Okay, I’ll be honest — for a long time, I was in complete denial about my money. I’d check my bank balance only when I had to, and mostly I ignored it. What I didn’t see didn’t hurt, right?
But that attitude caught up with me.
One day, I had to pay a bill, and I realized I didn’t have enough money. Again. It wasn’t like I was blowing cash on expensive stuff; it was all those tiny things adding up — a €5 snack here, a €10 delivery there, random subscriptions I forgot I had.
That was my wake-up call.
So I sat down — no fancy app or anything, just me and a pen — and started tracking every euro I spent for a whole month.
Let me tell you: it was eye-opening. Some days, I’d spend more on coffee than on groceries. Other days, I realized I’d bought stuff I never even used.
At first, it was kind of depressing. Like, how did I let myself get here?
But after that first month, something clicked. I wasn’t tracking to punish myself. I was tracking to understand.
I started seeing patterns: “Oh, I always buy delivery food on Wednesdays,” or “I’m subscribed to three different streaming services but only use one.”
With that knowledge, I made small changes. I cooked more at home on Wednesdays (not every week, but enough to save a bit). I canceled the services I never used. I gave myself permission to buy coffee sometimes but limited it to three times a week.
The best part? I stopped beating myself up for past mistakes and started focusing on progress.
It’s not about being perfect or never spending on fun stuff. It’s about knowing where your money’s going and deciding if that’s really what you want.
If you’re stuck in the same cycle I was — ignoring your money or feeling out of control — try tracking your spending for a week or a month. It’s annoying at first, but it’s the best way to get honest with yourself.
Once you do, you might find it’s not as scary as you thought — just real.
