I need help. I can write out a budget with room to save money and to blow money. My problem is that I can not stick with the budget. I will get an idea about something than either go buy it or go buy a book on it. I will blow my whole budget. Does anyone have suggestion/ideas to help me keep to my budget.

I hear you on buying the books -- I LOVE the books and I hate my local library (long story). So what I have decided to do is finish every thing I have to read (and I have a pile) and then I am sorting through my books and weeding out a few that I will take to my local bookstore and see if he will buy some of them. And from the credit that I am getting from him, I am buying first used books and then a new one if I cannot find the used.

We'll have to see if this works because I still love Barnes and Noble, Borders, and I'll even go to Hastings (who also has an used section)!

I go to Goodwill and I will come out with about 5 to 10 books at a time. There is no telling how many books that I have not read. I am going to go through them and see if I can find a bookstore near by and see if they will buy them. Thanks for the tip.

I really believe in my own experience anyway it is a day to day thing. And what I mean by that is this you have to sit down and go over what needs to be paid this week and what monies will I need i.e. groceries, gas in the car necessities. And then the leftover has to be saved either retirement or emergency fund. So when you are out and you feel like spending money on book or whatever it may be you have to say to yourself if I spend it on x I will not have enough for y, so do I really really need this or do I want it big difference. If you approach it in small steps you will not feel so overwhelmed and you will be less likely to spend money you don't have. Once you see you can do it you will be amazed and what to save more and spend less on non necessities.

Tell yourself most of whats int hat book on "whatever" your looking into can be found online!

Unfortunatly I Don't Get To Go Shopping In Stores Much Except Groceries But I'm A Huge Catalog Orderer So What I Do Is Figure Out How Much (incl.tx&sh) And Then Challenge Myself To Keep My Grocery Cost Down W/coupons,etc.and Put Whatever I Would've Spent Away For The Item I Want I Also Collect My Husbands Spare Change And Put That Away As Well And Usually After A 3/4 Weeks I Can Order It. Right Now I'm Saving For A New Winter Jacket For My 9yrold Son That Cost Around 60.00.

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HAVE A GOOD DAY!!:happy dance:

Cash has been my savior! I always use cash for my grocery $ and then if I have some leftover, then I can use that $ for whatever I want. If I don't use my debit card I tend to spend less eventhough it all comes from the same place.....pretty silly huh? I do frequent the Library though, so I don't buy books alot. Before I go to the Library I decide what i want to check out for myself to read and then check online to make sure its there. 95% of the time this works, but I do have to get on Amazon sometimes.