The Annual Expense Audit That Finds $1,200
Most households carry $80-150/month of spend they forgot they agreed to. A one-hour audit with a checklist finds it. Here's the checklist.
Recurring charges first
Sort your card statement by recurring merchants. For each subscription, ask the kill question: ‘If I didn’t have this today, would I buy it today?’ A no means cancel—you can resubscribe in five minutes if the answer was wrong.
Insurance renewals deserve special attention. Loyalty is priced in, and it’s priced against you. Requote auto and renters policies every 12 months.
The silent leaks
Bank fees, card interest, delivery markups, and convenience-grocery premiums leak without a line item. Convenience spend alone often runs $150–300/month in dual-income households.
The audit isn’t about deprivation. It’s about ensuring every recurring charge still has a defender in the house.
Common questions
How often should I audit expenses?
Twice a year—minimum January and July—subscriptions multiply silently.
Best app for finding subscriptions?
Your bank’s transaction search plus a spreadsheet beats most subscription-scanner apps, which miss bank-transfer billing.