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It’s easier than you think. I tried it myself, and in the first 30 minutes, I set myself up to save over $600 this year.
Time required: Less than an hour up front, and then a few minutes once a week.
Why track your cash flow? With so many expenses auto-charging (hello, subscriptions) and the magic of digital wallets, it’s easy to miss the money black holes in your life. (One of my black holes is Amazon, hands down.)
What I tried: I used a budgeting app to link my bank and credit card accounts, and took a look at my previous 30 days of spending, using the app’s categories. I found two subscriptions that had bumped up in price and renegotiated them, saving myself more than $650 per year. I also targeted a few categories where I could stand to cut back. (Looking at you, Instacart.)
How long it took: Linking my accounts and tinkering with categories took under an hour, with the biggest headache being finding all my passwords. Once I had everything set up to my liking, combing through my big spending categories was quick, and it was easy to see where I may be getting carried away. Checking in on things took less than 10 minutes a week.
What worked: This method worked for me because I’m mostly a credit card user, so most of my transactions are electronic. If I was more of a cash spender, there would be big gaps in my data picture.
What didn’t work: Because my husband and I use different credit cards, my current snapshot only includes my transactions. If I was looking for more of a household picture, I would need to log into his accounts as well.
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How you can try it yourself:
Choose broad categories. If your tracking method doesn’t automatically label categories for you, assign your transactions yourself. Try general spending groups, like housing, utilities, transportation and entertainment.
Check in regularly. Once a week, take a look to see where things stand. Still overspending? Adjust and try, try again.
Keep in mind:
Watch for irregular expenses. Some expenses hit annually or quarterly (think tax preparation services or car maintenance), so take note of them and plan accordingly.
Don’t judge. The idea here isn’t big money guilt. Just observe your spending and adjust as needed. Small tweaks, made consistently, can improve your financial picture over time.
If you’re following along with us on this monthly financial challenge, start by testing out the tips we shared today over the next few weeks. We’ll be back again next month to focus on doing a bill audit.
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About the author
Kate Ashford is a writer and spokesperson for NerdWallet. She is a wealth management specialist (WMS)™ and certified senior advisor (CSA)® and has more than 20 years of experience writing about personal finance. Previously, she was a freelance writer for both consumer and business publications, and her work has been published by the BBC, Forbes, Money, AARP, LearnVest and Parents, among others. She has a degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Kate has been quoted by outlets including the Associated Press, MarketWatch, NBC and Fortune. She is based in New York.
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