I tracked all expenditures by saving receipts on everything and carrying a little notebook in which I wrote incidentals such as purchases from vending machines, parking fees, etc. Then I added them up in categories. It didn’t take long to discover that a lot of unnecessary expenditures fell into a few groups, such as restaurants and takeouts, for a big one. You can cook a lot of meals at home (pretty easy ones) staring with a 25-pound bag of rice.
There are things you don’t need at all (movie rentals, a bag of chips, salon haircut), and then there are things you need but could pay less for (gas, shampoo, shoes). Make the distinction. Awareness is a really big tool to cultivate and learn how to use.
Don’t let yourself be pressured into spending money you don’t have and don’t want to commit, whether it’s keeping up your former standard of socializing, responding to family demands (especially kids!), or yielding to some major indulgence as if to make it up to everybody. This is not the year for a trip to Disneyland or a new backyard pool. This is the year for getting a library card, getting comfortable with a good basic cookbook, tuning up the bicycles, and learning how to use Mom’s sewing machine.