Spreadsheet tracking every penny vs. just checking my balance once a week | Personal Finance - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Spreadsheet tracking every penny vs. just checking my balance once a week
I used to log every single coffee and gas purchase down to the cent for two years, but last month I switched to a quick glance at my checking account every Sunday. Which method actually keeps you from overspending without driving yourself crazy?
Is it really that much extra work to just check your balance daily instead of once a week? I gotta disagree with you a bit there, @juliaa65. In my experience, checking every day just made me anxious and I still overspent because I'd see the number and think "oh I have room" then rack up little charges that added up. Weekly is a good middle ground, but I actually found tracking every penny for a short period really helped me see where my money was going then I could relax. Your mileage may vary, but for me the detailed tracking for a month or two was key to building better habits, not the daily checking.