• About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • New? Start here!
  • How To Budget
    • Ways to Save Money
    • Set Up A Budget
    • Stick To A Budget
    • Budget Printables
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals
    • Easy Lunch Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • Home Organization
    • Home Management
    • Save Time
    • Home Routines
    • Home Management Binder
  • Make Money
    • Work From Home
    • Side Jobs
    • Money Making Apps
    • Hobbies That Make Money
  • Shop
↑

The Busy Budgeter

A balanced life for busy people!

  • Work with Me
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Shop
  • How to Budget
  • New? Start here!
  • Home Organization
  • Make Money
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals

5 Lazy Ways to Stop Overspending

By The Busy Budgeter | 4 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links

367 shares
  • Facebook193
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

Lazy Ways to Stop Overspending - OMG this is totally perfect for me, almost makes saving money into a game. Which I definitely need because normally saving money is not fun for me. But this could work!

5 Lazy Ways to Stop Overspending

This is a guest post from Kim of Thrifty Little Mom fame.

If you’re a spender like me, sticking to a budget can feel like a constant internal struggle.  We know what we’ve budgeted but sometimes we find an amazing deal that we just can’t pass up!  Sometimes we forget an expense we should have planned for.  Then there are times when we just need a “treat yo self” moment.  The struggle is real.  We really DO want to get our finances under control but it doesn’t exactly come “naturally” to us like others.

I have friends who love budgeting, spreadsheets, and calculators.  I get tired and overwhelmed just thinking about that stuff.  They remind me of those people who are clean freaks.  They thrive on having a perfectly neat and clean house.  I envy them.  I WISH I had some kind of genetic coding that made me that way but I don’t.  Therefore, I have to come up with creative, even lazy ways to stop overspending.  Here are some of the strategies that have helped me and I think a few might just help you too!

Prepaid Debit Cards

Most major card companies out there offer some kind of pre-paid debit card.  By loading these cards with your budgeted amount and avoiding credit cards, you know that you can’t overspend or you’ll face the embarrassing conversation with the cashier about your declined card.  It’s a simple tactic to control spending while still giving you the freedom to shop anywhere from in-store to online.  

The Cash Envelope System

I find this method works the best for me!  In fact, it helped my husband and I pay off $93,000 in debt in just under 2 years.  With this system, you simply decide how much you can spend per month in various categories such as groceries, clothing, eating out & allowances.  Then you go to the bank, get out the cash, divide it up between categories and only spend the cash you have.  Once the envelope is empty, you can’t spend anymore!  I find that using a small coupon accordion file works great and you can find them at your local dollar store.

Hide the credit cards

When I started using the envelope system, I dumped my credit cards in a drawer at my house for 6 months before I had the courage to cut them up.  If they aren’t in your wallet it doesn’t take ANY willpower to avoid using them.  You can’t pull them out and use them impulsively!  Super lazy, yet super effective!

Make it a game

When we were trying to pay off our debt I had to make saving money a game.  My goal was to have cash left in my grocery envelope every month.  On the last day of the month, I would take the leftover cash to bank and apply it to the principle on our mortgage.  Month by month I would try to see if I could save more than the month before by stretching the food we had, using coupons and take advantage of freebies.

Give Yourself the Leftovers

Once we were done paying off debt, my husband didn’t want me to get slack about staying on budget so he told me that I could keep what was left in the envelopes for myself.  That was pretty exciting for me!  If you are extrinsically motivated like me, rewards are awesome!  Come up with something you really enjoy doing to pamper yourself and consider giving that to yourself as a reward each month that you avoid overspending.  For you, that might be getting your hair done, getting a mani/pedi or a massage. It might even be going out to dinner with friends.  Think of something that will really motivate you, but be sure the celebration doesn’t end up causing you to overspend.  Plan ahead for your reward when you plan your budget.  Only cash in on the reward if you stick with the plan.

