This Is Exactly How I Track My Money Each Month

This Is Exactly How I Track My Money Each Month

This Is Exactly How I Track My Money Each Month

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If you’ve ever felt like your money just... disappears each month, you’re not alone. I used to wonder where all my income was going. Bills? Subscriptions? That one overpriced sandwich I swore I’d only try once? Until I started tracking everything, I had no idea.

Step 1: I Split My Month Into 3 Categories

  • Income (salary, side gigs, refunds)
  • Fixed Expenses (rent, subscriptions, debt)
  • Flexible Spending (groceries, fun, unexpected stuff)

Everything I earn or spend falls into one of these. It keeps things simple and scalable—even when my income changes.

Step 2: I Use One Dashboard to See It All

I created a personal finance dashboard in Notion. It’s clean, editable, and 100% custom to how my brain works. Here’s what’s inside:

  • A monthly income tracker (with totals & categories)
  • Expense log (tagged by type: need/want/fixed/flex)
  • Investment contributions (by account: Roth, taxable, etc.)
  • Net worth snapshot

It takes 5–10 minutes a week to update, but the mental clarity it gives me? Priceless.

Step 3: I Automate What I Can

I set all my fixed bills to autopay. My Roth IRA and brokerage contributions are automatic too. That way, I’m only manually tracking my flexible spending—which means less stress and fewer excuses.

Bonus Habit: Weekly “Money Sunday” Review

Every Sunday, I spend 10 minutes checking my tracker. That’s it. No intense budget meeting. Just a quick scan of what I earned, what I spent, and what I can do better next week. It’s a routine I actually enjoy now.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a complicated app or 12-tab spreadsheet. You just need a system that fits your life. This setup helped me go from money-anxious to money-aware—and more importantly, from inconsistent investor to someone who shows up financially every month.

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