ARDMORE, OK - With the economy in Oklahoma slowly recovering, many across the state are facing new challenges managing their personal finances. Now one group is offering free information that could help put your finances back on track.

This is the sixth year the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Jump Start Coalition have provided the Financial Fitness kits free of charge, and with information from how to plan for a disaster to ways to save for college, there's a topic that's sure to apply to everyone.

For many of us the saying "old habits die hard" apply to our finances, from maxing out credit cards to simply living above our means, something financial advisors say can be hard to break.

"Your finances basically become a habit, so it's very important to develop good habits at an early age because those habits are what stretch into your adulthood, and it's very hard to change them if you have bad habits," says Amy Welchoscpa with the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Recent statistics show that every credit card holder in America holds on average 3.5 cards. Certified Public Accountant James Chambers says credit card are simple to use, making it easy to rack up a lot of debt that can be expensive to pay off. Chambers offers simple advice of how to stop the cycle of debt.

"Stop using the credit card and organize your life in such a way that you can reduce that debt, pay it off, reorganize it if you can, and try to get cheaper credit," Chambers says.

The OSCPA and the Jump Start Coalition are offering the financial fitness kits in libraries across Oklahoma. The coalition says it wants to offer every Oklahoman the tools they need to stay financially healthy.

"People are more hesitant to discuss their own finances. They tend to look at it as if you're having a hard time managing your money then that's some kind of failure, and I don't think it is some kind of failure. What it is is that we haven't been taught," Welchoscpa says.

Chambers says successfully managing your finances isn't exclusive to one group or salary level. He says the most important step to developing better financial health is simply developing a plan and sticking to it.

"The biggest issue is that you need to develop a personal discipline in your life to where you do those sort of things. That you set up a plan up and decide how you want to live your life and then do it that way," he says.

Chambers says one thing you can do to plan for your future is to take advantage of retirement plans offered by your employer. He says adding a portion of each paycheck to your retirement account can quickly add up.

Financial fitness kits are available at Oklahoma public libraries or online at knowwhatcounts.org.