So yesterday I was scrolling through some finance stuff and stumbled on these “Virgo Weekly Money Advice” tips. Figured hey, why not try this out myself? Been feeling like my budget’s tighter than my gym pants after lockdown. Grabbed my sad-looking budget spreadsheet and a giant coffee – knew I’d need it.
The First Step Was Brutal
Started simple: tracked EVERY penny spent for 3 days. Every stupid coffee, every impulse Amazon buy, even that parking meter change. Just opened a blank note on my phone and typed stuff like:
- “7:30 AM – Gas station coffee – $2.89 (ouch already)”
- “11:47 AM – Bought dumb phone charger at work bc I forgot mine – $15.99 (anger purchase)”
By day 3? Felt kinda sick seeing it all laid out. My “little treats”? Added up to like $150 bucks. Brutal reality check right there.
Fighting My Inner Goblin
Those experts kept yelling about “automate your savings!” Sounded good, till I looked at my account balance. Decided to try micro-saving first. Big mistake. Total mess. Tried rounding up debit purchases to save the change. App got confused, messed up my tracking, almost overdrafted buying groceries. Tossed that idea fast.
Switched tactics. Set up a pathetic $20 automatic transfer to savings every payday. Hid the savings account login in a folder labeled “Tax Docs 2008” so I wouldn’t touch it. Outta sight, outta mind. Worked. Week later? Didn’t even miss the $20. (weird how that works right?)
Confronting the Subscription Monster
This part felt like dental surgery. Went through my bank statement hunting subscriptions. Found:
- That streaming service I haven’t opened since Tiger King was a thing
- Music app I used once
- Random cloud storage? No clue
Took me an hour and three password resets to cancel them all. Felt like climbing Everest carrying groceries. But hey? Saved $34 a month. That’s like two decent pizzas! Or, you know, savings.
Where I’m At Now
One week in? Honestly harder than my last diet. Still craving impulse buys every time I see a sale sticker. But:
- Managed to stash that extra $20 this week
- Got rid of useless monthly drains ($34!!)
- Actually know where my lunch money vanishes to now
Is it some magic rich-people secret? Nah. Mostly just admitting I was terrible with small buys and trying to slowly fix it. Feels less like winning the lottery, more like finally cleaning out the fridge. Unpleasant but necessary. Still. Need. More. Coffee.
