I think ours is eating out as well! There is just SO much good food in our area, it's difficult to pass up (not to mention SO convenient!).

We've got to a point where we plan our meals ahead of time, not necessarily by the day, but by the week. Something along the lines of we will eat at home for 4-5 dinners, and leave 2 nights to go out (numbers depending on the week & our plans).

Ours was eatting out but I have tried to slim that down a bit by buying yummy foods to make at home for dinner.  Now we are only eating out maybe once a week and thats on nights when lil man has soccer and karate. 

No matter how many times I go add up how much I spend on coffee and think about what that could pay for in a year... I just can't live without my Vanilla Americanos!! The good side is (because I need to defend my wasting of money) they are cheaper ($2.50) and less caloric than my previous favorite coffee drink, Breve Vanilla Latte ($4).

I am not ashamed!!

We don't eat out a lot. We do really well with a budget and then some new toy or thing for the family will come up and we'll spend a lot of money at one time. Like our Disney membership. It seems we spend in big chunks rather than a little at a time.

Grocery shopping & trips to Target. I can run to Target for one little thing & walk out having spent $100. 

& Even if I carefully plan our meals, etc. the grocery store is always a killer!

Mine was eating out and frivolous spending, like Target. I could always find a few little things that I need, but it totally adds up.  We ended this by using only cash for non-essential things. We take the cash out for eating out (it's our "entertainment fund" and has to cover all fun extras for the months) and shopping (we each get an allowance that we can do whatever we want with) and when the money's gone, it's gone.

We don't use the check card or credit card for anything non-essential. I could kill our monthly budget with little $5 - $10 nothing purchases using the check card because I didn't even really count it in my head, but if you do that every day, it's a problem!  The cash only system works SO well for us.

Technically, I could go crazy at the grocery store each week too, but we have a budgeted amount and force ourselves to stay within that amount. We live on one teacher's salary and we all know hard that can be to do in Southern California!

Megan - you are brilliant & amazing! I need to come have lessons!

 That is brilliant.  I love this and will have to tell my DH about this one.

“

Megan said ...
Mine was eating out and frivolous spending, like Target. I could always find a few little things that I need, but it totally adds up.  We ended this by using only cash for non-essential things. We take the cash out for eating out (it's our "entertainment fund" and has to cover all fun extras for the months) and shopping (we each get an allowance that we can do whatever we want with) and when the money's gone, it's gone.

”

 Besides Target, we also eat out a lot.  We'll be stopping due to the loss of income.  However, my other big one is buying clothes for the kids.  I have really curbed that tremendously the last year.  Now it's funny b/c DD needs her fall/winter wardrobe and I have very little.

Our budget is one of the things I'm most proud of!

I will say that you need one person who will hold you accountable to this system. Without my husband, who is a major rule follower, I would probably cheat!