My Money Blog hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #8.  He mentioned that he really liked this post from No Credit Needed, and I do too:

The Value of Waiting

Much of what gets me into trouble (as well as others) is impulse buying.  Eating out, grabbing a candy bar in the checkout lane, buying a soda from the vending machine, whatever.  Credit cards make buying things extremely easy.  This promotes instant gratification.

Emotions are powerful.  The senses are powerful.  These things are exploited mercilessly by marketers, and as a result we want to buy.  Stepping back from purchases like this for a while gives you the time and distance to reason through whether the item is worth the money or not.

• Flashback: Cut your expenses a bit Free Money Finance hosted Carnival of Debt Reduction #33, and this week's Flashback comes from Debt Sense: Cutting Expenses. In order to make extra payments toward credit card balance it helps to find places to cut expenses. Here are six places that Debt Sense suggests: Move to a less-expensive apartment.......
• Debt reduction tip: Freeze your accounts An overspender trying to reducing spending faces many of the same temptations as a fat person trying to lose weight.  Sticking to a cash-only or a debit-only budget after being able to charge freely on a credit card is difficult. Just like an overweight person would keep snacks out......

• Teaching Your Children About Money Lesson #2: The Power of Money Many of us were raised in  hostile environments where money was concerned. We saw our parents running after money to pay for groceries, spending many a fortnight calculating budget numbers, by hand  at the kitchen table to make ends meet all the while cursing money as it was the......
• Black Friday Spenders: Wasting Away in Hamsterville I ignored Black Friday - and shopping altogether - this year. Instead, I enjoyed time with family. Mr. ToughMoneyLove shopped on Black Friday once. My oldest son and I decided a few years ago to snap up some needed tech bargains at Best Buy. We arrived early (but not before......