A budget can keep your family on the road to financial freedom as long as you stick to it and are honest about what you earn and spend. Consider some tips for sticking to your budget and landing in the black each month.

Establish a reserve fund
One of the most important budget categories, and the most overlooked, is the reserve fund: A pool of money put aside to cover unexpected expenditures and emergencies. By creating an emergency fund, you take the burden of one significant event (like a blown water heater) and spread it over several months or years. Don’t take the cross-your-fingers approach to saving for emergencies. Put money aside each month.

Shop with a list
Decide what you are shopping for before you head out, especially if your destination is a big bulk-warehouse store. Don’t let a perceived deal keep you from your task of buying what is on your list, and just that. A list also makes it much easier to say no to children. Tell them you won’t be buying anything that is not on your list.

Return items to the store
If an item doesn’t fit, or is broken, return it for a replacement or refund. Don’t let procrastination leave you paying for something you don’t use. Some companies are very generous with their return policies, while others give you just seven days to bring items back. Fisher Price has a generous warranty program that extends up to two years. Another major retailer allows parents to bring back and exchange children’s clothes that are worn out but still fit.

Know your prices
Don’t allow a salesperson to talk you into purchasing something they describe as ‘the best deal around’. Know your prices so you’ll know what is a deal and what isn’t. Shop around and compare service and warranties, as well as price.

Leave the credit cards at home
Credit cards have their place and are often essential. That doesn’t mean you need to have one with you 24-hours-a-day. Credit cards make it too easy to give in to temptation – to make unwise purchases you would not, and could not, make if you didn’t have the card handy.

Buy now, pay later
There is no such thing as a free lunch, as they say. Don’t be fooled by advertising that promising a full year without payments – for furniture, electronics, or goods of any kind. While you may not pay for one year, the equivalent in interest charges will be applied to your bill as a service charge.