vary—some of them are technicalities you may have to fight for. When the iPhone launched on Verizon Wireless, we offered up some more tips to get out of your contract without paying an early termination fee. Check them out—many of them work on any carrier, and for any phone. Photo by Jessica Spengler.

If playing dirty doesn't appeal to you, consider changing your contract to the absolute fewest number of minutes and smallest data allowance they offer. Cancel SMS messaging entirely, and trim your account to the bare minimum. Not only does this make you an undesirable customer, but the lower cost per month for the duration of your contract may be less than the termination fee, just spread out. Then sell the phone, remove it from your account, sign up with your preferred carrier, and walk away.

We've always said that you should do what you love—so much that if you wouldn't do your job for free, you should quit. When that isn't an option, though, writer Patty Azzarello recommends a slight change in philosophy.

While we don't necessarily agree with her that "doing what you love" is bad advice, we do understand that it isn't always ideal—especially in a bad economy. Maybe your ideal job market is oversaturated, or maybe it just doesn't pay enough for the lifestyle you want. In those situations, it helps to look at your job as a means to do what you love.

Consider thinking about your work/life strategy like this:

• Do what you love for free.
• Work for money.
• Change how you do your job to feel less tortured about it-and maybe even feel pretty good about it.
• Spend the money you make on doing the things you love when you're not at work.

End of insight: Please read it again.

Azzarello uses her own life as an example: she was stuck in a technology job that paid well, but that she hated doing. Instead of griping through her hatred of technology, she reassessed her job to focus on things she was good at—she used her hatred of technology to make the product better for similarly-minded people. That way, while she may not be doing something she loved, she was at least doing something she liked, and could spend more time and money on the things she did love. Hit the link below to read more, and for our own insight on the subject, check out our top 10 tips for improving your work life.

"Do What You Love" Is Bad Advice | Free Money Finance

Photo by Blend Images.

Want all of the benefits of organic, local produce, meat, and dairy with the convenience of a grocery store? A food co-op might be what you're looking for. They're pretty easy to find and in many cases, you can walk out with bags full of groceries for a fraction of what you'd pay at a traditional supermarket. Here's how to find and get involved with one near you.

A Food Co-Op? What's That?

If you're not familiar with the concept, food co-ops operate like grocery stores, but are owned by members of the cooperative—in other words, they're owned and managed by the people who shop and work there. Because of this they have greater flexibility in the products they carry and how much they sell those products for. Most co-ops specialize in natural, organic, and locally grown foods, and develop relationships with nearby farms to supply their dairy, meat, and produce. Photo by glenngould.

Even better, because members pay in to the cooperative to keep it alive, those products are often sold at a discount. Co-ops are also known for offering cooking classes, gardening lessons, monthly grocery baskets, and other community perks to their members. Some co-ops require you to become a contributing member before you can shop there, but if you shop frequently, you'll get it back quickly in bargains on the stuff you take home.

How Can I Find One Near Me?

The Coop Directory Service has a comprehensive list of co-ops and buying clubs across the US and Canada. LocalHarvest, who you might remember from our article on Community Supported Agriculture, also has a directory of food co-ops around the US. If you're still having trouble finding one, Cooperative Grocer's directory may be able to help as well.

You'll have better luck finding a co-op near you if you live in a city or suburb, but the demand for high quality, local food is high enough that more open in rural areas every year. In some cases, the closest co-op near you may focus on a specific type of food, like gourmet cheeses dairy or all-organic produce. Don't be afraid to shop around or keep looking until you find one that's more grocery store than niche market.

What's The Catch?

As we mentioned, many co-ops expect their shoppers to support the cooperative by becoming members. That means yearly dues, and like the big-box buying clubs, you can come in and look around for free, but you won't be able to check out without proof of membership. You can sign up on the spot of course, but make sure you check out the membership fees before you sign on the dotted line. Photo by Jason Riedy.

On the bright side, many cooperatives let you pay in volunteer hours instead of dollars, so if you have a few spare hours on the weekend and want to get out of the house, you can lend a hand stocking shelves, or indulge your secret passion for box-stacking. If you're interested in learning a new skill, you might even be able to work with the local butcher or nearby farmer to pick up what they know while you work. You never know, it could be a rewarding experience.

What do you think? Are you a member of a co-op in your area? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Photo by DrStarbuck.