Personal finance is about so much more than how much money you bring in every month or how much interest you pay on a credit card. Personal finance is also about psychology. How your mind is wired has a lot to do with how you spend your money. Do you impulsively buy things you don’t need when you’re feeling upset? Do you find that you’re less apt to keep your checkbook balanced when you’re in the middle of a personal crisis? Do you sometimes get the urge to buy something merely because someone you admire has the very same item? Obviously, personal finance is about a lot more than mere numbers.

Because money can be a complicated issue, it isn’t difficult to make the assumption that how people spend money says a lot about their state of mind. A man who is innately insecure might spend a great deal of money in an attempt to impress the people around him. A woman who is fearful of not having control may hoard cash away as a tool of comfort. Addiction ties directly into personal finance topics quite easily when you begin to consider this question:

What is the thing you think you need every day, regardless of the state of your finances?

In other words, what is your vice? Do you have to have a mocha latte every morning? Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you need a glass of wine every night before heading off to bed? Or, more importantly, do you consistently do these things whether or not you actually have room in your budget for it?

Vices don’t have to be things you consume. Some people pay for an expensive gym membership that truly stretches their budget thin, while others perpetually remodel their home at the expense of a home equity line of credit that is quickly getting maxed out.

How do you shed your vice? First, recognize your vice for what it is. Yes, a mocha latte is a pick-me-up, but you can make a similar drink at home for a fraction of the price. Yes, it’s nice to have a membership at a fancy gym, but you could do the same exercises at a less expensive gym or even at home.

Once you figure out that you’re spending too much for something, figure out how to stop. Treat this like an addiction recovery, even if it’s something as simple as buying shoes. Unless you convince your brain that it’s important for you to stop spending your money on whatever it is you’re into, your brain isn’t going to send up the warning signals the next time you reach for a pack of cigarettes.

Once you can convince yourself on a psychological level that it’s time to scale back on your spending, you have a better chance of keeping your budget in order.