Consider your most recent purchases. How far back can you go? Your morning coffee? Dinner last night? If that’s as much as you can recall you might not be paying enough attention to your money.
I began seriously tracking my spending shortly after college. With a new city and new job came rent payments, electric bills and a level of responsibility for my inflows and outflows that campus life had partially shielded me from. (Students, never again will opportunities for free pizza be so abundant — take advantage.) Using websites, and later apps, I learned things like: how quickly a coffee run or two a day could add up to real money or that the dress that seemed like such a good deal actually accounted for an uncomfortable portion of my post-rent budget.
In short, being a grown-up was intimidating. When I took responsibility for knowing exactly where my money was going it helped me take control of my new life. With a new series called “The Last 10 Things I Bought,” we are taking that practice a step further and asking people to let FORBES and the world to take a peek at their spending.
We will periodically feature readers and thought leaders. But we won’t make you go it alone. To kick it off FORBES writers from around the country are letting you into their wallets. Some of them are on staff, others are contributors. A few have kids and spouses, others are single. Most are female, but two brave men joined the fun. We even have a student. The results — linked below — are as unique as we are.
For me the experience of laying bare a snapshot of even a few days of spending was scary. Normally the only person I need to defend my money choices to is myself. With this project I found myself wondering: What will my parents think? What will my editor think? Experts talk about matching your spending to your values, this project made me look hard about what that really means.
Ultimately it was also educational. My editor pointed out that I spend too much on tinfoil. I wouldn’t have thought of that but now I’ll look for coupons. More fundamentally, explaining how dinner at a far-flung restaurant led me to take a cab and to a dance party in Brooklyn felt like writing a 20-something’s version of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” the classic children’s book. It was a helpful reminder to think a few spending-steps ahead.
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We hope this exercise will get you thinking about your spending. What expenses do you feel great about? Which do you regret? What changes can you make to spend a little less and save a little more?
How A 54-Year-Old Financial Planner Spends Her Money | By Nancy Anderson
How A Busy Working Mom Spends Her Money | By Kelly Phillips Erb
How A Freelance Writer And Mother Of A 4-Year-Old Spends Her Money | By Elizabeth Harris
How A 38 Year-Old NYC Single Mom Spends Her Money | By Emma Johnson
How A Single Mom In L.A. Saves And Splurges | By Vanessa McGrady
The Last 10 Things This 19-Year-Old College Student Spent Money On | By Freddy Rodriguez
How A 25 Year Old Personal Finance Reporter Spends Her Money | By Samantha Sharf
How A 40-Year Old Financial Wellness Planner Spends His Money | By Scott Spann
Want to let FORBES into your wallet? Email ssharf@forbes.com for details on how to participate.
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