“The rule is simple: After I buy something, I log the transaction on my phone, recording the price and what I bought. The idea is to increase the pain of paying, especially with a credit card, by forcing myself to take note of what I’m spending.”
Credit cards make it easy to spend money so one of the best ways to combat that is to add a little bit of pain to the process.
The Atlantic suggests an easy way to lower your spending that involves recording each purchase when you make it (or even better, before you make it).
Doing so gives you more clarity on how you spend your money and can help you spend less overall.