I have seen creative and thoughtful people and posts in the Yelp community. I am interested in learning how you keep yourself accountable for times when you're on a budget or your wallet is on lock down. What tactics do you utilize to prevent yourself from spending money - especially when it comes to guilty pleasures?

We share some of the same tactics, Jennifer. I have been not going out, and when I do, it's to run errands and I don't buy anything I don't need and I don't restock early like I used to do. I also buy bulk when the price is better than smaller quantities and I can go through he product in reasonable time. I've been trying to ride my Honda Elite 80 to work, but darn thing started leaking oil and its grounded until I can budget for the diagnostic & repair work. It gets 65-80 mpg. My latest scrimp tactic is cutting out my most guilty pleasure - dining out.  I did a "cleanse" and told myself no dining out for ten days. Wasn't sure what would happen after ten days but after I became accustomed to it, I opted to eat lunch on the 10th day with a coworker and that was relatively cheap. Then I set a goal to allow myself to dine out once every seven days. So late Friday I had a cheap meal at a Mexican restaurant. This week might be a challenge as I am not going to buy Costco rotisserie chicken, but I'll persevere, I have goals!

And yes, it's totally awesome to look at the clearance racks and shelves, but I always remind myself it has to be something that I need or something that really is beneficial. Just because it's on special price doesn't mean it's a value to me if I wasn't going to buy it in the first place... It would be an expense to get a Dela and that's no deal. I also will bust out my calculator. I saw qtips on clearance at target a few weeks ago. Thankfully it was right next their normal supply. I priced them out per qtip and it was a better buy for what was normal or sale price. I do the same for cold cereal. My ideal price point for cereal is $0.14/ounce or less.  :)

Ok, you're weird. Rewarding yourself with an extra workout instead of food. LOL!

But hey, if it works for you, it's a good thing. For me, because I'm doing awesome at not dining out (what I really want to do), I let myself dine out once per week. And it's the perfect treat.

Anyone else like to watch their spending or is everyone else falling into the other three categories? Category (a) I'm too rich to be concerned over money, category (b) I'm so naturally cheap that it takes an act of congress to unclamp my wallet, or category (c) I spend spend spend, I live paycheck to paycheck and I don't plan on changing my ways.  I'm suspecting if the silence is because people aren't like us, it's because they are (b) or (c). LOL!

I do all the shopping and cooking for us. I watch my spending all the time. I shop at Sprouts every Wednesday for produce. I get their weekly sale flyer online and try to buy what is on sale and discounted. With Sprouts on Wednesday they honor this weeks price and the prices from last week. So I have two flyers to work with. I always buy my produce here along with some bulk items. If on sale I may consider fresh meat or seafood. Their other items tend to be over priced. For non produce I shop a lot at Safeway. I get their weekly flyer online and make my shopping list from what is on sale mostly. I also shop some at Winco. I know there are stores a little cheaper than Safeway and Winco, but the ones I have been in are dumps. At Safeway I always check to see what is on clearance. I probably have 3 or 4 items in my freezer that were clearance mark downs. I buy some of the household things we use at Dollar Tree.

I am an Amazon Prime member and it is well worth the $8.25 a month it costs me. I shop on Amazon and get free two day shipping on what I buy. I also stream Amazon Prime to the TVs as we don't have cable. Not having cable saves around $100 a month. I also stream Netflix but am on someone else's account so that is free to us. I always look for deals on movie tickets. RetailMeNot.com always has discount codes for Fandango movie tickets. Right now there is a  BOGO code = DEALSTHATCLICK7  I also am a Costco and Sam's Club member, but because it is just the 2 of us many item are not a good buy for us. Paper towels may be $1.00 a roll in the 48 pack. But by buying it I have tied up $48 and it will take over two years to use them up. I always buy coffee beans, cheese, milk, and butter at club stores. I have shopped on eBay for years too.

There are some very nice thrift stores and there are some dumpy one. We shop at Thrift Town on Stockton Blvd and the Cancer store in Elk Grove. Some Saturday mornings I go to garage sales looking for treasures. I bought a large box of ammo reloading stuff for $25 at a yard sale knowing nothing about it. I researched it online and sold it on eBay for $300 and they paid the shipping.

I do research of prices online all the time. I was a professional purchasing agent for a large company when younger and I always look for the best deal

I'm terrible with money.

Lol, Jennifer. I didn't think you went without meals, but still, my taste buds and stomach are discontent with your substitution choice. They disagree about it being a reward. I'd have to agree with them. LOL!

