Budgeting

Do you have a budget?  Do you try to stick to it?  What are some tricks you use to stick to your budget?  We tend to spend way too much money going out to eat.  Whether it's just picking up a Pal's tea on the way to a friends house, grabbing lunch at a drive through, or going out to eat at a sit down restraurant, we spend waaaayyyyyy more than we would like.  In a 30 day period, we spent $300 going out to eat. $300!!!!!!  Are you kidding me???  Do you know what I could do with $300???  Putting it down on the principle of our mortgage comes to mind!  Seriously!  $300 each month extra on the principle of our mortgage would probably knock off a couple of years of payments!
However, it is just not reasonable for us to think that we can easily not go out to eat EVER! We did it once for 3 months and saved $$!  That was great and all but with being on the go as much as we are, it just isn't realistic.  We've tried it numerous times since our "one time" of doing it successfully, and have failed at it ever since.  Sooooo, we've come up with a "new" plan.  We will have $30 per week to go out to eat on.  (That includes a tea from Pal's, a snack at a ballgame, anything and everything other than eating food from home.) If we spend $30 a week, that is $120 a month.  $120 is way better than $300, right?  That will be a savings of $180 month just on going out to eat!  I think this is a very realistic goal! 
Let me know if you do something similar.  I would love the encouragement!
Have a blessed day!
Staci