Finding the Leaks

Now let’s see where money drains. This continues the honest looking practice.

The Principle

Money leaks through subscriptions you forgot, services you don’t use, habits you don’t notice. These small drains accumulate into significant losses.

Most people have no clear picture of where money goes. They earn, they spend, and they don’t know what happened.

The Process

Get your last month’s bank and credit card statements. Go through each transaction.

List all recurring charges:

• Subscriptions (streaming, software, services)
• Memberships (gym, clubs, organizations)
• Automatic payments (insurance, utilities, phone)
• Any other regular charges

For each one, note:

• Amount
• What it’s for
• Usage: regularly / occasionally / forgot about it

What You’re Looking For

• Subscriptions you forgot existed
• Services you rarely or never use
• Duplicate subscriptions (multiple streaming services)
• Free trials that converted to paid
• Anything where you pay but don’t receive value

Don’t fix yet. Just see.

Today’s Practice

Review last month’s statements. List all recurring charges with their usage level.

Be honest about usage. “I use it sometimes” might really be “I used it once three months ago.”