Joe, that's no good. Definitely no good with the real estate and rental economy going on here. It's a little more balanced for rent to income, but vacancy rate is right up there with bay area and the prices here will continue to rise. :(

I'm sharing that because I have been bad with money. Some major life events shook me and made me walk a straight line financially (stopped using credit cards unless paid off once received statement). Some more life events occurred and I'm walking an even straighter line and sacrificing lots to not spend and both grow my savings back up and work off my debt. I want my debt gone and I want to own a home. So that's where that came from. :)

Bruce, my food purchases almost mirror yours. I just save time by walking to the food items I must have and making the best choice. And if the price isn't the best and I don't really need it, I go without.

But Costco toilet paper and paper towels are awesome. I think it's 24 or  30 jumbo rolls for $18. And that's a great deal. The paper towels are about same price for about 12-15 and they're excellent for pet and household cleanup. And I agree, I buy the best price. And I do online price compare before purchasing in store. I go without cable, Netflix, Hulu, nothing. I just have the digital antenna and my personal DVDs. That's about as frugal as one can get on TV. LOL

Gisele. I just pulled the 48 Costco pack of paper towels out of the air as I don't know what Costco sells. I was just trying to make a point. If you put a big drain on your money stash just to get a bargain on a big bulk buy it can cause problems. You have a pantry full of paper towels or whatever and no gas money until Friday.

I also have an antenna that I use for local TV. I watched the road course NASCAR race today from Road America on the local NBC chanel. Well I watched bits and pieces of it as I did other things. The finish of it was amazing!

I am signed up for many online discount sites like Groupon and RetailMeNot. I also sign up for all the places that offer free stuff on birthdays. Some places like The Habit and Smashburger just send you coupons even when it's not your birthday! It's doubley better if you have 2 birthdays a year so I have one during the Winter and then again in the Summer.

I should have mentioned in my other post that I buy many shelf stable food items at Big Lots too.

I get your drift, Bruce. But for toilet paper and paper towels, they don't expire and I'd spend twice as much if I bought elsewhere or in smaller quantities. And my pets use up enough paper towels that I'm happy to buy inexpensive Costco paper towels for $16 that'll last me 10-12 months. There are certainly items that really aren't too useful for a single person to buy in bulk. Such as dishwashing sponges. And there are many bulk items that cost more than smaller quantity products. This I am savvy about. Half the time bulk cereal is more costly than mid-size containers. Half the time items at Costco are more costly than buying smartly at other stores. I smile big when I think of how much more savvy u am about bulk and Costco purchases than most are. One thing that is a much better buy at Costco, their 4# rotisserie chicken for $4.99. Everywhere else that sells rotisserie chicken, the bird weighs a lot less and costs $7.99 or more. :)

Oh, something that's been a big help over the years as far as avoiding spending on dining out - carrying almonds and other non-perishable and filling snacks in the car and toting water. Healthy, filling and prevents unplanned and unnecessary spending. Came in very handy today!!

Usually a bit of a pep talk helps me achieve my goals for the week and month. What can I do around the house that's productive instead of going out and spending money? What can I make at home instead of going out? What do I have to do here at home (books, tv, video games, scrapbooking) or what can I go outside and do instead of going somewhere to spend money?

What works really well as a win win is putting a few hours in driving for Lyft. Instead of shopping or spending I'm making money instead. Just a little. :)

I also use exercise in a similar manner as Jen S. This is however harder when it's hot outside....

Oh I forgot! The satisfaction of being productive and not giving in to temptations helps so much!

I live on cans of soup and bags of nuts for lunches at my work desk.  I will only go out for lunch once a week by myself if that.  Maybe a dinner.  Maybe a happy hour.  But never all three on the same day.

Prefer to eat inexpensively at my desk and save the money for the dates.

An employee at Williams-Sonoma in SF was eager to demonstrate the ease of use of one of their espresso machines.  BAM- free latté.

Olympia vs craft beer
Old Forester vs $30+bottle bourbon
Drink water at restaurants and then get your cocktail at the Mercantile or Elixir.

Eating the same nutritious thing over and over again during the week.  This way you can get through Costco/Smart & and Final purchases with lower per ounce prices.  Biggo bags of conventionally farmed broccoli and greens.  Costco bags of frozen chicken breast.  Meat sales at Smart & Final.  Flats of eggs.  Bananas are cheap at Costco, both organic and conventionally farmed.  Then on weekends you can satisfy your Yelpy cravings and try new restaurants.  

Mix in a little thrift store action.

De-emphasize use of your car.  Ride bike when possible.  RT when convenient.  If families on tight budgets can figure it out with one car they can save thousands over time.  

Use your parents timeshares.  LOL

Read books by people that stacked cheddar and that quit work when they were like 29.

