You’ll always know where your money goes if you track your expenses.
As trite and obvious as that sounds, I’m always amazed by the number of people who don’t do this simple task.
Have you ever experienced getting a paycheque then wondering where all of your money has gone? If your answer is yes, then you might want to consider engaging in an old-fashioned activity called keeping track of your money.
There are so many ways to track your expenses. Pen & paper is very, very old-school but still highly effective. You can use an app, since nearly everyone has a smart phone. You can download a spreadsheet from any number of websites. If you’re the creative sort, you can even customize a spreadsheet tailored to your needs. This is my preference since I’ve yet to find an app that has all of the categories I need and want. I also like to play with the color scheme to highlight various pieces of information at a quick glance.
For the past three years, I’ve tracked every nickel of my money on a spreadsheet. I know how much I’ve spent on donations at work, cab fare, groceries, eating out, and a myriad of other spending categories. At the end of the year, I add it all up and figure out whether I’ve spent too much, too little, or just the right amount for the life I want to live.
As you know, I’m a huge fan of automatic savings plans. I have a number of automatic transfers in place to fund my long-term goals like retirement, as well as short-term goals like annual vacations. It’s also how I find the money to do renovations around my house. I think ASPs are the cat’s pyjamas! I encourage everyone I know to use them to fund their own goals and dreams. If you haven’t created one for yourself, I promise you that it’s as easy as falling down. Go ahead – give it a try – create atleast one today!
The Others will take your money
Want to know a secret? The same people who won’t set up an ASP to fund their dreams are the very same people who allow others to automatically transfer money out of their bank accounts every month. Withdrawals such as these aren’t as much fun since they represent money leaving the warmth of your bosom…to go and warm someone else’s!
Some of these withdrawals are necessary. If you have a mortgage, then the bank’s going want to get its money or the bank will eventually take your home away from you. And if you decide to get a car loan instead of buying in cash, then I can assure you that vehicle finance company will want access to your bank account so that they can grab their loan payment on the appointed day.
Gym membership? Subscriptions? Insurance dues? Bank fees? Cable? Internet? Membership in the beer-of-the-month-club? Each of these purveyors will happily withdraw money from your bank account each month with an automatic transfer that benefits them, not you. If it comes out of your bank account, then it’s s direct hit to your bottom line. Most often, these good people want to take their skim from your wallet indirectly, which means that they will charge your credit card. Should you not pay your credit card balance in full, then you’re paying interest to facilitate someone else’s automatic transfer of money out of your bank account. Ask me if this is a very good thing and I will tell you: NOPE!
When you allow someone else to withdraw money from your bank account every month, you’re less aware of where your money is going and when. And I’m convinced most people have no idea when monthly bills are charged to their credit card. By drib and by drab, someone other than you regularly drains your account because of decisions that you made years ago about products and services that you may no longer even use. This is an utterly ridiculous way to manage your money.
Track your expenses & avoid interest charges
Like I said before, some of you might be putting these same monthly expenditures on your credit card. Notice that I said “card” – there’s little if any need to have multiple monthly charges on more than one card. One card means one bill, which is to be paid in full each month as it comes due. You do pay your credit card off in full every month – right?
Some people carry credit card balances from month to month, year after year. They pay exorbitant interest rates for the privilege of doing so! If you’re in this group, then I strongly urge you to cut back on your automatic monthly payments. You’ll have to live a lean life to get out from under your credit card debt. That means you stop using credit and you start using cash. When you run out of cash, then you stop spending money until you get more. It’s a very, very old-fashioned way of living but it is guaranteed to prevent you from going into debt.
Prioritize what’s most important to you
When you track your expenses and you simultaneously commit to living on cash, prioritizing your money is mandatory. In other words, you have no choice but to rank what’s most important and apportion your funds accordingly. Is paying the mortgage more important than your Netflix subscription? Does a gym membership trump the cable bill? Can you keep your wine-of-the-week and still meet the car payment?
From what I’ve observed, there are only two ways to satisfy all of your spending desires. The first and definitely more destructive way is by accumulating debt via credit cards. The second way is to limit your desires such that they can all be met by the money that you bring home. This is called living within your means.
I would urge you to pick the second method since it causes far less stress. You retain the power to decide how best to spend your money on the items that matter most to you. Start tracking your expenses and only spend your money on the experiences and things that bring you joy.