1) Set specific goals and/or rules; the more specific you are, the less room you’ll have to wiggle out of what you’ve set up. It’s good to give yourself some “if this, then that” kind of rules–like “I can rollover this month’s budget to next month” instead of it being a “use it or lose it” policy (whatever works better!). Identifying WHY you’re changing your behavior helps in goal-setting and setting tangible goals like, “I want to boost my savings by 20%!” or “If I stay on my plan, I can take that vacation!” are very visible goals that are easy to check in with.

2.) Become a dupe-a-holic. Whether you use Temptalia’s Vanity system (very useful, if I do say so myself, if you tend to purchase from the brands I’ve reviewed, for making dupes handy) or methodically go through what you have and dupe what you saw and were tempted by, the key is having a sense that you most likely have something similar enough in your collection already.  If you don’t, then try layering and mixing products to get there.  Still don’t? Really drill yourself on why that’s absent from your stash–maybe you wouldn’t wear it often after all!

3.) If you break your no- or low-buy rules… don’t throw the whole plan away!  It’s a journey, and some people might experience more bumps than others.  Assess what you did, why you deviated from the plan, and how could you do things differently to be better at sticking to the plan in the future.