Be choosy. If you are newly espousing a frugal lifestyle it is acceptable to do what you’d like to and have a good time with friends and family. So if you decide to have a pizza night: order pizza in or go out its fine. Maybe going out to dinner with friends is something you do once a month. Instead of worrying about whether or not this will destroy your budget, here are some things you can do before you splurge.

Plan for entertainment. There are some cheapskate blogs that say you shouldn’t include entertainment in your spending plan. Even if you are borrowing DVDs from the library and popping popcorn at home that is entertainment. This may be the entertainment that you do so you can save up for something more expensive.

Let’s say you and your friends decide to go to a restaurant. Most restaurants in urban areas have online reviews and many of those have a sample menu as well. If you know your finances are tight, then you can plan to have an appetizer, soup or salad as your dinner (or a combination) rather than an entree which will save you money.

Skip the alcohol. A glass of wine or a flight may cost the same amount as an entree. If you have water or soft drink then you can cut your bill in half.

Let your friends know that you are saving money. If you are honest with them then they will not try to sabotage you. Diets don’t work for the long term. A spartan financial diet will not work for the long term either. Maybe instead of going out once every two weeks, save up and go out once a month. Then you will be able to have fun and not stress about breaking your budget.

A spending plan should include everything that you need and some of your wants. When all of your needs are met, including saving for the future then you can afford your wants. Do not charge your entertainment wants because you will pay for those a lot longer than you enjoyed the entertainment.

If you are selective in what you do entertainment-wise then you will enjoy yourself more because the experience is not something you ordinarily do. If you go out everyday eating out isn’t special. If you go to a movie theater every week then the experience isn’t as special as if you go once a month or once every two months.

When you cut back, don’t cut back on everything because this will set you up for failure. If you cut back and include some of the things you like to do in moderation you will enjoy your frugal lifestyle more.