Spent $15 on a big wall calendar and it finally got my partner and I to talk about our spending before the month even starts.

We write down every bill and big expense we know is coming, which stopped us from being surprised by the car insurance payment and dipping into savings last week.

4 comments

4 Comments

rowan_barnes2mo ago

My buddy Dave did the same thing with a whiteboard. They wrote "vet bill" on the 15th and it totally saved them. When their dog actually ate a sock that week, the money was already set aside. No panic, no credit card. Just crossed it off and moved on.

phoenixk642mo ago

How can something so simple work so well? I always thought you needed a fancy app, but seeing it all in one place makes it real. This might just get me to try it.

max_cooper212mo ago

Right? I downloaded like three budgeting apps last year and got so lost in the graphs I just gave up. My system now is a notebook and a sad looking jar of coins labeled "car trouble fund." It's ugly but I actually know where my money is, which is more than I could say with the fancy stuff. Sometimes the dumb way is the smart way, lol.

emma_baker611d ago

My husband and I tried a budgeting app once and I think we spent more time arguing about who forgot to log the coffee purchase than actually saving money. The wall calendar sounds brilliant, honestly. We just use a dry erase board on the fridge with all the upcoming bills written in different colors. It's not fancy but it beats that panicked feeling when you realize the property tax is due in three days. Sometimes the low tech approach is the only thing that sticks when you're as forgetful as we are.