If you really want to see where your money is going, those apps like Mint aren't granular enough. What you need to do is create an excel spreadsheet and record each and every thing you spend money on. Save every receipt and when you get home record each line item, the quantity, and the price. Categorize things appropriately. Do this for a few months and you'll get a very good picture of your expenses.
I manage my money by depositing my entire check into my high yield savings account. Depending on where I am in the pay period (I get paid biweekly) determines how I use it. Check on the first I automatically subtract 10% gross monthly from the amount and use that as my disposable income. From there I subtract student loans since I pay directly out of there. Then I calculate my utilities and non-rent bills, food budget, and a few bucks of free spending cash and transfer out that amount to my checking. My check on the 15th goes only to rent. I touch the remainder of the if and only if my checking goes dry due to unforseen expenses, but if I did my earlier calculation right, this won't happen. I've been able to save over 10% this way and not miss that money.
I do my grocery shopping for the entire month in one go. This eats up 100-150 of my budget but I usually have some stuff left over when I go again the next month. I try to minimize eating out too 2-3 times per week max, but obviously not eating out at all is preferable.
