Tracking my spending by hand for 10 years then switched to an app last month

I used to write every single purchase in a little notebook. Took me 10 years and hundreds of pages. Last month I downloaded a free budgeting app and linked my debit card. Now I see my daily coffee habit costs me $87 a month and I didn't even realize it. Has anyone else made the switch from paper to digital and found something surprising about their own habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

seanlee1mo ago

Ngl, did seeing that $87 coffee hit make you actually cut back or just feel guilty?

aaronclark1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah the guilt was definitely there at first but the cut back was real too. Actually forced myself to track every single coffee purchase for a month after that and switched to instant at home most days. Now I only grab one from the shop on Fridays as a little reward for getting through the week. The savings add up way faster than you'd think, like $60-$70 a month just from that one change.

felixlee1mo ago

That coffee number hit hard for me too, I actually started brewing at home and saved like $60 a month. Made a rule where I only buy one coffee out per week now as a little treat instead of every day. Seeing those numbers in an app really does change how you look at small purchases.