One of the biggest challenges in tracking expenses is staying motivated to record every purchase the moment it happens. Even accounting for the fact that many purchases can be made automatically or with stored payment methods, many people still find maintaining a detailed budget too much of a hassle, and they may underestimate their spending.

However, what you may not realize is that logging each small detail of your spending isn’t the only way to gain control of your finances. If this idea doesn’t appeal to you, the good news is that a deliberate set of lifestyle choices can reduce impulse spending without logging every purchase.

The key is to establish certain habits and defaults in your life that limit your ability to act impulsively or thoughtlessly, all while minimizing the friction you experience and the effort required to see the plan through.

These are the kinds of changes that might take a little bit of effort upfront, but once they are set in place, they can reduce the number of daily decisions you need to make. The temptation to spend impulsively may also fall.

Imagine, for example, setting up your smartphone with a security check every time you opened it to make a purchase. Over time you’d be less likely to make impulsive purchases, not because you were exercising more self-control, but because the context itself made those bad habits harder to be tempted by.

Now let’s look a little deeper at some changes you can make that will help reduce spending without having to track your purchases.

1. Pay with cash. One of the best ways to prevent overspending in certain categories is to take out the amount of cash you plan to spend in a given week and use only that money for your purchases. The extra step of handing over cash may make a purchase feel more deliberate.

2. Use a prepaid card. If using cash isn’t convenient for you, another option is to keep a limited amount of money on a prepaid debit card. That can set a boundary for a tempting category, though you should check fees and terms before choosing a card. An added benefit of this approach is that you can avoid using a credit card for those purchases.

3. Keep an emergency fund. Money set aside for unexpected costs can help you avoid borrowing when something breaks or an urgent bill arrives. Start with an amount you can manage and build it over time.

4. Find free ways to have fun. One of the best ways to spend less without tracking your spending is to find free or low-cost activities to fill your time. Simply stopping an expensive habit, such as going out to eat, will likely still leave a void of time to be filled in your schedule. In that case, you may drift back to another expensive habit to fill the space.

5. Avoid impulse buys. A straightforward way to reduce your spending without having to track your purchases is to avoid the temptation altogether. Stores are designed to get you to spend more money, so make sure to only go shopping when you know exactly what you want to buy.

6. Plan your meals. One of the biggest areas of discretionary spending for most people is food. Whether it’s going out to eat at restaurants, getting takeout, or ordering food for delivery, the cost of convenience adds up quickly. One of the best ways to avoid turning to these options is to have a plan for meals in advance.

7. Anchor your purchases. Decide on a price range before you browse. If you establish a strong mental anchor about how much you want to spend on something, you may find it easier to pass on an option above that range.

8. Repurpose items. A supremely thrifty way to spend less money is to repurpose items that are no longer useful in their original state. This approach is a different way of thinking altogether. Instead of considering whether you need something new, try creatively using something that you already own.

By reducing the need to track every single purchase, these habits can make a basic budget easier to follow. You can focus on making a few high-impact decisions and changing your spending context while still checking your accounts and budget regularly.