If You’re Not Saving Yet, Start Here

Last week I wrote about growing your savings.

 

But if you're thinking, “Savings? I’m just trying not to run out of money each month.” — this is for you.

 

If you’re struggling to save, or you feel like you should be saving more but aren’t… you have to start with awareness.

 

And awareness starts with tracking your expenses.

 

I always recommend starting with your previous 30-60 days of expenses. And we’re 60 days into 2026.

 

After about two months, it becomes surprisingly hard to remember what purchases actually were.

 

$254 at Costco six weeks ago? No idea.

Multiple Target charges? Blur.

Amazon? Good luck.

 

If you want to build better money habits for 2026, now is the perfect time to commit — or at least try.

 

Most people avoid tracking because they’re afraid of what they’ll find.

 

Spending on eating out.
Shopping that “didn’t feel like much.”
Subscriptions you forgot about.

 

But here’s the truth:

You can’t fix what you won’t look at.

And most people are shocked not by one huge expense — but by the accumulation of small ones.

 

I personally use Monarch Money. It requires some upfront effort:

• Connect all your financial accounts (bank, credit cards, loans)
• Set your budget categories
• Categorize every transaction (honestly, this can be painful)

With my referral link, you can get:

• 7-day free trial
• 50% off your first year (normally $100/year)

If you’re serious about getting control of your money, this is one of the best habits you can build.

In a future post, I’ll share specific tips on how I optimize and structure my expense tracking.

 

For now, don’t worry about being perfect. Just get started — with Monarch, another tool, or even pen & paper.

 

Because if you want to grow your savings, you first need to know where your money is going. Tracking your expenses is the only way to do that.

 

If you want help setting things up in Monarch Money, figuring out how to track your expenses, or just want a second opinion on your situation — I’m happy to help.

 

Personal finances can feel overwhelming. It doesn’t have to.

 

Just send me an email and let me know how I can help or what's on your mind.