5. Spend only cash for one week. Professor Tahira Hira, a researcher from Iowa State University, claims that most people have no idea how much they spend in a week or a month because they charge so many of their purchases. If you have to pay cash for everything you buy you’re more likely to think twice before letting the money slip between your fingers.

6. Set spending limits before holidays or gift giving events. Tell people that you feel blessed to have so much and ask that their gift to you be a donation to a charitable cause or simply a nice lunch. Let people know you are going to do the same. If they choose not to honor your request, so be it. But resist the urge to make up for it at a later time.

7. Get educated. One of the main reasons why women don’t invest as often as men is because they lack the knowledge necessary to feel comfortable doing so. The only way to overcome this fear is to become educated. Knowledge is power—particularly when it comes to money.