5 Tips To Stop The Overspending

95% percent of the time I am so good about sticking to my budget. Then, I just completely go and blow it. It happens something like this. Hubby is going out of town, so we go out to eat the night before he leaves. The next night I don't feel like cooking (because hubby is out of town) so I grab some pizza for the kiddo and I. I get bored the next night, so kiddo and I grab carry-out and a movie. Finally, hubby is back in town. So we go out to eat to celebrate. We sit down to take a look at money and surprise, I have overspent all week.

Does this sound familiar? Things go a little crazy in your house and suddenly the overspending begins. It's like once we realize we are headed down the wrong path there is no stopping us. However, with a bit of work you can avoid the temptation to overspend. Check out these 5 tips to stop the overspending.

Use the envelope system

The envelope system is my favorite way to keep from overspending. By keeping it to cash only I know that once I run out I am done for the week. If I don't have the money on me then it isn't possible for me to buy whatever it is I want to buy. This method has really helped me out with groceries. I tend to skip the chips and extras and just buy what we really need.

Make sure your goal is reasonable

Is your budget too unrealistic or too small? With a teenager in the house I have seen my grocery bill double in the last year. I was getting so frustrated every week when I went over-budget on the groceries. Finally, I just realized that we had a new norm for our grocery bill. We moved some things around so we could up the grocery bill and I have stuck with the new budget.

Plan ahead

I tend to throw in the towel way too easily with dinners. If I don't do a meal plan for the week something comes up that causes our dinner to be shifted. My husband will be gone that night or my son will have a late practice. I try to plan my meals one week ahead and look at our schedule to see if I need to do a crockpot dinner or grab something quick from the freezer like a pizza or fish.

Have personal cash

Both the hubby and I have our own money that we get each week. We can use it for whatever we want to use it on. If I feel like having Mcdonald's for lunch one day or he feels like grabbing Starbucks we use our personal cash. It's not a lot, but it keeps us from overspending in other areas. If I want to buy something that isn't in the regular budget I know I need to use my cash.

Make a list

Want to buy something but you don't think you have the money in the budget? Make a list of things you would like to buy. Then when you get the extra cash you can pick it up. I find myself quickly loosing interest in things so I find this is a great way to keep myself from overspending. That rug I see at the store is a distant memory the next week and I am on to something else I would like to have. I can just cross it off my list and move on.

With some work and a little bit of willpower you can be on your way to keeping your budget inline. You can stop the struggle and temptation of spending and get back on track. What are your tips to avoid overspending?