A TikTok creator, Georgia May (@georgiamaythornley), who has an account called Blonde Ambition, is urging people to look more closely at the small spending habits that can slowly drain a bank account. She posted a video with the title "5 things I stopped doing when I realised I was the reason I had no money left". At the time of publication, the money advice video had 13,900 likes and just under 100 comments.
Instead of highlighting big purchases, May focused on the everyday choices she said had led to her running out of money. She said the first step was to look at her finances rather than avoid doing so.
May confessed that there had been months when she had avoided looking at her bank account because she was afraid of how much she had spent. Nowadays, though, she checks her balance, credit card debt and other financial information every day. She said checking her finances helps her identify her spending patterns and change them.
The second step is to save before spending. Rather than spending money throughout the month and saving what was left over, May now saves first and then spends the remainder. She also uses the Notes app on her phone as a simple budget tracker and has set up automatic savings and investments so the money is automatically transferred on the day she receives her salary.
The third habit she gave up was buying things because they were on sale. May said she used to buy items that she didn't especially like or need only because they were discounted by as much as 70 percent. But now she writes down the things she wants and then waits 48 hours before deciding whether to buy them. That break also allows her enough time to consider whether she can afford the purchase, whether it might put her into debt and whether she really needs it.
For her fourth change, May compared her lifestyle with that of people who had more money. She said that there will always be someone with a more expensive car, a bigger house or a different lifestyle and that it was not helpful to keep comparing herself to such people.
In the end, she said she had spent a lot of time scrolling on Instagram, seeing highly curated lifestyles. She also said that some videos (especially ones in which creators talk about how seemingly insignificant purchases pile up) could be relatable.
Some commenters described similar spending habits. One commenter said that making frequent purchases of only $5 or $10 could eventually leave them "penniless"; another said that convenience food had become a major expense since small purchases made several times a week could add up to hundreds of dollars a month.
Other commenters referred to installment-payment services, online shopping, coffee, beauty appointments, food deliveries and needing to order a higher amount to qualify for free shipping. They said it all adds up.
May's approach does not involve eliminating all discretionary spending. Instead, it focuses on becoming more aware of regular small expenses and setting up a system to decide which purchases are really worth making.
