Everybody Has Their Thing: Learning to See What’s Blowing Up Your Budget
Every semester I assign my students a budgeting project. At first, it’s eye-opening. Most of them have never tracked their spending before. For a few weeks, they log every expense, start noticing patterns, and feel good about finally taking control.
Then life gets busy. Assignments pile up, practices run late, and tracking expenses becomes one more task that falls off the list. Out of my 59 students this semester, only five managed to keep up with their budgets. Every one of them automated their process with an app like Rocket Money. The others admitted the same thing: they meant to budget but didn’t have time to keep up.
That’s real life. And it’s a lesson in itself.
A budget works when it reflects how you actually live. If it requires more time or attention than you have, it won’t last. Automating your budget through an app, your bank, or your credit union is not a shortcut—it’s a system. It allows the process to keep going even when you’re busy.
A few years ago, I remember when my wife and I blew out our own budget. I immediately assumed it was something she bought. Maybe Amazon? Maybe groceries?
It wasn’t. It was me.
I had bought four Stihl chainsaws for cutting firewood and didn’t think twice about it. I told myself it was a practical purchase. After all, tools are an “investment,” right?
That moment reminded me that everybody has their thing.
For some people, it’s Amazon packages arriving at the door a few times a week. For others, it’s shoes, golf gear, new tech, or “deals” that feel smart simply because they’re on sale. Some spend too much on eating out, weekend trips, or subscription services they barely use. Everyone has something that quietly chips away at their goals.
One student put it this way: “Ever since we started talking about budgets, my eyes have been opened to just how much money I’m spending each month.” Another added, “I realized I spend way too much on coffee. Cutting that back has already helped me save more.”
These are not dramatic oversights; they’re normal. But normal can still be expensive.
Being mindful with money doesn’t mean never spending.
It means knowing when you are. It’s pausing long enough to ask, “Is this something I really value, or is it just my thing showing up again?”
One of my students wrote, “This class made money less scary. I finally feel like I know where it’s going.” That’s the point. When you can see your spending clearly, it stops feeling like guilt and starts feeling like guidance.
Budgeting, at its core, is not a punishment. It’s a mirror. It reflects your priorities, your habits, and sometimes your rationalizations. My chainsaws, your impulse buys, someone else’s “it was on sale” moment — they all reveal something about what we value.
And that’s the work: learning to spend with awareness instead of reaction.
Doc Money Fish Action List
Identify your pattern. What’s the purchase that always sneaks in under your radar?
Automate the system. Use an app like Rocket Money, Mint, or your credit union’s built-in tracker so your awareness doesn’t depend on willpower.
Reflect, don’t react. When your budget goes off track, get curious before you get critical.
Align your spending with your story. Ask, “Does this reflect what I care about most?”
Everyone has their thing. The goal isn’t to eliminate it but to understand it. Because when you can see your spending clearly, you stop asking “Where did all my money go?” and start telling it where to go instead.
That’s what financial mindfulness looks like.
