The first is to sit down and write up a budget. It makes balancing your checkbook and tracking expenses much easier than doing it by hand. There are many personal accounting and checkbook programs. They're all simple to use and tremendously informative. Organize your records so you can see what's happening.
Computerization is the best approach.
Once you have your checkbook, investment and debt records on a computer, it's easy to see how much money you really have and where your money is going. Printing out this information is often enough to let you see where there's waste. It will also allow you to come up with a belt-tightening strategy. It quickly and easily generates all types of reports to help you focus on what areas need your attention. Reduce your expectations.