1. Brown bagging it to work daily
2. Car w/great mpg (van pooling even better)
3. Coupon it! ( let your frugal flag fly high)
4. Bring a flask that's up to the task!
5. Cut the cord, get a couple streaming boxes(look into Kodi), and an HD antenna.
6. Cut your income tax bill.  Defer monthly income til it hurts!
7. Shop EBay/Amazon selectively, tax free.
8. Don't use a credit card unless you can pay it off monthly.
9. Don't pay for a gym membership. Make a workout in the great outdoors, & buy some very basic equipment for home.  
10.  Make a daily goal to save $1-5 bucks a day.  On New Year's Eve, imagine pulling out those stacks of cash you saved up all yr long!

Lots of great tactics being shared for watching the spending. Keep em coming and thanks for sharing.  BTW, David O., it's ironic how similar our thinking is regarding meal & beverage strategies. I almost always skip drinking anything except water when dining out. Alcohol is a big markup item and same for soda. I'll take the healthier & cheaper approach most of the time. In fact, I often forego drinking out unless it's beer. I'll go home and spend a fraction of the price on a tasty cocktail at home courtesy of Costco pricing on 1.75L bottles that last me about a year or two. In doing so I can skip the risk of bodily injury and financial deficit that can result from drinking then driving.

Consider moving credit card balances with high interest rates to one with a zero interest rate promotion for balance transfers.

That's always a wise decision for anyone that's carrying credit debt. Definitely a smart cookie tactic.

Don't be too proud to visit a financial advisor. Your bank will be able to connect you with one. A great step to help you strategize.

Since I started this thread asking for Yelp users tactics on how they minimize their spending, I can't help but think that you - Jenny and Chuck - think that I'm in debt or needing credit counseling. That'd be awful presumptuous. This thread isn't about credit debt nor learning how to manage finances. It's about tactics to keep the wallet on lock down and maximize every dollar spent. There are some people that have grown a nest egg bigger than a year's worth of salary and there's ways to get there and stay there. Thus this thread. The wiser you spend, the better the ride is getting there and staying there. And I'm certain there are other tactics I've not yet learned.

Sigh. No Gisele. I'm just offering advice in general. My bad for straying too far from the topic.

@Gisele, your thread topic was tactics that we utilize to prevent ourselves from spending money. The one that I provided was one that I have personally used to stop paying high interest rates. No presumptions made. I just think it's a good tactic that many folks can benefit from.

As was mine, Chuck. It was my own pride I was referencing. One does not to be in debt to meet with a financial advisor or make financial plans.

*need to be

Okay. Sometimes posts come across differently than intended. When chatting with someone last night I mentioned this and the person I was talking with felt it could be directed at me so I'm not alone in my incorrect interpretation. It's how you two wrote your intros that misled me. My error, my apologies.

I think we have overlooked the obvious thing to do. Go to as many Yelp events with free food and drink as possible!

Big lunch for $5 at Wendy's
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Another concept I tend to look at when replying to a thread is that a public forum has a large audience. My advice might help people other than OP. Or it might be ignored. Either way, it doesn't bother me. I try to share things that have helped me in the past. :-)

Since I quit drinking, I save about $65 a day.

I have the same viewpoint as you, Jenny. I am always happy to share my knowledge gleaned from life and if it helps someone, hooray! If it's ignored, that's ok. I just keep doing what I do and that makes me feel good.

Bruce, that's one way to avoid spending on trinkets... Yelp swag!!  %)

Go to Dollar Tree&Grocery Outlet- no wonder these brick&mortar stores are closing, rather than shuttering (like Macy's, Kmart)

^Correction- Dollar Tree&Grocery Outlet are opening&building more stores, rather than closing

Yard&Garage sale finds for a fraction of the price. So much good stuff.

"No early birds, please." -Jenny's Grandma

Ha! I'm over my head in tax debt. Are you kidding? I got crushed in the Recession and had to short sell my house, and when my car broke down, I had to yank money out of my 401k to buy another one because I had lost my job. Took over a year to find a new one. I can't believe I'm the only one reeling from that disaster. My wife was in the same boat. We both came to the table with tens of thousands of tax debt...through no fault of our own or malfeasance. It's nothing to be ashamed about. The shame is squarely on the legislation that allowed the real-estate debacle and no safe-harbor provision to protect people who had to pull money out of retirement with an enormous penalty.

They say if you count the nickels and pennies, the dollars take care of themselves.  Daily conservation of electricity, water, washing/drying full loads of clothes. Watching spending on vending machines, and looking at all monthly automated payments. Again, save/squeeze $3-5 a day in all the little expenses, and make your insurance payments.  Finally, look at your car, gas, maintenance expenses.  If your not getting a minimum 25 mpg, seriously look at getting a higher mileage car. And consider forming a carpool at work and keep your car off the road a few days a month.

Fuel can be a big expense. Our BMW gets 28 MPG, but my daily driver Taurus only gets 19 MPG.

