I find that one of the best ways to keep within your budget, and stay out of debt is to live by the old saying, “If you don’t have it, don’t spend it”.  That simply means that if you do not have the cash on hand to make a purchase, then wait until you do.  Avoid the urge to use plastic and charge it.  Believe it or not, you can survive without credit cards.  However, it may take a little adjusting to begin with.

Photo credit: Stopnlook

To avoid overspending at the grocery store, take as much cash with you as you have allotted for that category.  Leaving the plastic at home can help you resist impulse buys, because no one wants to get to the register and be short on cash.

For bigger ticket items, if you do not have the money saved for that purchase you may want to reconsider it.  Many times if you give yourself a day to really think about the purchase before you make it, you will see if it is really a necessary purchase.  If not, but you would like to make the purchase, start saving.  If you find that you must have the item, use plastic as a last resort.

Staying out of debt and away from credit cards is possible, but you just need to be disciplined with yourself.