Plan ahead for special occasion gifts, such as birthdays and anniversaries.  Decide upon an amount you wish to spend on a gift and multiply the amount by, for example, 10%.  Each week put aside 10% of the cost of the gift.  In 10 weeks, you should have saved the amount needed for its purchase (don’t forget to allow time to do that!)  Do this for all occasions you would usually mark by the giving of a gift.  The regular putting aside of this money can be incorporated into your budget, and help you avoid pulling out the plastic.  If you deposit the regular savings into an interest-bearing account, you can also benefit from compounding, a bonus gift for you!