I tracked every dollar for 30 days and it changed my entire view on money.

I live in Texas, I am 25 and like most people I always felt like money was just disappearing. I was making around $3,900 a month before taxes from a normal office job in Austin, renting a small one bedroom apartment. My expenses looked normal on paper but somehow I reached the end of every month with nothing saved.

So one month ago I decided to track every single dollar that came in and out. Here is what shocked me:

Monthly Income: $3,900

Rent: $1,600

Food: $450

Transportation: $600 (car insurance, gas, occasional Uber)

Utilities: $320

Health Insurance: $450

That means $3,420 already gone before I even bought clothes, went out with friends or bought anything extra. No wonder I felt broke.

The crazy part is when you track everything, you start to see patterns you normally never notice. I found out I spent $180 last month just ordering food late after work. I was paying for three subscriptions I forgot existed. I realized I could meal prep, drive less, cancel what I do not use and I saved more in 30 days than I did in the last six months.

Here are the things that helped me:

1. Writing down every expense makes you spend more consciously
2. Big changes are good but small habits save more over time
3. If you do not track it you think you know where money goes, but you really don’t

People underestimate how powerful seeing your numbers is. It feels like turning on a light in a dark room. You finally see what is stealing your money.

I am testing an app right now called Pennywise for tracking everything easily on my phone. It shows income, expenses and helps visualize where money leaks happen. It made this whole process 10 times simpler for me. 

If you track your money, what changed for you?

What is one expense you cut that made the biggest difference?