This is one of those things that I swear by, regardless of if I'm grocery shopping or making a purposeful trip to Target. It's not always easy to stick to the list, especially in Target, but making the list helps to give me an idea of what I'll be spending, and having the list helps me plan my route through the store so I'm less likely to veer off into a distraction section.

I wrote an entire post about this last year, and I still stand by everything in it, but for the sake of posterity I'm going to focus on the one question that has served me best over the years. Before buying an article of clothing ask yourself if you can wear said item with at least three other things you already own. Whether that's being able to pair a dress with three different style of shoes or a top with three different bottoms. If the answer is no, and you don't have to have this particular item for a specific event or reason, put it back.

This is my favorite tip because it is so simple but so effective. By only taking as much cash as you need, you force yourself to stick to a budget. As Money Crashers so eloquently puts it, when the money runs out, you're done spending. Simple as that.

This is actually something I've been looking into. Between all the streaming services and other random things, subscription fees can really add up each month, and I can guarantee you there's something you're not using that you've forgotten about. Experian also suggests finding ways to share little-used subscriptions with family and friends, which I think is a great idea.