Tag
Money Kept
The dollars that stay in your pocket when a habit changes.
Articles
How to pick places for a “go less” goal
Goals you’re cutting back on count clear days, not willpower. Here’s how to choose the places that decide them, and how to set a target you can actually hit.
GuideWhy NoTestudo shows hours and dollars, not points
There’s no score in NoTestudo, and no points. Progress shows up in real units: money saved, time saved and time invested. Here’s why.
GuideThe coffee run math
Small, repeated stops are easy to miss. A little arithmetic on coffee runs and takeout, and a few ways to keep more without giving up what you like.
MagazineThe hours and dollars you keep
Hours and dollars kept, never a score. What NoTestudo’s numbers mean, how they’re worked out, and what they can’t tell you.
Magazine
Community posts
Community preview: example posts, updated daily, show the kind of updates members share in the NoTestudo app.
Groceries twice a week, two weeks in
Two weeks of hitting my grocery goal. I’m cooking more and ordering less, and the streak badge is very cute.
Healthy EatingMall once this month, and it was for a birthday gift
My goal is the mall at most once a month. This month’s one visit: my sister’s birthday present, in and out in twenty minutes. In the spring I was there every weekend “just walking around.” Turns out walking around costs about $60.
SpendingMy home coffee setup cost under $30
A cheap pour-over cone, paper filters, a bag of beans from the grocery store and a $9 kettle. That’s it. Two weeks of making it at home before class. My Money saved card says $41 so far, which is a lot of coffee.
Coffee RunsI unsubscribed from every store email
Realized half my mall trips started with a “sale ends tonight” email. Spent ten minutes unsubscribing from everything. Not an app thing, just a me thing, but my weekly summary has been very boring since, in a good way.
SpendingSix weeks of Sunday cooking
Every Sunday I cook two big things: a grain bowl base and a soup. It’s maybe two hours. Then weeknights are just assembling. Six weeks in, and my grocery runs went from random to Sunday and Wednesday, every week. Happy to share the soup.
Healthy EatingEight weeks in, and the money surprised me
Eight weeks with no vape shop visits. Every week I recorded what I would normally have spent, and seeing it add up is kind of wild. I’m putting it toward a trip in the spring.
VapingTwo coffee shop visits this week, both with friends
My goal is the coffee shop at most twice a week. This week both visits were catching up with friends, and that’s exactly what I want coffee shops for. The solo 3 p.m. “I deserve this” runs were the ones adding up.
Coffee RunsMy cheap grocery list for a whole week
People asked, so here’s my roughly $35 week: oats, eggs, rice, frozen veggies, a big bag of spinach, chickpeas, peanut butter, bananas, tortillas, cheese. Not exciting. Gets me to the next grocery run without ordering.
Healthy EatingWe swapped Thursday bar night for Thursday dinner
My friends and I always did Thursday at the same bar. I asked if we could do dinner instead, expecting pushback. Everyone said yes right away. Apparently they wanted to save money too. We rotate who picks the place now.
SobrietyKept $84 this month by skipping the drive-thru
My Money saved card says $84 since September. Not huge, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the number instead of just feeling bad about it. What helped: groceries on Sunday so there’s always something at home at 11 p.m.
Fast FoodSkipped the casino part of the family trip
My cousins do a casino night every few weeks. I said I’d come for dinner but skip the casino part. They were fine with it. I got a nice dinner, a ride home and still had my paycheck on Monday.
SpendingWhat’s one swap that made your week easier?
This week’s prompt: share one swap that made your week easier. A drive-thru for a grocery run, a coffee shop for a thermos, a late-night snack run for something already in the fridge. Small visits add up.
Healthy EatingCold brew Sundays
Started making a big jar of cold brew on Sunday nights. It lasts until Thursday if I’m disciplined, Wednesday if I’m not. I still go to the coffee shop, just on purpose now.
Coffee RunsMy 24-hour rule for anything over $20
If I want something over $20, I put it in a note and wait a day. Most things I don’t even remember by the next morning. It pairs well with my mall goal, since the note means I don’t need to go “look at it in person.”
Spending