This car is being driven at $.04 a mile not including insurance. That is amazingly cheap! I want one....It has 300,000 miles on it now and they expect it to go 1,000,000 miles before retiring it.
tesloop.com/blog/2017/8/…

I can squeeze 45 highway outta my baby Civic. Best decision I ever made. I don't commute to work either. I walk. Any miles I put on E. are fun miles.

Ultimate way of keeping wallet shut.....be boring. Sad but true. Sort of.

But Bruce, the cost to get the car, the maintenance cost - super nice, special tires), the limited bail-out/towing options (no spare, not all towing companies are familiar or capable of towing a Tesla), all of that make that $0.04/mile probably increase to $3.04/mile. LOL!

Scratch that, probably more like $23.04/mile. Maybe even more. LOL

Well, I'm with you Joe. Originally I wanted to escape the heat today and drive to Lake Tahoe. But I took too long taking care of something else and now it's a 2.5 hour drive instead of 2 hours. No deal. I'll be boring today and save my duckets. Any good movies in theater? I may have to retreat to Arden Century when temps peak.

It's a huge hit to buy a Tesla I know, but they are rather cheap to drive in the real world. Corina's Son just leased  a new 330e plug in hybrid from BMW of San Francisco. 71 MPG. $159.00 a month

Movies? Kidnap, Hitmans's Bodyguard, Crown Heights all sound good. I think Atomic Blonde and Wonder Woman are still in some theaters if you haven't seen them. Both were excellent.

I get 65-85 mpg on my Elite 80. That's kick ass to get to and from work for a week on one gallon of gas. Just like your stepson's BMW. Only differences are that I don't have a/c or heat, not freeway legal, and mine cost me about $1,000.  I ended up driving over to buy a ticket to see 4:20 showing of Girls' Trip. I need something funny. I caught Wonder Woman and liked it. Some of the other ones seem like titles I might enjoy if I'm in the mood. I'll check them out.

Great choice. Girls Trip gets rather crude a couple of times, but we laughed til it hurt.

Car tip # 1, it's better to own a car outright instead of having a monthly payment.  Leases are not recommended as that way you never own anything.  Instead of making the car company rich each month, put that money into your 401(k) Instead.  That way, you, too, can have a real retirement instead of the "work til ya drop" mentality becoming so common these days. *smile*

Bruce, it was laugh out loud hilarious! I loved it. I just wish theaters had showings with intermission when the show lasts two hours. Pfffft

You are spot on Paul. I love the fact that my vehicles are fully paid for. I paid to have the transmission rebuilt on my Honda last month and I've financially recovered from the expense. I just hope the crazy wreckless Sacramento drivers don't hit my car now. That's the downside of having an older car that's paid for - when you invest in maintenance and repairs, the money spent doesn't exactly factor into your recovery amount when involved in a wreck.

Paul millions of people are very happy with their leased cars and feel no reason to own them outright like you, me, and Gisele. I leased cars or rather the company I owned leased them for me years ago. It was a cost of doing business BEFORE taxes and was the smart thing to do.

The new BMW 330e that Raul is driving will cost him nothing other than the $159 per month lease payment and fuel. At 71 MPG fuel is not a big cost. The car is a plug in hybrid and he can charge it at home or at Planet Labs where he works. Seeing as his commute is within the range that car goes on a single charge during the work week he uses no fuel at all. If he just charges at work he pays nothing for charging.

Gisele. Probably the funniest movie of the last couple of years. I went and saw it when Corina was visiting family in San Francisco for the weekend. I then took her to see it the day she got home.

The other movie that you haven't seen and I really liked was Atomic Blonde. I saw it twice also.

Here's a list from this morning of a couple dozen movies coming out this Fall -
huffingtonpost.com/entry…

That does sound like a sweet deal Bruce.  I would love to have an electric car and solar panels to charge it.  I am certain that within 10 yrs, the age of the driverless car will be common place. And we won't own cars by necessity, but call them on demand by app or have them just show up at our door pre planned. Also, drones will routinely be delivering to our homes.  Won't have to leave the house at all.

HomeGoods has an amazing array of Portuguese hot sauces (like peri-peri) right from Portugal, with reasonable prices

My favorite rewards card, just have to share with y'all, is the Regal Rewards card. Soooo much free stuff. Sure, you'll need to go to the movies to earn points, but every 50 points ($50), you earn popcorn, drinks, candy, or a free movie ticket. They also email you all kinds of offers for free movies and prizes that you can enter for a chance to win. We just won tickets Wednesday night. No other place I go to offers such a nifty rewards program.

Go to the movie theater for matinees. Usually it costs about $7, even at Napa's fancy Cinemark. The matinee showing of "Assassins' Creed" drew a mostly female crowd, you would've thought it was the special Alamo Drafthouse screening of Wonder Woman.