Blow your budget this month? Don’t stress out. Here are a few simple tricks to curb wasteful spending habits and grow your bank account.

1. USE CASH INSTEAD OF CARDS.

Using your debit or credit cards is easy and fast. But, there is a price to their convenience–we tend to spend more when using a card than when paying with cold hard cash. Up to 18% more, according to one study. Use cash to curb your spending.

2. CANCEL YOUR CABLE.

First, you should ask yourself, do you really watch the 300 channels that you are paying for with your monthly cable package?  Consider, canceling cable and using other options. If you pay for Internet service, you can watch many shows on their network’s website. You might pay for streaming video services like Netflix or Hulu or even find a lot of good programming on YouTube. And you can watch all of these services on your smartphone as well.

Or back off of so much TV watching and replace it with other activities. Rent movies from your library, consider listening to more podcasts, read more books, or start a hobby.

3. LOWER YOUR THERMOSTAT.

You can save up to 1% on your annual heating bill with this simple change–set your thermostat to just 1 degree cooler than usual while you are at work or at night when you are asleep.

4. BRING YOUR LUNCH.

A value meal from many fast food restaurants typically runs at least $7. It costs less to buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter for a week’s worth of sandwiches. And that’s being lazy. With creativity and a Google search, you can create a weeks worth of delicious lunches on less than $10…and they will probably be healthier for you.

5. WAIT BEFORE SPENDING ON THAT SPLURGE.

Need to have that new outfit? Let’s make sure. Use a “cooling off” period to help you reduce impulse purchases. Wait a few days before you buy, and see if you still really feel the need for. This way you are making sure that you’re only buying things you really need—or love.

6. REVIEW YOUR CREDIT CARD AND BANK STATEMENTS.

Two reasons for this. First, make sure your are getting charged correctly, especially for automatic withdrawals. You could be receiving false charges, or unwittingly paying for a service you thought you’d canceled a year ago.  Second, many online statements give you the opportunities to group or graph your expenses and spending. Which brings us to tip number 7…

7. USE BUDGETING APPS.

On the computer or on your smartphone, there are many apps and website that can tell you how much you’ve been spending, and also keep track of your deposits, debts, and investments. Periodically review your spending (and saving) to identify areas where you can make improvements.