Technology has made it easier for us to spend – a tap, a swipe, an UPI scan – and the money disappears. There is no friction. Digital payments make us spend more because we don’t feel the loss the way we do when handing over cash. That’s why many money experts swear by cash-only budgets.
But carrying cash has its own problems – limits on free ATM withdrawals, risk of theft, and the hassle of lugging around a bulky wallet. If cash is inconvenient and digital payments tempt us to overspend, what’s the alternative?
The solution isn’t cash, it is awareness. And awareness comes from one simple habit: manually recording every rupee you spend.
For five years, I’ve spent five minutes every night entering my expenses in a manual budgeting app – just the date, the amount, and the category. That’s it. Yet, this tiny ritual slowed me down in a way no automatic expense tracking app could.
Here is how it helped me:
I love buying sarees, even though I barely wear them. A good saree costs at least ₹3,500, and every year—especially around Diwali—I would buy three or four of them and blow past my festive budget. Once I started manually tracking my expenses, something clicked. I realized I already owned more sarees than I actually wear, and the excitement of buying a new one lasted only a day or two.
So this year, when I walked into a boutique and picked up two beautiful sarees, I paused. I imagined typing ₹7,000 into my budgeting app and asked myself, “Will this bring me joy beyond today?” The answer was no. I put them back and walked out. For the first time, I felt in control—not of my money, but of my choices. That tiny moment of awareness—born from manually tracking my spending—helped me make a decision my future self was proud of.
Manual entry forces your brain to re-live the purchase. This creates a psychological effect, making you more aware of your spending habits. When you type out ₹5,000 for dinner, your brain wakes up, it might go “Wait, is it worth it?”. Now you feel the spend. Continue this daily, and after a few weeks your mind starts warning you before you tap “Pay.” That’s when the magic happens.
Automatically tracking your spend might save you 5 minutes a day, but it will cost you money awareness – and awareness is where real savings start.
Automate investments. Never automate awareness.