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Guides to tracking your money without the spreadsheet guilt
Plain-English guides to seeing where your money goes, spending less on the things you don't care about, and building a cushion. Each one links to a free tool you can use straight away.
Written by the team behind TallyMsg. Prefer to start doing? Try the free finance tools.
Tracking · 6 min read
How to Track Your Expenses (and Still Be Doing It in March)
Most people who start tracking their spending give up within a few weeks. Here is a simple method built around the two reasons they quit.
Read the guideTracking · 6 min read
List of Monthly Expenses: The Full Checklist, Including the Ones People Forget
Every category of household spending in one checklist, what the average household actually spends on each, and the yearly costs that quietly wreck monthly plans.
Read the guideTracking · 6 min read
Fixed vs Variable Expenses: What the Difference Means for Your Money
Fixed expenses stay the same each month; variable ones move. Knowing which is which tells you where you can save this month and where you need a bigger decision.
Read the guideSpending · 6 min read
How to Find and Cancel Subscriptions You Forgot You Were Paying For
Step-by-step cancellation for iPhone, Android, PayPal and Amazon, plus the five places forgotten subscriptions hide and what to do when a company makes canceling hard.
Read the guideSpending · 6 min read
How to Stop Spending Money on Things You Don’t Care About
Willpower runs out by Thursday. These are the changes that cut spending without relying on it: friction, waiting rules, a weekly number, and knowing your triggers.
Read the guideTracking · 5 min read
Free Expense Tracker Template for Google Sheets and Excel
A free, no-signup spreadsheet template plus step-by-step setup for Google Sheets and Excel, including the formulas for a monthly category summary.
Read the guideTracking · 6 min read
How to Scan Receipts With Your Phone, and How Long to Keep Them
Free ways to scan receipts on iPhone and Android, a naming system that makes them findable, and how long tax offices in four countries expect you to keep them.
Read the guideSpending · 5 min read
Lifestyle Creep: Why a Bigger Salary Doesn’t Feel Like More Money
You earn more than you did three years ago, so why doesn’t it feel like it? A look at how lifestyle creep works and a simple rule for keeping part of every raise.
Read the guideSaving · 6 min read
How Much Should You Have in Savings? A Realistic Answer
Start with an emergency fund of three to six months of essential costs. Here is how to work out your number, when to aim higher, and what to do if you are starting from zero.
Read the guideDebt · 5 min read
Debt Snowball vs Avalanche: Which Pays Off Your Debt Faster?
Avalanche saves the most interest. Snowball gives you quicker wins. A worked example with four debts shows how big the difference really is.
Read the guideYour money. Your rules.
Know where your money goes. Starting today.
Just message your expenses. TallyMsg categorises every one and shows you exactly where it went. No spreadsheets, no apps, no friction.