Almost all of us eat too much and spend too much. Both vices are detrimental to our physical and spiritual health ואכמ"ל.
So a bit of advice. [Unsolicited but free:-). If you don't want it, you may stop here and learn a vort on the hagada instead].
Eating: Use a small plate. Studies show that people with smaller plates eat less. We feel a need to fill our plate no matter so the smaller it is the less you will eat.
Decide beforehand how much you need to eat in order to be full and eat the predetermined amount and then stop. If you are still hungry don't worry - your brain just hasn't processed that you are full but will do so in a few minutes. If you are still hungry an hour later - you may have a snack [not a meal - you just had one:-)].
Spending: Studies show that people who use credit cards spend far more than people who use cash [I am reading a book about this]. USE CASH!! It hurts a lot more. A credit card is a joke. You give it to the seller, he or she swipes and then you get it back. So you have the products you bought plus the card - whatta a deal!!! Ayyyy - what about the money that is going to be deducted from your bank account? Too abstract.
It is like - li-havdil, reward in the world to come. It is too abstract to make a significant difference in most people's lives. Think about it - if you have five free minutes and you could gain eternal bliss by learning a mishna, isn't it worth it? Yet, how many thousands and and tens of thousands of five minutes have we wasted. Olam haba is nice but too "out there". If we would get 20 bucks up front in cash we would more likely learn the mishna. So too, cash is REAL for us. Credit card payments are an abstraction. Growing up Baruch Hashem I was never given a credit card [probably because the only way my father knew he was in control of how much I spent was when he gave me cash. Smart.] and to this day I try to use it only when I have to and only for purchases that I know I would make with cash.
Try it.
There is an Israeli organization that helps people in debt and teaches them how to run an economically efficient household. One of the first things they do is cut the credit card in half:-).
Also - leave the house with a small amount of cash. The less you have - the less you spend. Pashut:-).
Try it and save!!!
You have some extra money now? Go out and buy your wife a bracelet or something. Ladies? Buy your husband that new hagada that just came out. And don't worry, a new hagada is ALWAYS coming out:-)!
