A recent online poll by Good Housekeeping found the top five ways that smart people waste money. Here they are, along with the best ways to conquer these spending blunders.

Money-waster No. 1 » Ordering out too often

Forty-three percent of those polled confessed to eating out too often.

Solutions: The keys are moderation and planning. For a week or two, track how much your family spends. Put receipts in an envelope and jot down eating-out triggers to find patterns, such as "Sally's Wednesday piano lesson is next door to the pizza parlor, so ..."

Let your freezer be your friend. By making double batches of sauces, pastas and casseroles, you'll have a backup plan when dinnertime is rushed and KFC looks tempting.

Give up just one $30 restaurant meal per week and you'll be able to stash $120 extra in the bank monthly -- about $1,500 a year.

Money-waster No. 2 » Buying food you don't need

More than one-third of respondents (36 percent) said they waste money on groceries. Ambitious thoughts of home-cooked meals often lead to stocking up on goods that later get thrown away.

Solutions: Buy ingredients for specific meals -- Monday, lasagna; Tuesday, stir-fry -- and shop for no more than four meals at once, avoiding impulse purchases. Always keep the makings for a few no-brainer meals on hand, in case you get time-crunched.

Money-waster No. 3 » Never turning down a sale

Bargains in stores and online lead 35 percent of those surveyed to buy things they don't need.

Solution: Curb spending with a simple reality check, said Liz Pulliam-Weston, author of Easy Money . If I buy this, where will the money come from? By basing your choice on your actual budget -- not the thrill of "saving" -- you'll spend more rationally.

Money-waster No. 4 » Spending too much on your children

Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed admitted they sometimes spend more than they should.

Solutions: Give yourself an allowance to spend on your children, allotting a set amount for spontaneous treats. If your children are 5 or older, share your system with them, so they understand why.

Money-waster No 5 » Overspending on clothes

Twenty-eight percent of women surveyed said they overspend on clothes.

Solutions: To avoid "retail therapy," financial experts say, remind yourself that although shopping may make you feel good, it can't change your life. Do you really want those trendy boots, or would you rather put that money toward redoing a bathroom or, better yet, finally becoming debt-free?

All this doesn't mean you can't go a little crazy occasionally. Said Galia Gichon, creator of the My Money Matters kit, just cap your annual fun spending at 5 percent of your income -- so when you find those designer boots that will enhance your life, you can enjoy them.

On another matter » As delicious as traditional semolina pasta is, it doesn't pack the fiber punch of whole-wheat or multigrain varieties, which provide 5 grams to 7 grams per serving, compared with regular pasta's 2 grams. Look for "whole grain" or "whole wheat" on the packaging and the Whole Grain Council's stamp on the label (tomato and spinach pastas don't count). The ingredients should include whole wheat, oats and/or flax seeds. Their extra bran can cause them to go rancid faster, so shop where there's high product turnover, and use within six months of purchase.