What if you just can’t cut your spending any more than you already have? What can you do? You’ve clipped coupons, make more meals at home and also cut back on discretionary spending.

Stop! If you are making ends meet and have no difficulty paying bills, then stop trying to save more. Save as much as you can without feeling uncomfortable. At a certain point if you save too much it can be addictive like a crash diet but then like a favorite food tempting a dieter, an item may call a save a person’s name and cause the person’s budget to come crashing down around them.

Remember when you were a child and made a list of what you wanted for Christmas? Make a list of things you want. This does not mean that you will buy these things but by making a list much like a shopping list, even if they are things you cannot afford right now will make you consider whether or not the items on your list are necessary. In fact, if you just go shopping online and list items you like, you haven’t spent anything. When you have money and look at the list later, you might look at the list and think  – “why did I want xyz?”

Just as you make a list when you are hungry, you should also make a list when you are planning to go shopping for any other type of item. If you are going to buy jeans have in your mind that you are going to buy jeans, or a black skirt or a bag, stick to that list. Do no go to other part of a store looking for items you don’t need, if you are easily tempted. Some people can go into a store and buy the item they want without feeling pressured to spend extra money.

Economists who have spent most of their time chronicling other recessions say it’s inevitable that pent-up demand will lead to some kind of breakout of spending. The official indicators aren’t there yet, but the stock market is stronger, and the housing market appears to be near bottom, which bolsters confidence.

Breaking out of the saving mold and spending will happen, especially for those who are unaccustomed to saving money, but the conditions must be right. What the right conditions are, have yet to be determined. Saving isn’t a negative part of a budget, it is a necessity like a utility to have a well-balanced spending plan.