I took out a loan to consolidate and spread out my debts, and I’m still paying it off. This time, I created a detailed Excel chart, tracking my salary, receivables, debts, credit card balance, loan balance, and expenses. Once I did this, I realized something: my debt isn’t decreasing — but it isn’t increasing either. From that moment on, I started focusing on my debt, and honestly, that made me feel better.
Another thing I noticed was my spending trend. Since I’ve been tracking my finances for over a year, I can now see exactly in which months I spend more and in which I spend less. The key difference compared to my bank’s app is that I can see everything together, across all accounts. Essentially, I see the same general trend, but cash expenses usually disrupt the picture since it’s often unclear where that money goes. The takeaway here is simple: by taking notes and categorizing your expenses — and tracking them consistently for 2–3 months — you can improve your financial planning significantly.
Do you think companies do this kind of tracking for no reason? Every quarter, they disclose their investments, gains, losses, and reassess their financial standing to plan accordingly. So why should we focus only on our monthly expenses? Wouldn’t it be much better to have a 3–6 month plan? To postpone certain discretionary expenses to the months where our spending tends to be lower? This way, we could also better understand the resources we actually have at hand.
That’s exactly what today’s topic is about:
Where is the biggest gap in your budget?
Will your answer still be the same three months from now — and why?
How well can you track your spending?
Do you have a specific budget laid out for every upcoming month or even every week?
Are you balancing your income and expenses separately?
Are you spending more than you earn?
This may sound like a bombardment of questions, but it’s all for your own benefit.
So, what does this have to do with self-development?
Everything we learn, experience, or are exposed to — social media stories, ads, posts, news articles — all push us toward spending. To spend, you must earn. To earn, you must work.
As long as this cycle continues, how can you go beyond just renting out your life?
You can’t — especially in an environment where your income doesn’t suffice, where you’re constantly burdened by inflation and a declining purchasing power. The inevitable result is becoming trapped in a vortex, turning into an unhappy and confused individual.
At this point, what you need is to take a deep breath and assess your situation. This is easier than dealing with emotions because everything can be calculated. Once you’ve examined your current status, time planning becomes essential, as well as seeking additional income sources if necessary. For example, even if your account is overdrawn, being able to set aside a little money by changing some habits is important.
But is that enough? No.
Saving alone will get you nowhere.
This is where investing comes into play.
In the next post, I’ll talk more about investments, but for now, here’s what I want to emphasize:
Seek advice from professionals when investing. Don’t act based on hearsay. Don’t treat investing like gambling. Avoid investing in trends that are already saturated, where the real opportunity has passed.
bahadirhancicek 
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