Leave Your Plastic at Home Resisting temptation is tough, and sometimes may seem downright impossible. So—why not cut off access to it completely? Leave your credit card at home if you know you’re just going out for a day in the park with friends. Sometimes, even just the knowledge of having that “unlimited” access to funds on your card is enough to leave you tempted to shop. Cutting off your access removes the possibility all together.
Late Night Spending
Not only does the credit card trick help you curb your spending during the day, it is probably most effective on a weekend night out, since having a few drinks in you can be enough to send you on a spending frenzy—even if it’s just at the bar!
Try only bringing out the exact amount you want to spend for a night out. Just make sure you keep some emergency money aside (for example, keep it in a separate compartment, or your pocket) so you know you’ll have enough to get home at the end of the night. You’ll be surprised at how effective this method is, especially since the decisions we make with a few beers in us aren’t always the best ones.
Alternate Transportation Daily transportation costs can add up to be a lot over an extended period of time, especially if you live in a big city like London, Toronto or New York. If you don’t live too far from work, why not consider walking or cycling? A half-hour walk is really not that much if you think about it, especially since it may sometimes take you almost as long on public transportation. This method will also help you get some exercise if you don’t get that much due to a busy schedule.
Meal Plans Buying food is another huge expense that can easily be avoided, yet hard to stick to. Try to set aside a consistent day each week where you go grocery shopping. Prepared food at home is not only cheaper, it’s healthier too. And always attempt to make your lunch the night before so it’s ready to go in the mornings. That way, you don’t have an excuse about being late for work and you don’t have to expense a crusty tuna sandwich and can of coke on your break.
Identify Your Spending All in all, you may slip off the wagon a few times in terms of your spending, but don’t try to justify it. If you splurged and bought an expensive pair of shoes, don’t say, “Oh, it’s because I was feeling down that day and needed a pick-me-up.” Making those kinds of justifications just allows it to happen again and again. After all, there are all kinds of reasons you can come up with. Just chalk it up to you treating yourself—a one-time thing, and take a reasonable amount off your budget for next month.
