Money

I’ve been slowly getting my head around personal finance over the last few years. Nothing dramatic — just trying to understand where money goes, how to save it, and what to do with it once you’ve saved some. Here’s a collection of frameworks, tools, and resources that have helped. Budgeting The first step is knowing what you actually spend. Most people guess and are wrong. Monarch Money – A budgeting app that connects to your accounts and categorises spending automatically. I’ve found it useful for seeing where money leaks out each month. YNAB (You Need A Budget) – The most aggressive budgeting method I’ve tried. Every pound gets assigned a job before you spend it. Steep learning curve but changes how you think about money. PocketGuard – Simpler than YNAB. Tells you how much “spendable” cash you have after bills and savings are accounted for. Google Sheets budget templates – If you prefer manual control, a spreadsheet gives you full visibility without linking bank accounts. Tracking and the Quantified Self Once you’re budgeting, tracking specific metrics helps you see progress. ...