Why I Stopped Tracking Every Transaction (And What I Do Instead)

For years, I managed my finances in a Google Sheet. Part of it was stubbornness—I'm particular about what "total balance" actually means (it needs to account for pending charges for proper conservative projections). But mostly, it came down to wanting a different relationship with my money.

Micro vs Macro

I think of financial planning as two parts: micro and macro. The macro is long-term goals like retirement and buying a house. The micro is simpler: Did I cover my obligations this month without going into debt?

For me, the macro tends to follow naturally when I take care of the micro. I don't spend much energy on ten-year projections when it comes to week-to-week planning. What I find myself asking is much simpler:

Did I do what I needed to do this month to stay on track?

Finding What Works

Many budgeting approaches ask you to categorize every expense. Is coffee a drink or a grocery? Is Netflix entertainment? Does live music get its own bucket? For some people, that level of detail is genuinely helpful. For me, it started to feel like more than I needed.

What I found myself caring about is what I call Obligations: the things I've decided I need to cover each month to stay aligned with my longer-term goals. That's rent, utilities, childcare, phone bills, allowances I've set aside, HOA—but also things like a Japan trip fund, an extra mortgage principal payment, or monthly emergency fund contributions.

These are conscious choices about where my money goes.

The Math That Brings Clarity

This approach made my monthly planning feel lighter:

Income − Obligations − Credit Card Payments Due = This Month's Leftover

That's the number I check in with. It tells me: after everything I've committed to, where do I stand? If I'm in the green, I have breathing room. If I'm in the red, I know I need to adjust.

There's a second number that matters too, because credit cards have cycles. The money I spend this month doesn't come due until next month. So I do the same calculation for next month, using This Month's Leftover as next month's starting point.

Those two numbers—This Month's Leftover and Next Month's Projection—give me what I need to feel grounded.

What I Don't Focus On

I don't spend energy tracking what went to coffee or movies or food. Once I've accounted for my obligations, the rest is breathing room.

I don't need to hit my grocery budget to the penny. I don't need to categorize every transaction. What helps me is seeing that I'm consistently covering my obligations and moving toward my goals.

The traditional approach optimizes for control. My approach optimizes for calm.

Building Something That Fits

I looked for an app that shared this way of thinking. When I couldn't find one, I built it.

Pfynn takes this whole framework and handles the math for you. You add your obligations, your income, connect your accounts, and each week it shows you those two numbers. Your weekly check-in becomes your financial practice.

No categorizing transactions. No keeping score. Just clarity on whether you're okay.

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I'm curious—what has your experience been with budgeting tools? What would "just enough" financial awareness look like for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts at jason.anderson@pfynn.com.