Overheard a coworker say 'I don't need a budget, I just keep track in my head' and I felt that

I was grabbing coffee last Tuesday and heard this guy at the next table telling his friend he manages all his money just by memory. No app, no spreadsheet, nothing written down. That honestly made me stop and think about how many of us try to adult on pure willpower alone. I used to do the same thing for about 6 months back in 2021 and ended up $400 short on my rent one month because I forgot about a car repair bill. The thing is, our brains are just not built to track every little expense, especially when life gets busy with work and family stuff. It's kind of humbling to admit I need a simple system (even just a notebook) to keep myself straight. Has anyone else here tried the 'mental math' method and had it blow up on them? What made you finally switch to writing things down?

2 comments

2 Comments

milarodriguez14d ago

Cracked a smile reading this cause I'm definitely guilty of the "mental math method" too... it worked great until it didn't. One time I spent a whole month guessing my bank balance and ended up with like $12 to last me a week because I forgot I paid for a friend's dinner two weeks earlier. Now I just use a cheap notebook and write stuff down whenever I buy something, even if it's just a coffee. My brain's got too much going on to try and remember every dollar, honestly.

miles_burns14d ago

Wait, you forgot about buying your friend dinner and had to live on twelve bucks for a week?