Okay, here we go.
Financial planning is literally the only reason I’m not still hiding from my landlord in 2025, and I’m saying this while sitting cross-legged on my couch in Austin, Texas, with a half-drunk Topo Chico sweating on my coffee table and the faint smell of Whataburger still on my hoodie from last night. Like, I used to think “budget” was just a cute word for “vibes check on my bank account,” and then one day I woke up at 31 with $87 to my name and a credit-card balance that made me want to yeet myself into the Colorado River. Real talk.
How Ignoring Financial Planning Almost Ended Me (Okay, Dramatic, But Still)
Picture this: 2019 me, living in Brooklyn, making decent money at a startup, spending it all on $18 cocktails and Seamless because “YOLO.” I had this one month—swear on my dog—where I spent $400 on UberEats alone. Four. Hundred. I still have the screenshot because my friend group roasted me so hard we made it the group-chat header for a year. That was peak no-financial-planning energy. I was building wealth the same way I build IKEA furniture: zero instructions, pure rage, and somehow always one screw missing.
Then 2020 hit, layoffs happened, and suddenly I was back in Texas staring at my bank app like it personally betrayed me. That’s when financial planning stopped being this cringe adulting thing and became my “do this or literally starve” thing.
The First Time I Actually Made a Budget (and Cried) Financial Planning
I opened Google Sheets at 2 a.m.—classic—named the tab “please god let this work,” and started typing. Rent, student loans, Whataburger fund (yes, it’s a line item, fight me), everything. I gave every dollar a job like that bald guy on TikTok says. And when I saw how much I was bleeding on random Amazon subscriptions? I actually teared up. Not pretty tears. Ugly, snotty, “I’m a failure” tears while my roommate’s cat judged me from the doorway. https://www.ynab.com/
But here’s the thing: three months later I had a $1,000 baby emergency fund and I felt like a financial wizard. Wealth-building journey? More like emotional-support-spreadsheet journey. https://www.ally.com/bank/high-yield-savings-account/
Why Financial Planning is Crucial for Your Wealth-Building Journey (Yeah I Said It Twice, Sue Me)
- It forces you to look your dumb decisions in the eye (therapeutic, honestly).
- Compound interest doesn’t care if you’re “bad at math”—it just keeps cooking while you sleep.
- You stop getting anxiety sweats every time your phone pings a transaction alert.
- You finally understand that “I’ll pay it off next month” is a lie you tell yourself like “this time the Whataburger will be small.”
I still screw up, by the way. Last week I panic-bought a $200 air fryer because TikTok told me to. But now I have a “no-buy November… ish” rule and an actual plan instead of just vibes. https://investor.vanguard.com/investing/how-to-invest/
The Tools That Saved My Broke Butt Financial Planning
- YNAB (You Need A Budget): changed my brain chemistry, no cap. Here, steal my referral link if you want: https://ynab.com/referral/?ref=whatever-my-code-is
- High-yield savings at Ally because 0.01% at Chase is criminal.
- Vanguard index funds because I’m too lazy for day trading and also I like sleeping.
Look, I’m Still a Mess, But a Mess With a Plan Financial Planning
Right now I’ve got takeout boxes on the floor, my Christmas lights are already up (it’s December 6th, don’t @ me), and I’m writing this instead of doing my actual job. But I also have six months of expenses saved, my Roth IRA is funded for the year, and I’m throwing an extra $300 a month at my smallest student loan like it owes me money.
Financial planning didn’t make me perfect. It just stopped me from being broke and dramatic at the same time.
So yeah—grab a Google Sheet, a Topo Chico, and start telling your dollars where to go. Your future self (and your future Whataburger runs) will thank you.https://www.ally.com/bank/high-yield-savings-account/
What’s the dumbest money mistake you’ve ever made? Drop it in the comments so I don’t feel alone. And if you’re ready to stop winging it, go make that budget tonight. I believe in you, even if your emergency fund is currently three crumpled twenties and a Wingstop gift card like mine was in 2021.
Let’s build some wealth, babes. 💸
