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Tracking Your Spending

You can't improve what you don't measure. Let's get clarity on where your money actually goes.

Why Track Spending?​

Most people have no idea where their money goes. They make decent money but feel broke. The culprit? Small, invisible spending that adds up.

Common surprises:

  • "I spend HOW much on food?"
  • "Wait, I have 6 subscriptions?"
  • "We spent $400 on Amazon last month?"

Tracking removes the mystery.

How Ant Finance Helps​

Automatic Categorization​

Every transaction is automatically sorted into categories:

  • 🍔 Food & Drink
  • 🛒 Shopping
  • 🚗 Transportation
  • 🎬 Entertainment
  • 🏠 Bills & Utilities
  • And more...

No manual entry needed.

Spending Breakdown​

See a visual breakdown:

  • By category — Where's most money going?
  • By merchant — Your top spending spots
  • Over time — This month vs. last month

Find any transaction across all accounts:

  • Search by name
  • Filter by category
  • Filter by date range
  • Filter by amount

Reading Your Spending​

The Big Buckets​

Most spending falls into:

  1. Housing — Rent/mortgage, usually 25-35% of income
  2. Transportation — Car, gas, transit, usually 10-15%
  3. Food — Groceries and dining, usually 10-15%
  4. Everything else — Varies wildly

Warning Signs​

  • Any category over 30% (except housing)
  • Dining out more than groceries
  • Subscriptions you forgot about
  • "Shopping" dominating your budget

Fixing Categories​

Sometimes auto-categorization gets it wrong. No worries:

  1. Click the transaction
  2. Select the correct category
  3. Future similar transactions learn from this

Making Changes​

The Coffee Test​

"Just skip your daily coffee!" is tired advice. But tracking reveals the real opportunities:

  • Maybe it's not coffee — it's DoorDash
  • Maybe it's not DoorDash — it's random Amazon purchases
  • Maybe it's not Amazon — it's bar tabs

Tracking shows YOUR actual money leaks, not generic advice.

The 24-Hour Rule​

Before non-essential purchases over $50:

  1. Add it to a wishlist
  2. Wait 24 hours
  3. Still want it? Buy it
  4. Often, you'll forget or change your mind

The Subscription Audit​

Once a month:

  1. Review all recurring charges
  2. Cancel anything you haven't used in 60 days
  3. Consider cheaper alternatives

Using AI Insights​

Our AI watches your spending and alerts you:

  • "Unusual spending this week"
  • "Subscription you haven't used"
  • "Category trending up"

Act on these insights to catch problems early.

Don't Overdo It​

Obsessing Isn't Healthy

Tracking every penny can become stressful. The goal is awareness, not anxiety. Check in weekly, not hourly.

Tips​

Pick One Thing

Don't try to cut everything at once. Pick one category that surprises you and focus on reducing it by 20%.

Use the Trends

Month-over-month comparison is more useful than daily tracking. Are you improving over time?

Budget After Tracking

Track spending for 2-3 months BEFORE making a budget. Real data beats guesses.

What's Next?​

Now that you understand your spending, it's time to set some goals.

Set Your Goals →