That friend who called my budget spreadsheet 'control freak behavior' really made me look in the mirror

My buddy Dave saw my color-coded budget spreadsheet last weekend and laughed, said I was just masking anxiety with green and red cells. He pointed out I track every single coffee and gas station snack but still stress about money every month. I sat with that for a few days and realized he was right... I was using the spreadsheet to feel in control instead of actually changing my habits. Last month I stopped logging every $3 purchase and just set a flat $40 weekly fun money limit instead. It's honestly freed up my brain and I still saved $200 more than usual. Has anyone else had a friend call them out on a money habit that felt helpful but really wasn't?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris9271d ago

God my ex did something similar with my meal planning binder... I had like a whole color coded system for what days we'd eat leftovers and which freezer bags had what. He said it looked like I was running a tiny restaurant out of our kitchen and it really stung at first. But honestly he was kind of right, I was so busy organizing the food that I'd still order takeout three times a week because I burned out from all the planning. Sometimes the system itself becomes the thing you're focused on instead of the actual goal.

tyler8541d ago

Totally get that @iris927, I did the same thing with my garage storage. I had bins labeled by season and color coded sticky notes for what tools went where. Spent like two weekends organizing it all and then never actually used the space because I was scared to mess up the system. It's funny how easy it is to get obsessed with the organizing part and forget why you started in the first place.