Spending Checkup

Money doesn't always disappear on anything big. It can go in fees you didn't mean to pay, subscriptions you forgot you had, and food bought on the way home because there was no plan. This checkup asks six questions about the places spending leaks without anyone deciding it should.

It doesn't ask what you earn and it doesn't judge what you buy. You get a plain read on where you stand and, for each leak, the one move that closes it.

Common questions

• Do I need a strict budget?+

  No. A plan that says where the fixed bills go and roughly what's left for everything else does most of the work. Strict budgets tend to break on the first surprise; a simple one bends and keeps going.

• What's the fastest way to free up money?+

  Fees and forgotten subscriptions are a good place to start, because cutting them usually costs you nothing you'd miss. After that, food and big purchases, where planning ahead does more than cutting back.

• Is buy now, pay later bad?+

  Not on its own. It's a loan, and like any loan it's fine when you know the payments and can make them. The trouble starts when several run at once and nobody's keeping the list. This is educational coaching, not personalized financial advice.