Alright folks, sitting down with my coffee this morning to share how I put this Timothy Francis money thing to the test. Been feeling the pinch lately, everyone knows wages ain’t keeping up, right? Figured it was time for a shakeup. Heard whispers online about this “guide”, some quick steps to get finances less… terrible. Skeptical? Yeah, totally. But hey, free to read, so what’s the harm?
Starting Simple (Like, Baby Steps Simple)
First thing Francis bangs on about: Know Your Money In & Out. Sounds stupidly obvious. But honestly? I was winging it. Knew the big bills, kinda knew the paycheck amount… maybe. So, grabbed a cheap notebook – literally the one my kid uses for doodling.
Sat my butt down for a whole evening. Dug out every bank statement, credit card bill, even those annoying app subscriptions sneaking out every month. Started listing:
- Phone Bill (ouch, that was more than I remembered)
- Groceries (how did that jump so much?!)
- That music app I haven’t used in months (canceled that SO fast)
- Gas
- Takeout… way too much takeout.
Reality check: Seeing it all written down? Brutal. My money was leaking everywhere, like a sieve. Francis calls this “Cash Flow”. Fancy term for “stop bleeding money, dummy”.
The Slash & Burn Phase (Well, Mostly Slash)
Step two he pushes hard: Cut the Fat. Based on my fancy new list, I started hunting like a hawk.
- First target: Food Costs. Decided to actually plan meals for the week. Sounds painful? Yeah, took an hour Sunday. But guess what? Went shopping with a strict list, avoided the snack aisles like the plague. Spent way less, probably ate healthier too.
- Killed more subscriptions. Found two more useless apps draining cash. Gone. Felt good hitting cancel.
- Looked hard at utilities. Flicked lights off obsessively. Ditched the ancient space heater chewing electricity. Annoying? A bit. Saving cash? Yep.
Goal wasn’t misery, just stopping the stupid spending I didn’t even notice. Found almost £70 (like $85ish?) per month! Lunch money!
Making the Saved Cash Work (Sort Of)
Francis said next: Build a Tiny Safety Net. Yeah, emergency funds sound huge and impossible. His tip? Start ridiculously small.
Separated one chunk – about £50 ($60) – from my next paycheck. Didn’t touch it. Didn’t move mountains. Just moved it out of my main spending account into a separate jar, basically (well, a separate online pot my bank offers for free).
The idea? Next time the car wheezes or the fridge dies, instead of slapping it on plastic and crying about interest, I might have a bit stashed to soften the blow. Baby steps. Seeing that little pot tick over to £100 felt surprisingly solid.
What Changed? Not Magic, Just Less Stupid.
Been doing this simple stuff – tracking, cutting dumb costs, stashing tiny bits – for about 6 weeks now. Got fancy? Nope. Solved all my problems? Heck no!
BUT…
- Feeling less stressed paycheck to paycheck. Knowing where it goes helps, weirdly.
- That £70 monthly saving? Not life-changing, but it means I can breathe if an unexpected small bill hits.
- Stopped auto-piloting my spending. Actually think now: “Do I really need this right now?”
Was the Timothy Francis thing revolutionary? Nah. Just practical, basic stuff I’d gotten lazy about. He cuts through the jargon. It’s not about getting rich quick. It’s about stopping the leaks and building tiny islands of sanity in your finances. Takes vigilance. Takes repetition. But honestly? Starting small beats doing nothing. This isn’t complicated rocket science, just putting some basic effort in where I wasn’t before.
