I have a friend who used to write down everything he spent money on, then tallied it up weekly to see if he was on track. Over time he stopped doing that and tr

I have a friend who used to write down everything he spent money on, then tallied it up weekly to see if he was on track. Over time he stopped doing that and transitioned into what happened that day, and now he keeps an interesting and concise journal. So if you need additional motivation, think of it as journaling. When I travel, I still write down my expenses and what I did that day. I figure it'd be useful when I'm old to tell the kids how much a 1GB prepaid SIM cost "back in my day." But seriously, keeping track of your expenses is a fundamental step in financial literacy. Hook everything up to Mint if you can't be bothered writing daily logs.