You're Writing Your Money Story
Building a savings habit while journaling about money feelings creates the foundation for lasting financial wellness—here's how they work together.
In the last week, I’ve talked about two critical habits that help you rewrite your money story:
Building a savings habit
Establishing a journaling habit
One creates the actual change in your financial life, while the other captures how that change feels so your anxious brain can’t erase the progress later.
You’re not just saving money or just processing feelings. You’re building a foundation that every other money skill will rest on.
The Two Simplest Building Blocks
First: The savings habit. Not the amount. The habit itself.
Start by making saving automatic, even if it’s $5 a week. The point is building the muscle of regularly putting money aside.
Then, work toward a small goal. An emergency fund of $500 is ideal because it’s achievable but meaningful. It’s enough to handle a car repair or urgent bill without panic.
Second: The journal. Your way of capturing what’s happening.
At the top of each entry, capture your overall mood in one word: tired, stressed, good, or okay.
Then write your long-term savings goal and how you feel about it today. “Working toward $500 emergency fund. Feeling hopeful,” or “Same goal. Frustrated that it’s taking so long.”
Next, note your general mood toward money. “Anxious” or “Calm today” or “Avoided thinking about it.”
Finally, reflect on the day. What happened with money? Did you pause before spending? Check your account? Transfer money to savings? Feel proud? Feel scared?
What Happens When You Do Both
The savings habit gives you something tangible to point to. You’re not just thinking about money differently; you’re putting money aside.
The journal captures how it feels to build that habit during easy and difficult days. You will recognize the moment when checking your growing emergency fund stops feeling scary and starts feeling solid.
Together, they create proof.
Proof that you can build new habits. Evidence that your relationship with money is changing. The small steps are adding up.
Six months from now, you’ll read your early entries—the ones where $500 felt impossible—and see how far you’ve walked. You’ll have the balance and the story of how you got there.
You’re not just saving money. You’re documenting your own growth. You’re writing the money story you want to be living a year from now.
These two habits are the foundation. Everything else—budgeting, investing, bigger goals—builds on this: the ability to set money aside regularly and notice how you’re changing as you do it.
Start both today. Even small. Even messy. You’re building the story you want to be living a year from now.
This content is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or therapeutic advice. Consider speaking with qualified professionals for personalized guidance.