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Track your spending for 30 days

The fastest way to see where the money goes.

4 min read

Before you set limits, find out what you really spend. One honest month of tracking usually holds a surprise or two.

How

  1. Pick one place to track: an app, a spreadsheet, a notebook or your bank's categories
  2. Write down every purchase, including small cash ones
  3. Once a week, total by category
  4. At the end, compare with what you guessed

Look for

  • Subscriptions you forgot about
  • Lots of small trips to the store
  • Takeout on tired evenings
  • Fees: overdraft, late, ATM

General educational information, not financial advice. The Pennies Budget isn't paid by any company mentioned here.