Taking a Hard Look at My Finances

June 29, 2026

One thing I've learned very quickly through Project Money is that it's a lot harder to ignore your finances when someone asks you to hand over all the receipts. Okay, maybe not literally all the receipts. But close.

One of the first things I had to do was provide my financial coach with statements, pay information, debt balances, and a full picture of my finances. It wasn't enough to have a rough idea of where my money was going. We had to look at the actual numbers. And the numbers don't lie.

I've always known I spend money at McDonald's more often than I probably should. What I didn't realize was just how often until I started combing through my statements.

Apparently, I have a much stronger relationship with McDonald's than I thought. There were also some surprises that weren't nearly as funny. While reviewing my accounts, I found a recurring charge for $49.95 a month that I hadn't noticed.

For a year.

A year.

When I did the math, I realized I'd spent nearly $600 on something I wasn't even using. That was a tough pill to swallow, but it was also a reminder of why I've spent so much time avoiding my finances in the first place. Sometimes you don't want to know what you're going to find.

But avoiding it doesn't make it go away. I've also spent a lot of time looking at subscriptions. For years I've told myself that streaming services are cheaper than cable. Technically, that's true. But when I started adding up all the streaming services I pay for every month, I realized the total wasn't exactly small.

It made me start asking questions I hadn't asked before.

Do I really need Apple TV+ right now? Do I need every service I'm paying for? Am I actually using the things I'm spending money on?

None of these changes are life-changing on their own. Canceling a streaming service isn't going to suddenly erase my debt. But I'm starting to realize that financial progress isn't usually about one huge decision. It's about a lot of small ones.

It's about paying attention. The timing of this project has made things even more interesting because we're heading into summer.

As a mom, I still want to create memories with my kids. I still want us to have fun. I still want to take trips and enjoy experiences together.

Before Project Money, I had been planning a California trip, and I'll admit that taking a hard look at my finances has added some stress to those plans.

One of the conversations I've been having with myself lately is the difference between what would be fun and what is necessary. We'll still spend time with family. We'll still make memories. But Disneyland can wait. That's not always easy to accept. Part of me wants to do everything right now. But another part of me knows that making different choices today creates more options for the future.

Something else I've been thinking about lately is how public this journey has become. It's one thing to work on your finances privately. It's another thing to know that people can read about your debt, your mistakes, and your progress online. I'd be lying if I said that doesn't make me nervous.

There's still a lot of stigma around money. It's easy to worry about what people will think when you're honest about financial struggles. But one of the things I've appreciated most so far has been getting to know the other Project Money participants through their stories. While our situations are different, I see a lot of the same hopes and goals reflected in each of them. We're all trying to build something better.

Right now, I don't have a dramatic success story to share. What I do have is a much clearer picture of where my money is going. And while some of what I've found has been uncomfortable, I'm starting to realize that awareness isn't the bad part. It's the first step.