Ultimately, the best approach is the one that works best psychologically for you.
As long as you’re quantatively tracking the in/out of your dollars, yoiu’re doing it right.
From there, if your goal is to save money, its about rewiring your brain to gain pleasure from things other than consumption. In my life experience I’ve found the most sustainable way to feel good without spending money is through personal improvement and achievement. Skills, athletics, creativity, doesn’t matter. If you’re regularly getting better at making or doing stuff you’re proud of, you’ll feel good for free or cheap.