Many people find experience more valuable than physical goods. When it comes to spending your money wisely, it may be a good idea to spend on experiences over objects. Instead of buying an expensive new blu-ray player for the living room, consider taking a weekend trip to a nearby city and seeing the town.Experiences tend to stay with you. They will take on new meaning with time, and provide happy memories you can treasure. A physical object may lose some of the newness with time, especially an object like food or drink that will be gone. The pleasure of an experience, however, tends to last longer.
You may want to save for bigger experiences instead of spending extra income on goods one month. For example, sacrifice your monthly dinner with your wife for a few months. Put the money you're saving towards a family vacation.;
, When making purchases, you can sacrifice some luxury for smaller pleasures. People tend to think if they spend more on a purchase or experience it will somehow be better or more enjoyable. This is actually not the case. People tend to enjoy small, inexpensive luxuries more than large, pricey treats.Instead of getting front row tickets for a baseball game, opt for seats in back and go twice. You'll get two outings for the price of one, and will probably have a better time without the pressure. If you spent a lot on something, you may feel obligated to enjoy it, creating stress if anything inadvertently goes wrong.
When it comes to food, consider spending less when eating out. Make a meal out of appetizers instead of ordering a main course. You'll enjoy the small treat just as much, if not more, than a major indulgence, and you'll save some money in the process.
 If you're planning a certain purchase, wait on it. Studies show people tend to be happier when anticipating an event than when the event is occurring, so you'll get more happiness from your money by waiting a bit. Also, if you wait, you'll make wiser choices in the present. If you know you'll be treating yourself soon, you're more likely to cut back on spending in the present in anticipation. If you know you're taking your wife to a very expensive restaurant for your anniversary next month, you'll likely spend less on groceries in the present.Also, with some purchases, prices may go down if you wait. If you want the latest version of the iPhone, for example, you may find the phone goes down quite a bit a few months after its release.
 People are often tempted to make purchases simply because certain items are on sale. This results in spending money on products you do not truly want. A good way to combat this is to make a separate e-mail for coupons and offers from your favorite stores. Prior to a planned shopping trip, browse this e-mail and see if there are any relevant sales prices. This way, you'll go for sales when you planned to shop anyway. Create a separate e-mail and give this out when asked for your e-mail when checking out at stores.
 Keep a notebook with you and jot down all your expenses. Hold yourself accountable to how you're spending your money. You'll find yourself spending less and less when you realize how much of your hard-earned money goes towards frivolous purchases.Jot down how much you spent at lunch, and on things like a coffee on the way to the train. Calculate this number at the end of the day. Calculate all your totals for the day at the end of the week.
You may be surprised at how much money you spend on small, easily avoidable purchases. For example, say you spend $3.00 on coffee 5 days a week on your way to work. That's $15 a week, which results in $60 a month. You can easily cut out this expense by investing in a thermos and taking coffee from home.
Spend on experience over physical goods.
Savor small pleasures.
Wait on big expenses.
Have an e-mail for coupons.
Write it all down.
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