How do you keep track of small monthly expenses?

Shadyocuk

Best to look at it in a different way , spending is spending and record each amount regardless of the amount.

Being old school I use various spreadsheets to record eveything.

How you decide to allocate funds between categories is up to you, but knowing where you money is going is a useful life skill that can let you make informed decisions. How someone decides to spend their money is up to them , but it should be an informed choice.(I wish my younger self had realised this!!)

I dont tend to drink coffee , but for tea I use a Thermos flask that you can drink straight from which is either in a side pocket of a small backpack or attached to my belt via a holder from ali express. I normally have a small refillable bottle of water with me using the same methods, as I go out walking somewhere everyday that will have saved me a fortune over the years.

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82145210#Comment_82145210

Me too - I don't carry cash - but when I have to force myself to look at it I know I have been a little excessive on the "me" treats.

Just bit the bullet and checked and its a whopping £800 with a week of September to go!! Supermarket shopping is really adding up and I've filled my tank with fuel twice this month, despite barely driving. There are lots of transactions that sneak in just under the £10 mark, and over £100 was spent on alcohol. This thread is inspiring me (momentarily) to cut back.

WYSPECIAL

Separate account that I pay a set amount into each month which is basically going out money and for those frivolous small spends which get forgotten but can add up.

enthusiasticsaver

Our spending accounts are with Starling which has a handy spending tracker which adds up all spending. I categorise them so I can see at a glance if one category is getting out of control. The only issue is that it is difficult to do that with cash and I like to use that now and again. So I have a cash miscellaneous category which mainly goes on discretionary spending (non essential) so coffees, takeaways, the odd book or cosmetics. As long as I don't go over £100 a month on that I am fine with it.

MFMP

Every penny gets tracked on a spreadsheet and spending allocated across categories e.g. food & drinks, eating out, health (gym, dentist etc). Have separate worksheets for holidays and home & car expenses (insurances, council tax & repairs). Been doing this for 3 years now to track expenses to help with retirement planning.

I also try and use a credit card for most things. It makes tracking easier and also gives me cash back (win win). The bill gets cleared every month.

MSE_ForumTeam5

Hi all - we've removed a few posts. If you think any post on the Forum may break our rules, please use the 'report' button to flag it to us, rather than taking the thread off-topic by discussing your concern publicly.

Regardless of the provenance of the OP, there have been some worthwhile replies in this thread.

subjecttocontract

The more I think about the question the more difficult it is to answer. If the question refers to incidental expenses then I don't really have many, if any. I don't buy.... coffees, books, make up & take aways are very rare. Most things (travel, shopping, restaurants, hotels etc) are paid with a credit or debit card so I don't consider them to be incidental. Even magazines & newspapers have the bill settled every 4-6 weeks. Food is always ordered online and paid by card. I usually have £50 in my wallet that lasts me forever, can't remember the last time I withdrew cash from the cashpoint.

My wife deals with birthdays, gifts, cards, social events etc and and just gives me a bill every 3 months or so and I transfer what she's spent into her bank.

Seems like everyone has a different opinion of what a small expense is !