Budgeting when normal budgets don't stick

Traditional budgets ask you to log every coffee and remember to check in. If that has never lasted, the problem is the system, not you.

Keep the check-in tiny: thirty seconds a day, or five minutes a week. Let the tracker do the math, and use progress bars you can read at a glance.

Plan for the predictable surprises too. Car repairs, gifts and yearly subscriptions are easier when a little goes aside every month.