New Year's resolution to spend less

Watch the money leaving, on paper.

Pick my one resolution

Spend less is a wish.

This pick makes spending visible first.

The tracking pick, start to finish

Picked for

I drifted from good habits. · 2 hours a week

The pick

Write down what you spend: 10 min, 5x a week.

First move, week one

Step 1: set a phone alarm. Step 2: Keep one list on your phone. Write down each spend that day.

For when it gets hard

Set a phone alarm for session days. Same time, same sound.

Your time

This plan uses 50 of your 120 minutes a week. The rest of your time stays yours.

That pick comes straight from the picker.

One list. Every spend, that day.

Same pick, other sizes

At 30 minutes a week: 10 min, 3x a week.
At 5 hours a week: 10 min, 7x a week.

Ten minutes is the whole session.

The list does the heavy lifting.

How this differs from saving

Saving moves cash into savings.
This pick watches cash going out.
Pick one of the two, not both.
The saving pick lives in the links below.

Two check-in questions from the picker

Did I write each spend down?
What spend surprised me most?

Pick my one resolution

Or say it in your own words

Tell the ask page your year in a line or two. The same engine picks from your words.

Ask in your own words

Common questions

Do I need a budget app?

No. One list on your phone.

Write down each spend that day.

That is the first move, word for word.

What do I write down?

Each spend, on the day it happens.

The picker then asks what surprised you.

Surprises show where money leaks out.

What if I forget a day?

Set a phone alarm for session days.

Same time, same sound.

That guard ships with this pick.