Ledger guides
Money guides that assume you have a life outside of spreadsheets
Long-form, opinionated writing on budgeting methods, recurring charges, transaction categorisation and what it really means to link a bank account to software.
How to find every forgotten subscription draining your account
A step-by-step method for auditing six months of bank history, spotting recurring charges you forgot about, and cancelling them without losing anything you actually use.
Read guideZero-based budgeting, explained without the spreadsheet evangelism
What zero-based budgeting actually means, who it works for, where it fails, and how to run a lighter version of it using your real bank history instead of forecasts.
Read guideIs it safe to link your bank account to a budgeting app?
How bank aggregation actually works, what read-only access does and does not permit, the questions worth asking any finance app, and the red flags that should end the conversation.
Read guideThe 50/30/20 rule: when it works and when it quietly breaks
A clear-eyed look at the most popular budgeting split, why high housing costs distort it, and three practical adjustments that keep the idea useful.
Read guideHow to categorise transactions so the categories actually help
Most transaction categories are too granular to act on. Here is how to design a category set that changes decisions instead of just describing the past.
Read guideHow to cancel a subscription that does not want to be cancelled
Dark patterns, retention flows, and the escalation path that works: what to try first, what to document, and when to involve your bank.
Read guideWhy the best budgeting apps for couples prioritize individual visibility
Most budgeting apps for couples merge everything into one pot. Here is why couples budget better when each partner keeps individual visibility over their own accounts, habits and recurring charges.
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