Master Your Money Through Smart Expense Categories

Stop wondering where your money goes each month. Learn the professional approach to expense tracking that transforms financial chaos into clear, actionable insights you can actually use.

View Winter 2025 Courses
Professional reviewing financial documents and expense categories on desk with calculator and charts

Why Proper Categories Matter More Than You Think

Most people track expenses wrong. They create random categories that don't reflect how money actually flows in their lives. We teach the framework that accountants use — but in language that makes sense for real people.

Essential Categories Foundation

Learn the core 12 expense categories that work for 90% of people. We'll show you how to set these up correctly from day one, including the tricky ones like "miscellaneous" that most people get wrong. You'll leave knowing exactly which expenses go where.

Business & Personal Separation

Running a side business or freelancing? The rules change completely. Discover how to maintain clean boundaries between personal and business expenses, plus the specific categories that can save you money at tax time. Real examples included.

Advanced Tracking Systems

Ready to go deeper? We cover seasonal categories, investment tracking, and how to handle irregular expenses like car maintenance or holidays. Plus, learn when to split categories and when to keep them combined for better insights.

Students collaborating on financial planning exercises in modern classroom setting
Group discussion about expense tracking methods with worksheets and laptops

Learn With Others Who Get It

Financial education works better when you're not doing it alone. Our classes bring together people at similar stages who face the same real-world money challenges you do.

You'll work through actual expense examples, not theoretical scenarios. When someone shares how they categorize their home office expenses or handles shared household costs, everyone benefits from those practical insights.

  • Small group sessions with real case studies from participants
  • Practice exercises using your own expense data (anonymized)
  • Ongoing support through our alumni community platform
  • Regular check-ins to keep your system working long-term

Start Seeing Results This Week

These aren't life-changing secrets — they're simple adjustments that make tracking expenses actually useful instead of just busywork.

1

The Three-Bucket Rule

Start with just three categories: Fixed (rent, insurance), Variable (groceries, fuel), and Fun (entertainment, hobbies). You can always add more detail later, but this gives you immediate clarity on where your money flows.

2

Set Category Limits

Instead of endless subcategories, cap yourself at 15 total categories. When you want to add a new one, ask: "Will tracking this separately change my behavior?" If not, put it in an existing category.

3

Weekly Review Habit

Spend 10 minutes every Sunday reviewing the week's expenses. Look for patterns, not perfection. This weekly check prevents the end-of-month scramble and helps you catch mistakes while they're fresh.

4

Handle Shared Expenses

Create one category called "Shared/Reimbursable" for expenses you split with others. Track who owes what separately. This keeps your personal spending categories clean while ensuring you get paid back.

5

Use the 80/20 Rule

Focus your detailed tracking on the 20% of categories that make up 80% of your spending. For most people, that's housing, transport, food, and one personal category. Keep everything else simple.

6

Plan for Irregular Costs

Set aside money monthly for quarterly or annual expenses like insurance premiums, car registration, or holiday gifts. Track these in a separate "Future Expenses" category so they don't wreck your monthly budgets.

Financial advisor explaining expense categorization concepts with charts and documents

Ready to Make Sense of Your Money?

Our next expense categorization workshop starts in March 2025. Small groups, practical focus, real results you can implement immediately.

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Financial education instructor Marcus Kendrick

Marcus Kendrick

Lead Instructor

Financial planning specialist Elena Thornfield

Elena Thornfield

Workshop Coordinator