My $8 billion a month McDonald’s habit
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Jo Billard
How about going into overdraft?
Charles H
When you're low on money and worried about payments being declined, I now say going into the red or that I'm living check to check. Also, I very much relate to the apprehension around budgeting. I think it has to do with the fact that looking at the data of your spending forces us to confront habits we aren't proud of or are uncomfortable to drag into the light. Having it all laid out like that forces us to acknowledge exactly how we choose to spend our money. When I did this a couple years ago, I had to confront how much I was spending on takeout through Uber Eats and Doordash and it was embarrassing to me, even though the data was all there and the money had been spent and I was the only one looking at it. But doing that allowed me to be honest with myself and cut way back on that type of spending. I canceled my Doordash subscription and started adding that money into savings. Of course then I had two kids so now all of that goes to them. Luckily I just signed an offer letter for a better job lol. My mom, who has worked in finance for over 30 years, says there are three things you can control about your money; how much you bring in, how much you spend and how much you save. Finding the limits of those variables and being honest with yourself about which expenditures are necessary and which are luxury helps with the second and third variables, which are easiest to adjust.