In this episode, I’m teaching you a simple weekly way of thinking about your money that will change how it feels to manage it. This isn’t about tracking every dollar or building a rigid, restrictive budget. This is a simple but really powerful way to create awareness so you stop being surprised by your accounts and start feeling grounded, less surprised, and more in control.
I walk you through three questions I ask my clients to use every week. These questions help close the gap between what you think is happening with your money and what’s actually happening. They also help you slow down spending before it happens, reduce emotional decisions, and stop mentally assigning future money before it exists.
If you’re good at managing money in a paycheck cycle but still feel anxious, reactive, or caught in fake math, these questions will lead you into a much clearer, steadier relationship with your money.
In this episode, you’ll learn
- [01:18] Why budgeting feels stressful when you only look at money reactively
- [02:05] The three weekly questions that create clarity across past, present, and future
- [03:10] What “What did I actually do?” reveals about sneaky spending and money leaks
- [05:02] How weekly check-ins reduce shame and financial surprises
- [07:35] Why frictionless spending makes fake math easier than ever
- [09:20] How asking “What do I want to choose this week?” restores choice
- [11:55] Why preparation almost always leads to spending less without restriction
- [14:40] How looking 30 to 90 days ahead prevents future money from being overspent
- [17:10] Why clarity, not willpower, builds trust with yourself around money
Tune into this episode of Money Files to learn how three simple weekly questions can help you stop fake math, reduce stress, and build a steadier relationship with your money.
Are you ready to stop reacting to your money and start building a system that actually works? Apply to work with me, and let’s start creating clarity together.
If you loved this weekly money check-in approach, check out Episode 143: Stop, Think, Spend: Implementing a Money Pause for Better Financial Decisions.
Transcript for “3 Simple Questions That Will Help You Stay In Control Of Your Money Each Week”
Intro: Hi, and welcome to Money Files. I’m Keina Newell from Wealth Over Now. I work everyday with professional women and solopreneurs to help them get out of financial overwhelm and shame so they can experience more flexibility and ease with their finances. Are you ready to gain confidence and learn to manage your finances intentionally? Tune in and grab financial tips that will help you master the way you think about and manage your finances.
Keina: Hello friends. Welcome back to the Money Files. Today I want to teach you something simple but really powerful. Something that in my experience changes how people experience their money week to week. We’re not talking about a perfect budget, we’re not talking about tracking every dollar or being rigid or restrictive. What I want to give you is a way of thinking about your money every single week that helps you feel more grounded, less surprised, and even much more in control. But before I dive in, I also want to let you know that I’m hosting a webinar, a free webinar on Wednesday, January 28th at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. It’s how to budget for the last time and the system that finally sticks.
In that training I’m going to walk you through the exact system I teach my clients and the way that I help people move from feeling chaotic and reactive with their money to helping them actually find a system that works. If what I teach today resonates, you’re going to love that webinar because it shows you how this kind of weekly thinking fits into a full simple money system. I’ll put the link in the show notes. So please sign up, invite a friend because I want 2026 to be the year that you finally stop trying to budget. And I want this to be the last budget that you actually make. So here’s what I see with many high earners. You’re actually very good at managing money in a paycheck cycle. You know what bills are due, you know what feels tight, you know how to get through the month. But the thing that keeps people stressed, anxious, or doing fake math is that they’re only looking at money reactively. Only when something feels urgent or when a bill is due or when the account looks lower than expected.
So today I want to teach you three questions that help you look at your money in three different timeframes every week. It takes about five minutes. You don’t need a fancy spreadsheet and it just requires you to actually slow down and look. So every week I want you to ask yourself three money questions. The first is, what did I actually do? So that’s you taking the time to actually look back. The second question is, what do I want to choose this week? That question is going to help you look at what’s happening right now. And then the third question is, what does future me need? And that question is going to help you look ahead. These aren’t numbers you’re calculating, but they’re lenses that you’re using to view your money. And all of these questions will help you move out of fake math and into a much clearer steadier relationship with your money.
So let’s look at the first question. What did I actually do? Once a week, I want you to open up your bank account and your credit card and look at the last seven days. The goal here is not to judge yourself. It’s not to prove anything good or bad. It’s simply to align with what you think you did and what you actually did. I often describe this looking in the rear view mirror because you’re looking behind you. You’re asking yourself things like, where did my money go? What money came in? What am I noticing? What surprised me? What did I forget? And I do this with my clients all the time. When we’re on a coaching call, like this is the process that we’re actually going through. I was in a client call just the other week and I was reviewing with my client, we were having a money date, reconciling his budget and as we were looking through his last purchases, we saw charges for Xbox and Acorns.
And the month before he had told me, Keina like I cancelled those. So here were the charges in his account again. And what’s really important is that we caught these because these are the types of money leaks that are draining your account. You think you cancelled something, you forgot that you started a free trial or subscription. And when we’re actually looking at our money and looking at what happened, looking in this rear view, we can see what things are slipping through the cracks. Are there any sneaky subscriptions? And oftentimes we don’t look at our money on a weekly basis. We might look at it on a monthly basis, but by the time you look at your money 30 days out, there’s probably a feeling of shame associated with it because maybe you didn’t follow your budget like you wanted to follow your budget or your credit card’s higher than you thought you wanted your credit card to be or that you thought your credit card would be.
