Gail e-mailed my radio show recently asking what to do about her budget, which she writes down for each upcoming month. Unfortunately, she ends up using emergency funds to cover her overspending. Gail is not alone, but most people use their credit cards to pick up the slack.

Buying items at the grocery store that aren’t on your list or the $10 impulse toy your kid wanted at Target; taking your third trip to the drive-through restaurant this week because you forgot to bring your lunch to work; squeezing in that extra movie outing — all are seemingly harmless things that can add up to a lot of money spent in a very short time! But you can get control of these money drains.

Include Everything in Your Budget

Gail's problem was that she bought her kids clothes and other items that weren't included in her budget. We all want to give our kids things — that's fine as long as you budget for it. Children need clothes. This is not a surprise or an emergency. You'll never get ahead if you use your emergency fund or a credit card every time something you didn’t plan for happens.

Along with budgeting for big stuff like your mortgage, you should include a clothing fund, a grocery fund, a fund for eating out and an entertainment fund for movies or golf or whatever you enjoy. If you can afford it, you should also have a blow fund for money that you just spend because you want to.

When you first do a budget, be sure to set aside more for groceries than you think you spend. No one really knows how much they spend on groceries until they start living on a budget. By the end of the first three months, you’ll have a more accurate budget.

Pay Cash

Debit cards are great, but there’s something about using cash that hurts. When you walk around with an Uncle Benjamin in your pocket, it’s hard to put him up for adoption. A report by Dun & Bradstreet shows that credit card users spend 12 to 18 percent more when using credit instead of cash — because spending cash hurts. When you spend cash, you spend less.

Use Envelopes

To help you stay on your budget, use an envelope system. Have an envelope for groceries, eating out, entertainment, clothing, blow money and anything else for which you pay cash. Put the amount of cash you budgeted for each category in the corresponding envelope. When you’ve spent all the money in the envelope STOP SPENDING!

Stick It Out

A budget doesn’t tell you what you can do; it’s you telling your money where it should go. If you do a written budget every month and stick to it, then you CAN beat the budget busters.