Impulse buying is generally the biggest money waster. My children often go into a store and want to spend their hard earned money on an item that will probably fall apart before we even get home. I tell them to wait 24 hours (or sometimes 48 depending on when we can get to the store next) before deciding that it is something they really want. After a while, I started implementing this rule to myself as well. If I saw an item I really liked in the store and really wanted, I would make myself wait until next time I was in the store. It’s not an easy task and sometimes you do miss out because it has sold out. But I can count on one hand the number of times I have rarely missed something I didn’t buy right then and there. More often than not, I come home and I either forget about it, or I ponder on it a few minutes and realize I have A) no where to home it, B) something comparable, or C) want the money for something else.
We have issued a goal over on the Facebook page, not to bring anything else (outside of NEED–food, toiletries, etc) into the house for the rest of March. Save the pennies, enjoy the space, stuff you won’t need to declutter later on, and just see how much you really need and use.