So taking the time to look at your money in these seven day periods are going to help you catch those sneaky things that are draining your account. Looking back each week closes the gap between what we assume is happening with our money and what’s actually happening. This is especially important right now because spending has become so frictionless. We have Apple Pay, you have your Google Wallet, you have Klarna, you have PayPal. Your credit cards are automatically linked on your computer. And so your card is attached to so many things that money can move without you really feeling it. And I even know this for myself. I use Apple Wallet and I can just tap to pay and keep moving. And before I know it, I might look up and I’ve spent $500 in a week and the $500 isn’t the problem. What matters is understanding what it went toward and whether it matches what I actually wanted.
So I literally this month just kind of had this experience where I was like, hold up. Like who has been in my account? And so it’s just very important to realize, even me, the person that’s telling you to do this, I can be blindsided by my own spending, but if I’m looking at my accounts on a weekly basis, I can have some curiosity about like, what was going on? How was I feeling last week? I’m not judging myself because the amount was higher than I thought it should be but this is a decision point that I get to have each week. Do I want to continue spending in the way that I’m spending or do I want to shift the way that I’ve been spending? So looking back weekly helps you avoid that where did my money go feeling that often you find, like I said, 30 days later. You might feel it still for seven days in be like, ooh, what happened? But if you can catch it in seven days versus in 30 days, imagine how much more money you get to keep because you’re aware of what’s happening with your money.
So looking at your money every seven days in this way is going to help you stay connected with your money in real time. The second question is, what do I want to choose this week? This is where you look at the next 7 to 14 days. Basically what’s coming up before your next paycheck? You’re not creating a perfect plan. You’re simply getting a line of sight on what’s actually coming up in your life. Maybe your girlfriends are coming into town this weekend and you know you’ll be eating out more than usual. That’s not an immediate, oh my goodness, I can’t afford that. That’s not what we’re talking about here. It means that you can decide to be intentional about how you want to spend before your girlfriends come into town. So maybe during the week you might decide to cook more at home. Maybe you pack your lunch, maybe you skip a few DoorDash nights, not because you’re punishing yourself, but you’re choosing the weekend because that’s what matters.
You might even decide, I don’t need to buy as many groceries as I would normally buy because my girlfriends are coming and I know we’re going to be eating out breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So I call this like, you don’t have to do this dual spending. You’re not spending money at the grocery store and spending money eating out. And then you realize, dang, I just wasted another bag of spinach this week. So it’s just paying attention to that. Similarly, maybe you’re traveling in 10 days and when you notice, oh, okay, I have travel and my plans in the next 10 days, you might decide to limit some of your impulsive spending on Amazon or those one-off store trips where you end up with a $200 bill and you have no idea what you bought, but you might consciously decide to prioritize the trip.
Once again, not from a can I afford this place, but I can use and redirect the money that I would usually spend on Amazon this week. And I want to actually use it for my trip. I think Valentine’s Day, because that’s the holiday that I’m thinking of as I’m recording this episode, that might be another example of something that feels like it’s coming up in the next 7 to 14 days. And so if you are a parent and you’re thinking like, oh, okay, the kids are going to have a Valentine’s Day party at school, and so I know my money is going to move differently this week because I need to buy candy, I got to buy cards, I got to buy treats for the kids. And so you can factor that into how you spend this week instead of feeling surprised later. Or maybe the kids have a school event coming up and you’ll be buying supplies or things on Amazon so you can plan around that instead of reacting in the moment.
This middle step is really about giving yourself choice, this second question. When you look ahead just a week or two, you are no longer at the mercy of just whatever pops up. You’re going to make small, thoughtful decisions that keep you aligned with what matters to you. And one of the things I see again and again with clients and myself is that preparation actually changes how we spend. When we are prepared, we almost always spend less money, even though we don’t usually think about it in that way. But I want to just think about a birthday gift. If you forget your friend’s birthday and you realize last minute, what usually happens? I hope you answered this correctly, you rush out, you might feel guilty and you overcompensate. You buy more than you would have if you had a planned ahead. Not because like your friend needs all that, but you’re trying to make up for the fact that you weren’t prepared. And instead of buying something thoughtful, you grab a bunch of little things you’re not even sure they really want. And you’re not spending from intention, you’re spending from urgency and out of emotion.
But when you thought about birthdays in advance, it’s different. You have space, you can listen to your friend over time. You notice what they like, and you choose something meaningful. You’re not rushed and you’re not trying to prove anything with your money. And this isn’t just about friendships, it shows up in romantic relationships. It shows up with our kids and even with ourselves, preparation gives you breathing room. It lets you slow down before money leaves your account. And that space is where better decisions happen. I was talking to a friend this month and we were talking about Valentine’s Day for her kids. She and her husband don’t want to bring more clutter into their house, but she also really loves doing something special on Valentine’s Day morning. And that usually includes buying them little like gift bags. So that’s why I’m mentioning the clutter.
