186 | The Spending Tracking Spectrum

"We need to budget better."

"If we just had a budget, then I'd know what I could spend, and I'd do it."

"How does our spending compare to other people?"

If I had a nickel, for the number of times I've heard those phrases...

But I don't think any of them are the answer.

They are too black and white. Too arbitrary. Too disconnected from reality. Too one-size-fits-all. Too lifeless.

Not only is spending well hard to do, but bad spending tends to undermine all the effort that went into acquiring the funds in the first place.

So, of course, it's a never-ending search for an answer - for everyone.

We can speculate for a long time, but without a doubt, a large part of the answer comes down to some system of tracking, not so you can budget, but so you can reflect.

Because tracking and reflection are the only way to address the two sides of the spending coin - viability and contentment.

But we must be careful and intentional with how we go about it.

Because for some people, tracking spending is the thing that sets them free.

And for others, it's the thing that stops them in their tracks…forever.

Tell me there's nuance without telling me there's nuance.

And where there is nuance, there is a spectrum.

And as long as you're on the spectrum then you can spend well.