I was very amused when my friends cancelled their reservation at a steamboat seafood buffet because it was too expensive. Mind you, it costs only 6.80 per head. That's dirt cheap. They settled for five bucks catered food for their party. Ironically, all of them sport branded clothes and shoes etc. I guess there is always a scrooge in us. It depends when that scrooge surfaces. For example, a person can be generous when it comes to eating but when it gets to shopping, he may scrimp on clothes. It is really difficult to manage finances because we tend to splurge on stuff we like. I notice that many guys tend to splurge on food or spend hundreds on the latest technology while whining about the pricey $50 shirt. As for women, needless to say, their spending is on clothes, facials, spas, food and then gym fees. Note that the gym expenditure comes after days of binging on food.

As for me, I have my mood swings. Sometimes I scrimp on food because of health reasons. Other times would be when i scrimp on buying clothes. So how should we balance ourselves so as to make sure that we spend reasonably?

Here's some food for thought:
First set aside money for your parents. They will complain if you don't give them some allowance.
Next, calculate the total amt needed to pay for inevitable bills such as hp bills, transportation fees, insurance bills (pay them regularly or your life will be worth nothing).
Then, measure your weight. Ask yourself if you are putting on too much weight and need to eat less. If so, plan your daily diet which should consist of only vege. Salad is the cheapest food in town, coleslaw from KFC is your best bet! In this way, you have a healthy life and a healthy wallet. If your friends want to meet u for dinner at an expensive place, say yes to them 1st. Then, make sure u have a filling dinner at home and when u meet your friends, tell them u had a late lunch and that u don't wish to eat anything now. To avoid suspicious glances or whispers, order a drink or dessert.
Next, look through your wadrobe and see what are the different combinations you can mix and match your tops and bottoms with. If most of your clothes can be matched around within the space of your wadrobe, don't look any further. Start playing with your clothes combination so that you don't have to buy more clothes to add variety to your dressing. You should also avoid reading fashion magazines in order to restrain your basic instincts. Please avoid getting a walk-in wadrobe because the danger lies in trying to fill it up which means endless expenditure on clothes.
If you fancy a cool gadget such as the latest digicam though u already have one, use emotional blackmail on yourself. Tell yourself that your very own digicam has feelings too. It will feel abandoned and betrayed by u if you buy a new one, then your sentimentality will set in and u will soon get rid of the idea of buying a new one. If u still can't resist, tell yourself that this new gadget can wait because there will be better ones. I told myself that whenever I saw a new hp till my old one died on me. Or you can make a list of the weaknesses of the new gadget, do not think about its strengths coz that will be the end of the road.
Most importantly, do not forget to set aside a few hundreds each month to be put into the bank. The best form of restraint is to put the money in fixed deposit for a few years so that there's no way u can take the money out of the bank.

Remember, do not eat or shop like there's no tomorrow. It can cause immediate depletion of your financial resources and worse still, bankruptcy and failed relationships. Money is the root of all evil so keep the money locked in a bank so that it won't cause mischief and evil in your life