You'll have to find what ultimately works best for you, but for me, some of the following has been helpful. When I used to go into the pet store for food, I would bring only enough money to buy the food I was picking up. I knew that when I stood in line, I would stare at all the treats and toys and nonsense and want to buy them all for my cat, so in order to avoid the temptation, my wallet stayed in the car while I ran in. It was just the little things like you mentioned. Like the other comments said, food planning goes a long way and helps you keep inventory on what you have or don't have in your kitchen to avoid overpurchasing. Similarly to grocery shopping, if you have to go to another store for stuff, like gifts, stick to your list. Also, depending on what you are buying (non-food items), are there things that could be returned? I have become big on returning things I don't end up needing or buy too many of. If you keep your receipts, see what is actually used and purposeful by the end of the month, and then get your money back for whatever you don't use.