So we talked about what that could look like without just buying more stuff. Her kids actually love experiences. They love nature walks. They like time together, they like their family traditions. And when they talk about, the kids actually talk about their favorite memories, they’re not talking about toys, they’re talking about the moments that they’ve shared as a family together or with their mom or with their dad. And so that conversation helped her realize she could still honor what Valentine’s Day means to her without spending a lot of money or filling the house with clutter. Like this is the deeper work underneath budgeting. Sometimes we use money as validation, we spend because we want to create a certain feeling for ourselves or for someone else. When we slow down, look ahead and stay in relationship with our money, we get to interrupt those patterns. We actually have choice. That’s really why we budget, not to restrict ourselves, but so we can spend more consciously in a way that matches how we actually want to feel.
And the third and final question is, what does future me need? Here you’re looking 30 to 90 days out, taking five minutes to scan your calendar and think about what’s coming down the road. Maybe you have estimated taxes due, maybe you even have a tax prep bill you need to pay. Spring cleanup for your home. What birthdays are coming up? What trips are coming up? Do you have dental work? Are there vet visits? Are there kids camps? Do you have sorority or jack and deal dues? Maybe there’s holidays, like Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Most people only think about their money in paycheck cycle, what’s due before the next check. But when you only look that short, it’s easy to treat leftover money as extra. And that’s where the fake mask sneaks in. You start mentally assigning future money like a tax refund or a bonus to cover things you want to buy today.
And then before you know it, you spent that future money 3, 4, 5 times in your head. But looking 30 to 90 days out can help you avoid that in terms of assigning future money, but also the money that’s left over after you pay your bills. So for example, let’s say if you’ve done this exercise and you’re like, oh, okay, Keina’s on to something, right? In April or in May, I know that we always have to do lawn service and there’s a spring cleanup and it costs us $1,200. Well, if you already know that and you thought about it because you’re looking out and not just looking at what’s happening within your paycheck cycles, if you start thinking about this in January, you can set aside $300 a month. So it feels easy when that bill comes and you’re not scrambling to find $1,200 in the month of April while you’re also having to pay for the kids’ summer camps or while you’re also having to pay for trip deposits because it’s when those things meet in your financial life that you feel like, oh my goodness, I have no money.
And that’s when your credit card becomes a backup because you’re not actually looking ahead and thinking about the money in my account, how does it need to serve future versions of me? And getting into a head space where you start to plan ahead. And the goal isn’t to restrict yourself, but it’s to be in a space where you are leaving margin in your life for future versions of yourself so that future version isn’t stressed out. Your budget is going to become less about a list of bills and more about creating a plan that supports your actual life. So when you ask these three questions every week, something really important shifts, you’re going to stop being blindsided by your money. You’re going to stop feeling ashamed or behind, and you’re going to start feeling more steady and grounded. You are not going to be reacting to whatever shows up in your bank account because you’ll be developing a relationship with your money.
You’re noticing patterns, you’re making more thoughtful choices, and you’re taking care of future you at the same time. That’s why when I say budgeting can be therapeutic, it truly can. It’s not about restriction, it’s about clarity, it’s about alignment, and it’s about creating financial trust with yourself. So this week, here’s your invitation. Take five minutes and ask yourself, what did I actually do so you can look back, what do I want to choose this week? So you can look at what’s happening right now. And what does future me need so you can look ahead? That’s the only thing I want you to do. And if this way of thinking about your money felt useful and you really want to change your relationship with money this year, the thought of budgeting for the last time just sounds like, oh my goodness Keina, if you could do that for me, that would be life changing.
Sign up for my free webinar, my free training, how to budget for the last time, the system that finally sticks. It’s going to be on Wednesday, January 28th at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. And I’m going to show you how to take ideas like looking back, looking now and looking ahead and actually building that into a simple system that you can use every single payday. My goal in that training is for you to leave feeling clearer, less overwhelmed, and more confident that you can create a system that works for you in your life, not just in theory. But in a year from now I want you to have the best financial life that you could have dreamed of. I want 2026 to be the year that you feel like, oh my goodness, my trips were planned for, my Christmas was planned for. Like, yes, there were expenses that popped up that I didn’t plan for, but I was able to cover them all without feeling like I was going backwards.
And that’s the experience I want you to have. And the reason that I’m talking about next year like being the future version of you is because when you start this process now of working with me, like we get to go through all the fun parts of this year, we get to plan for the summer together, we get to prepare for the holidays together, and we literally have a year to the entire year to think about what are the things that are going to come up for you. And we get to even put these three questions into motion so we can plan ahead so that you are prepared for all of the things that are going to be happening in 2026. So go to the show notes and register for my webinar, and if you know someone else who needs this, forward them the link too. I would love for them to also join the training. And until next time, I will talk to you later.
Outro: Thank you so much for listening to Money Files. If you’re ready to take the next step to reach your financial goals, head to www.wealthovernow.com/appointment and let’s get started.
