I have a monthly budget of about 200$. I have learnt to save up the money for things I really want, instead of buying whatever I fancied whenever I had the money. I think the discipline has to be in the wishlist and not the budget. If you know what you want, you will only spend on those items and in turn there will be no unnecessary purchases and you will always have money for what you need. That's my observation anyway in the past 6 months.

Like Gaylene, I don't budget but I keep track of how much I've spent on clothes. (Along with everything else, broken down into mortgage, bills, groceries, restaurants, house, travel, & entertainment). We started keeping track of everything as a way of figuring out a reasonable budget, then realized that just keeping track was enough.

I don't have a budget per se but I keep a list by month of purchases and at the bottom is a short list to remind me of things in the long term plan. I have a pretty clear idea of amounts I don't want to go over per month. This way if something comes up that I want to shop for I am good. If I find my long term purchase, I will also usually have put aside cash for part or all of the cost. But I try to stay flexible based on needs, wants, serendipity and of course the major score!! It also allows me to look back and see if something did not work out. That has been really helpful for me.

Great thread !!

I was affected by a work lay off at the beginning of the month, and have been budgeting since then until I find another job.

Eye opening was how much money I was spending on items just because I liked them...didn't need them. I traveled almost every week with my job, and it was just too easy to pass free time shopping. Thankfully I paid as I went...but still...just wasteful spending.

Having a list of "needs" to fill holes, or replace worn out items makes so much more sense. My continuing hole is the perfect brown leather jacket.

I have enough clothing and makeup to last for a long time...

I am basically super poor, I live on my own and pay all my bills on minimum wage... not easy! Since I can't afford to save money for clothes, I set a budget of "one thing per month" which is usually from H&M or Zara and usually no more than 30€. This allows me to follow passing trends without investing too much in things that I don't need. I don't get something every month, but knowing that I COULD allow myself a small purchase prevents me from going nuts and overspending on some huge item.

It's really so helpful to read everyone's posts. I am going to revise my approach for next year, not only in how I apportion the money but also in how I tackle it.

Neel: I think you have given me my mantra: the discipline has to be in the wishlist, not in the budget. I think that's exactly it for me. I need to be much clearer about what I really want and stop being impulsive and eating up my money with purchases that are not really needed.

Cheryl: I can SO relate to the passing-the-time-during-work-travel problem. I've been much better about that lately, but it requires real vigilance.

I'm absolutely going to keep a list of what I purchase, starting Dec 1 (why wait for 2014?). I'm a list-keeper, and I think the list alone will make me more careful about making the buy.

I love the idea of cash-only purchases, but it won't work for me as I rarely carry cash and also rarely shop in person, except for when I travel which I am trying not to do. I do a lot of shopping online, and one thing I have started to do is wait a day before buying something. Sometimes if I sleep on it, the urge subsides, and I know it was just an impulse. Or maybe just boredom or loneliness. (The perils of long days at home working alone!)

Thanks again for all the tips!