You don’t need a budgeting app or a finance degree to find money you’re losing. You need ten minutes and a bit of honesty. Here’s the whole audit.
Step 1: List every recurring charge (3 min)
Open your last card and bank statements. Write down anything that repeats — subscriptions, memberships, apps, that thing you forgot you signed up for. All of it, one list.
Step 2: Do the Leak Math (2 min)
Next to each, write the yearly cost: monthly price × 12. A “small” $9.99 is $120 a year. Seeing the annual number is usually enough to make a decision on its own.
Step 3: Give each a verdict (3 min)
- Keep — used it this month, would pay again on purpose.
- Cut — didn’t, wouldn’t.
- Pause — seasonal; freeze until needed.
Step 4: Cancel two things now (2 min)
Don’t save it for later — later never comes. Cancel your two clearest “Cut” items today. That’s real money back this week.
We put this whole audit — plus copy-paste cancel scripts and a 60-second monthly review — into one free printable: → Get The Money Leak (free).
Educational content only. Not financial advice.