The idea of cutting out a budget category probably makes you nervous. But being mindful about your spending doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing game. Instead of forcing yourself to go entirely without, reduce spending on that category by just 10 percent each month. You won’t see sudden, drastic change in your budget, but the shift will be a lot easier to stomach.
Say you spent $148 at coffee shops last month. The idea of never buying coffee is enough to make you want to hide from your budget forever, but what if you challenged yourself to spend just 10 percent less on coffee this month? That’s $14.80 less, for a total of $133.20. Then, next month, see if you can bring that expense down by 10 percent again to $119.88. By introducing incremental shifts instead of huge, radical changes, you’re more likely to stick with your new, moderately reduced habits.