If you're good at spreadsheets like Excel, it easily helps to earmark needs and balance those things we need against our income. Chop the budget up into weeks because food is usually a weekly expense. Keep in mind that one of the "needs" should be an investment account or some sort of savings. Whatever is left over is mad money. Leave the savings alone, it's to tempting to dive into it (see below).

Actually *seeing* the numbers helps us realize that there's only so much to go around. And it helps us see that if we spend more than we make, it generally goes on a credit card which eats up future income in the form of CC payments (and interest). In many ways, it's a simple reality check.

Other suggestions -

If you have to overspend in one week for something that may not be budgeted (like new clothing), just take it out of the budget the next week.....that's a tough one but it can be managed over time.

Use your savings for bigger expenses like car repairs. You'll be thankful the money is there when you need new brakes.

OK, the *challenge* is that we all want to live and enjoy what we do so we spend money to get to that place in our minds. There's nothing wrong with that but this is where a lot of people sort of get into trouble. But if that where we're at, then we spend in small doses instead of trying to keep up with society. We live in a world in which we're bombarded with advertising and images that say unless we live a certain way, we're not worthy. A recalibration of that in our minds will also help......don't try to keep up! It really can't be done.