Last year I wrote this post about spending money with discipline. It’s almost been a year, AND with the holidays coming up, I felt like it would be a good reminder! I truly believe in following all these principles. Doing so has helped us stay debt-free (except for our home) and still drive nice cars, go on vacations, and have a good chunk of money in savings. Discipline is what you need to get ahead in the money game.

Something has been on my mind a lot lately. Discipline. We need discipline in many ways in our lives: children, food, exercise, cleaning, education, and goals just to name a few.

But the one area where EVERYONE needs discipline is with money. We all need to be better at not spending our hard earned cash on things we won’t want next week. Or only buying what food we will eat. Or not giving in to the begging child at the store just to keep him quiet.

Discipline is hard. Really hard. No matter what you need it with. But it can even be more difficult with money and budgeting. Just like I am an emotional eater, I know emotional spenders. Spending money can make you feel better, just for that moment, or just for that afternoon. Then you come home and say to yourself, “Why did I waste my money on that?”

Let’s stop the un-necessary spending!

Set up a plan for yourself, and a small goal. A goal that WILL be attainable. You need to be able to reach it so you can move forward. And keep your promise to yourself. If you decide you will save $50 every month then do it! Don’t cave in. It will become a habit before you know it.

Here are some things to remember that I have found helpful in my life as I have worked with my husband to reach our financial goals. Maybe they will be helpful to you as well. Just remember, everyone is in a different place in their life with finances, debt, and obligations. So don’t compare yourself to others. Just start where you are and move forward!

1. Objects won’t buy happiness. No matter what you think, that certain toy or that certain pair of shoes will not make you happy. I promise!

2. Pick a day once a week to go over your budget together. Decide how much you will spend and don’t go over it. Period. This way you can both know where you are and if changes need to happen you can discuss it.

3. Pay yourself first. Before you spend any money you must pay yourself. Decide how much money you will put into savings, IRA’s or whatever and do that…THEN you may spend.

4. Only buy what you really will use. This includes food storage and other items for emergencies. Not only does this help with the budget, but keeps clutter down.

5. Don’t use your credit card for purchases unless you know you can pay for it in full the next month. I have really strong opinions about this. Your life will be so much better if you don’t get into debt with credit cards! If you don’t have the money for it, don’t buy it. Period.

6. Plan for big purchases or expenses ahead of time. Not only do we save ahead for vacations or other large expenses, I also save ahead for dental, auto insurance and emergencies. We don’t have dental insurance so I figured how much we spend per year, divided by 12, and I save that amount every month. When we go to the dentist every 6 months it is already paid for. It is such a nice feeling!

7. Don’t buy something just because it is on sale. There will always be another sale. Believe me. Unless you need that item immediately.

8. Don’t tempt yourself. If you find yourself spending money when you go out, stay home! Find free activities to do in your area. Take the kids to the park, or on a bike ride. You don’t have to spend money to have fun!

What are your tips for having more discipline with money?

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I’ve had Mexican food on the brain lately. I grew up in AZ and sometimes I just crave chips & salsa. Not exactly a healthy option on Weight Watchers. UNLESS you bake your own chips.

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What I do: Take 2-3 delicious corn tortillas (I prefer white corn) and use a pizza cutter to cut them into strips. You can cut them into triangles like the photo, I just think it’s easier to cut them into strips and I also prefer dipping/eating them that way. Put your tortilla strips into a bowl and drizzle your healthy oil on top of them. Rub the oil into the strips and put onto a baking sheet. You can also use cooking spray for this step. Bake at 450* for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Flip them when the top side has browned. They are done when the second side has browned and they are crisp.

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For my hot sauce, I take some Pace Salsa (or whatever I bought on sale) & blend it (just in my blender) with some El Pato Jalapeño Salsa (you can usually find this in the Mexican food section of your local grocery store and it’s worth looking for). The more El Pato you use, the hotter your sauce, so pour it to taste. This makes for some yummy hot sauce!

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Then I have a bowl of black beans (maybe a little lime juice on top) with my chips and salsa and I’ve eaten a nice low point Mexican food meal! Points Plus values depend on the tortillas that you purchase. You can find tortillas that are 1-1.5 points/each. The hot sauce is FREE and the black beans are also free if you’re doing the Simply Filling Technique. Black beans are 2 PP for 1/2 C if you’re not doing SFT.

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If you are thinking of joining Weight Watchers, now is a great time. I recommend selecting “find a meeting” and then purchasing the monthly pass. This is what I do and the combination of the meetings (accountability) and eTools works great for me! I’m down 11.4 pounds in 7 weeks (-1.6/week average). Come join us in the Weight Watchers forum on PYP (send me a private note for the password).

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*Pinching Your Pennies is a compensated affiliate of Weight Watchers.

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