Sally’s Kitchen has tips on How to Budget Effectively, including an Excel spreadsheet template for download. There are some great ideas and suggestions here, simple things like: print out a small copy of your budget and tape it over your credit card so that every time you’re tempted to use it, you’re reminded of your goals; always shop with a list in order to avoid temptation; when shopping on-line, add items to your wish list rather than your cart, and then check back in a week or a month (when it will be clearer if what you wanted was just an impulse purchase).