Went back to writing down every purchase by hand this month instead of just glancing at the bank app total. Did this years ago, stopped for a while, and spending crept up without me noticing, especially with more going out for groceries and random household stuff lately.
What I’m actually doing, nothing fancy:
– one notebook, not an app, because I kept forgetting to open the app
– write the amount and one word for category right when I get the receipt
– categories are just food, household, transport, other
– add it up every Sunday night, doesn’t take long
3 weeks in now, which for me is already longer than most habits I try to restart (my track record with these is not great, honestly).
Categories are rough, some purchases could go either way, but even a rough number beats not knowing at all. The one thing that surprised me is how much lands in “other.” I assumed food would be the biggest pile. It’s not, not for us right now.