Budgets

I've spent the last 45 min. budgeting instead of blogging. Does anyone use spreadsheets to calculate how money is expected to go out vs. how much money "actually" goes out. I usually map out 4 to 6 months down the road. Re-occurring expenses go in first and then I leave blank rows in the spreadsheet for the more spontaneous purchases. 

The problem is, I do not have a lot of discipline in the spontaneous purchases category. I have done an excellent job of "tracking" my expenses for the last 3 years but I have failed to stick to a projected budget. Don't get me wrong. I don't believe I'm out of control with spending. I will admit to NOT saying no as frequently as I should. It's easy to say yes when when the consequence is a temper tantrum from a preschooler or a sour-puss face for the rest of the day from a teenager.

Everyone eventually gets over it (including me) but back to the real issue. Spending. The biggest spontaneous spend for us is eating out. Eating out will cost anywhere from $35 at a fast food chain or $60+ at a middle-of -the-row-sit-down joint and everyone orders water. I imagine this a very common category for lots of families. Especially large ones. I believe it is our #1 category for spending leaks. Food is expensive. Period. It is just as easy for me to "over spend" at the grocery store. Seeing these trends in my spreadsheet's "actual" column makes me physically ill.

I've been trying to plan out the meals for the week and only purchase those items that will make up meals to get us to the next pay period in order to see the savings in the spreadsheet. The trouble with saving money is not only does it take discipline but it takes major planning. Planning meals and their ingredients for the week that will ultimately satisfy the group takes careful planning that takes time as well as the act of preparing the meals. I have a window of 45 min. to prepare a meal before the kids start to get antsy.  That's a lot to think about. I hoping that careful meal planning will literally pay off in the end.

Does anyone have any techniques that help them to achieve their spending goals? Techniques other than couponing. I just can't do coupons.  I feel like I'd have to make too many stops to benefit from them - I could be wrong but I just don't have that kind of time.