I am a natural gift giver, so it's more tempting for me to buy stuff for others. And if it it's something I want but I could also see how much others would like it too, I really have to be careful not to spend outside of my budget!

@Sara Keeney sounds like you have a good system in place!

@Mete Olmez Hey! Good to see you! 😁

Stayed within my grocery budget! We are having an out of town guest coming soon so I didn't have to spend money on many groceries for this next week, as my parents are doing more of the cooking while our guest is here. That helped save some money!

That is a tough situation, particularly when family is involved. Do they always tend to plan the activities or would they be ok with you suggesting some of your own? If makeup and clothes are a big deal, you could suggest having a swap party, where friends or neighbors bring clothes in good condition that they want them get rid of and see if anyone has anything they want in return. (You could specify sizes, styles, or name brands if that is helpful to your group). Or suggest other activities that have nothing to do with spending money either (like a game night, movie night, letterboxing, geocaching, going on a photo scavenger hunt, etc) or so that you have more to spend on things they suggest if you want to participate. I like your idea of a mantra too. I am curious what you will come up with!!

Got donuts on sale today (which is a win already) but also discovered my mom absolutely loves one of the flavors so it's something to keep in mind as a gift idea in the future! 🥳