How to Gain Control Over Your Life and Money

Welcome to the 20 Habit Challenge, where we break down key habits that can help you simplify and transform your money, home, and life!

When we were first married, we started things off in debt. Between the credit cards, car loan, and student loans we had over $30,000 we owed.

With his job out of college and me juggling an internship and finishing up, the idea of becoming debt free was a fun dream but felt kind of crazy.

Sounds silly now, but the debt we had and the income were bringing in at the time made it seem like a far-off goal.

Do you want to know a key ingredient to paying off that debt?

Changing our habits.

Specifically tracking our money.

Seriously.

Knowing where the money was coming and going gave us an awareness and from there we could come up with a real plan to pay off our debt faster.

Track Your Money

Today's habit I'd like to you to add is to track your money from last month and this week.

Tracking your spending will give you an idea of where you're unconsciously spending.

You may find that those drive-thru trips on the way home may feel convenient, but they are killing your budget.

Or you could be like us and discover how much you really spent on Amazon. (I still can't believe how much that was….)

When you understand how you're using money, you have a clearer idea of what needs to be adjusted.

Best Apps to Track Your Money

To keep things easy and engage you, we're going to go digital and analog. To see how you did last month, you can sign up for a money app or tool. There are some wonderful ones out there like Personal Capital, Tiller, and Mint.

For this week's spending, you can use pen and paper. Just jot down whatever you spend that's not an essential bill.

Boom you're done.

Change One Thing at a Time

I'm asking you to track your money because one look at your expense a lot of times what we write down on paper isn't what happens by the end of the month.

We may notice those larger mistakes, but it's those small amounts that really eat away your budget.

It's a small habit but it's going to make a big difference!