You think you know where your money goes. You don’t. Not really. Until you track every dollar for three months, you’re operating on vibes and guesses, and that’s why you’re always broke by the end of the month.
A three-month money audit will reveal the truth—and it might change your entire financial life.
Why three months?
One month isn’t enough—you might have unusual expenses. Three months shows patterns: where you consistently overspend, what’s actually necessary, what’s quietly draining your budget.
How to do it
Track everything: Every coffee, every parking meter, every impulse purchase. Use apps (Mint, YNAB) or a simple spreadsheet.
Categorize spending: Housing, food, transportation, entertainment, shopping, misc.
At the end: Look at the totals for each category across three months. Divide by three for your true average.
What you’ll discover
Your ‘small’ expenses are huge: That $5 coffee adds up to $450 over three months. Those $15 DoorDash orders? $1,350.
You’re subscribed to things you forgot: Streaming services, apps, memberships you never use.
Your necessities cost less than you thought: You’re probably overspending on wants and underestimating how much is left for savings.
The changes you’ll make
Once you see the actual numbers, changes become obvious:
- Cut subscriptions ($60/month saved)
- Reduce dining out ($200/month saved)
- Stop impulse shopping ($150/month saved)
Suddenly you’ve found $400/month that was disappearing into things you barely noticed.
The bottom line
Three months of tracking changes everything. You can’t fix spending patterns you don’t see.
Do the audit. Face the truth. Adjust accordingly. That’s how people go from ‘where did my money go?’ to ‘I have savings now.’
