I think that using a debit card has made it harder for me to resist the little impulse expenses that he is talking about—coffee, lunch out, movie tickets, etc. When we've tried the "envelope system", of having a finite amount of cash for each item in the budget, it really has reduced that constant spending creep.

I work in a small office, just me and two men. We are also part of the same church family. I do consider them good friends, but I'm even closer to their wives. With my church, work, and social life so intermingled, I definitely find what you said to be true—there's a huge motivation for us not to let each other down,…

Great point. That's an effective coping mechanism of mine, too, when something little is annoying me. Finding the big blessing behind my kvetching that I'm not paying attention to. Gratitude almost always shrinks those irritations down to a manageable size.