I started a diary recently so that I can keep all my secrets in it. And no, I am not talking about that kind of secrets, and I am not talking about that kind of diary (pen and paper) either. My diary happens to be an Excel spreadsheet on my smart phone, and my secrets? What I am eating, and how much discretionary money I am spending. But honestly, it is working out great! Every time I make a purchase, I just put the amount, the date, and the description of the item I bought in my spreadsheet, and the total gets calculated automatically. Since I always carry my phone, it is really easy to update the spreadsheet as soon as I make a purchase.
Even last month, at any given time, I had no idea how much discretionary/wasteful expenses I had made that month. See this post for a description of what I consider wasteful expenses. Now, all I need is a button click and I know how well I am tracking towards my goal of reducing my wasteful expenses.
Similarly, it is really easy to eat that entire bar of chocolate (which is sometimes 2.5 servings) if I don’t have to write it down somewhere. Entering the calorie value of the food I eat immediately on my spreadsheet is holding me accountable. Trust me, it looks horrible to see that I have just eaten a thousand calories worth of dessert.
At the end of the month, I plan to make sure that my discretionary spending is below the amount I have allowed for myself. At the end of each day, I plan to make sure that the number of calories I ate is less than or equal to what was prescribed by my nutritionist. Off I go, that snack I ate while writing this article needs to be entered into that diary.