These are the 5 lazy ways I’ve used to help control my impulse spending.  The spending battle is not easy but by simply manipulating my ability to spend or by rewarding myself I find I can do it with minimal effort.  I also don’t end up beating myself up about not being great at budgeting.  Work with your strengths to overcome your weaknesses and you’ll feel empowered each and every day to accomplish your goals.  Don’t feel like you need to rely on willpower alone!  Make it easy for yourself to stay on track!

Kim A

Kim Anderson

Kim writes about pursuing a thrifty DIY lifestyle on her blog ThriftyLittleMom.com!  She lives in Atlanta, GA with her engineer husband, her talkative 4-year-old son and their Beagle named Bit.  

More You'll Love:

  • The Best Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your Holiday Gift List!The Best Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your Holiday Gift List! With the holiday season right around the corner, I must say that I love getting in the […]
  • 8 Ways to Build Your Debt Snowball and Pay Off Debt Fast8 Ways to Build Your Debt Snowball and Pay Off Debt Fast Debt sometimes feels like being trapped in an avalanche. You look for footholds and […]
  • Budgeting for a Baby: Money-Saving Tips for New MomsBudgeting for a Baby: Money-Saving Tips for New Moms Five years ago, we welcomed our baby boy! Becoming a mom was wonderful, amazing and […]
  • Sticking to a Budget When Your Motivation is Zapped: 6 Steps to SuccessSticking to a Budget When Your Motivation is Zapped: 6 Steps to Success So, you're really trying to commit to your budget. GO YOU! But despite your hard work, […]
FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: In order for us to maintain this website, some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and/or believe will add value to readers

Filed Under: Budget, Cutting Costs, Save Money Tagged With: budget, Save Money

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    September 13 at 2:15 pm

    I LOVE the idea of prepaid debit cards. I could see how this would help keep us on budget with on-line purchases!! I personally think cash is the way to go, but I often get stuck budgeting those Amazon purchases!! Thanks for the tips.

    Reply
  2. Lisa says

    September 15 at 2:40 pm

    I love the cash envelope system. I use it to manage my daily spending. It’s the best way to make sure that you don’t overspend and keeps you on track with your budget.
    Lisa recently posted…How Amazon Got Me Out Of DebtMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Sarah @ The Teacher's Wife says

    October 17 at 1:57 pm

    Cash has been the best one for us! It took a while to get used to it, but it really does help! Great post!

    Reply
  4. Diona says

    November 26 at 9:24 am

    Her last idea is the BEST ?
    Diona recently posted…Jalapeno Taco SoupMy Profile

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Recent Posts

Free 2023 Printable Goal Calendar And Workbook

Free 2023 Printable Goal Calendar And Workbook

February 4th, 2023

Free Hourly Printable Schedule Templates (Editable)

Free Hourly Printable Schedule Templates (Editable)

January 17th, 2023

100+ Lunch Ideas For Field Trips (+No Cooler Options)

100+ Lunch Ideas For Field Trips (+No Cooler Options)

January 5th, 2023

Cheap and Easy Costume Ideas for Adults and Kids.

Cheap and Easy Costume Ideas for Adults and Kids.

October 13th, 2022

Easy Monday Night Dinners - Proven Brainless Dinner Ideas.

Easy Monday Night Dinners - Proven Brainless Dinner Ideas.

October 10th, 2022

Busy Budgeter Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Ready to save a TON of money?

Get step by step budget help with the FREE 90 day budget bootcamp!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

  • How To Budget
    • Ways to Save Money
    • Set Up A Budget
    • Stick To A Budget
    • Budget Printables
  • Easy Meals
    • 15 Minute Meals
    • Easy Lunch Ideas
    • Meal Planning
  • Home Organization
    • Home Management
    • Save Time
    • Home Routines
    • Home Management Binder
  • Make Money
    • Work From Home
    • Side Jobs
    • Money Making Apps
    • Hobbies That Make Money
Copyright ©2023, The Busy Budgeter. All Rights Reserved. Contact Rosemarie@busybudgeter.com. Privacy Policy
Design by Pixel Me Designs