Hello and welcome back to The Thinking Bigger Than Money Podcast. I’m your host, Jim Marrocco — and today, I want to talk to you about becoming more aware and present with your spending. I recently challenged myself to write down every single thing I spent money on. This exercise isn’t new and I sometimes share it with my clients to help them notice their spending habits. But this past month I decided to do it for myself. I wasn’t trying to test my discipline or see if I stuck to a budget, but instead experiment with my awareness. of my spending. The most significant thing I noticed was how unaware I was when buying things I thought I wanted or needed.

At first, I thought I was just tracking spending and trying to see how easy or hard it would be to stay with the confines of a certain amount each month. But pretty quickly, I realized I was actually tracking my attention. I would write down a purchase like a coffee, an Amazon order, or a dinner out in a little notebook right after I made it and I start to see patterns. Not just in what I buy, but why. Sometimes, I’m buying for convenience, sometimes for comfort, and sometimes, I’m just buying a little burst of relief at the end of a long day. And sometimes necessity.

It reminded me of something my coach said: “What we spend money on often stands in for an emotional experience we want to have.” That hit me. Because so often, I’m not buying the thing — I’m buying the feeling behind it. And what I’ve noticed is that most of us are operating on autopilot. We’re not really making conscious choices — we’re reacting. Writing it all down, in real time, forces presence. It interrupts the autopilot. It gives me a chance to pause and ask:

“What kind of experience am I actually trying to create here? Am I just bored? Or do I really want joy, comfort, or connection?”

And once I know that, I can make a new choice. Sometimes the choice is still yes and I buy the thing. But sometimes, I realize what I really want is a walk, or a phone call, or just to rest. What’s interesting is that this awareness brings up our money stories too. Some of us grew up with the message “save, save, save, and never touch.” Others got the opposite message of “spend it while you have it.” Both extremes are driven by the same thing: fear. Fear of not having enough, missing out, or fear of what might happen if we loosen or tighten our grip too much. And that fear shapes how we live, not just how we spend.

So, when I think about my work as a financial planner, this practice reminds me that what we’re really after is that sweet spot between enjoying life now and preparing for the future. No matter what the dollar amount is, we need to learn how to finance our dreams while still living abundantly in the present. And when we bring awareness to how we spend — and why — we give ourselves the power to make money a reflection of what truly matters to us, instead of just a reaction to our fears or habits.

So this week, give it a try. Write down every purchase and don’t judge it, but just notice it. Be aware of when you might be on autopilot, and when you’re more intentional. Check in with yourself about what experience you’re really looking for. You might be surprised at what you learn about your spending and yourself. If you do this little experiment, drop a comment or send us an email at [email protected] to let us know how it went.

Thanks for joining me this week and I’ll see you next time.

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