The true cost of details?

I am a natural "spender" so using spreadsheets and a digital envelope budgeting system keeps me on track. I update my budget once a day, and that reminds me what I'm working toward. If I didn't keep myself on track daily, I would spend all my money.

I know this because I've fallen off the wagon a few times thinking I would be able to save money on autopilot and during those months I saved almost nothing.

I will say that I don't track market fluctuations daily, both because I don't have that much invested in the market currently since I'm still in student loan debt, and because I think you definitely risk becoming obsessed with the fluctuations if you check it too often.

But I definitely need my budget spreadsheet to help supplement my own meager self-control. And I don't think updating it daily is robbing me of enjoying life. After I update my budget in the morning, I don't really think about it except as a reminder not to spend on frivolous things that don't increase my happiness.

As an aside, just because you have a budget and are fastidious about sticking to it doesn't mean that you can't budget for the things you want to do. If there is something I want, I save up for it, and I budget in a certain amount of personal "fun money" each month so I don't go stir crazy. There's no reason you should miss out on things that matter just because you're living on a budget.

/r/financialindependence Thread