There’s an interesting thing that happens when awareness steps into the room. This is what happens when you track your spending.
We’ve all heard about self-awareness, environmental awareness, emotional awareness, even body awareness. But have you ever thought about developing a deep understanding of how your money actually works? That’s Financial Awareness.
Awareness reveals what we never knew existed.
Financially speaking, there are several levels of awareness everyone must go through. Let’s explore four of the most important ones that can change your money story.
1. Awareness of Your Financial Reality and Goals
This is where every transformation begins.
You first need to accept your current financial situation, no matter how good, bad, or confusing, then look ahead from a realistic POV. When you gain this clarity, you start recognizing habits that were previously hidden under hope and wishful thinking. The fog begins to lift, and suddenly, the future doesn’t look so distant anymore.
I created a tool to help you do this easily. It shows you your Freedom Date (the day you can become financially free) and how to reach it faster than you are now.
2. Awareness of Your Financial Season
In personal finance, seasons matter more than you think.
Understanding whether you’re in a season of planting (investing, learning, growing) or harvesting (enjoying the fruits of your effort) can help you make smarter decisions.
Many people fail financially not because they lack money, but because they don’t understand timing. They make investment moves in their planting season or spend recklessly when they should be building capital.
That’s why we often emphasize the importance of staying updated on financial and business news. Understanding the economic climate around you is key to making wise money choices.
3. Awareness of Your Earning Power
This is the point where potential meets practicality.
Your skills, knowledge, and creativity are assets, but are you aware of how much they’re truly worth? Knowing your earning power helps you spot opportunities to grow, negotiate better pay, and expand your income sources. This awareness eliminates self-doubt. You begin to believe, “I can earn more,” and start taking steps toward that raise, that funding, or that business you’ve been dreaming about.
4. Awareness of Your Money Habits
This is the heart of it all.
It reveals how the seemingly insignificant little habits have a great effect on our finances in the future.
Recently, in our FINTEL Warriors community, we asked a simple question:
Uncle David spends ₦2,000 daily on random stuff and says it’s nothing. That’s ₦60,000 monthly and ₦720,000 yearly.
What could that same money become if invested at 12% annually?
The answer was shocking, showing that those small, “harmless” expenses actually count.
Most People Never Track Their Spending
It’s easy to ignore your spending when you feel your income isn’t enough.
For middle to low-income earners earning between ₦100k – ₦500k, it may feel like, “This money isn’t even enough, so why track it?”
Some believe it will be easier to track their spending when they earn more.
It won’t.
If you can’t manage ₦100,000, you’ll struggle with ₦1,000,000. More money only compounds a habit; it doesn’t create a habit that wasn’t there.
This is not to make anyone feel judged; we have all been there, done that. But as Warriors that are fighting an average life and building lasting wealth, we have to move past that phase with better habits.
Benefits of Tracking Your Spending
- Turns goals into reality. Whether you’re saving for a car, a vacation, or a secure future, tracking your spending helps you create a plan. You can set money aside for your goal and actually see your progress, which makes it feel much more achievable.
- Opens your eyes to your habits. You might be surprised to see where your money actually goes. Those small, daily purchases add up quickly. Tracking shows you these patterns clearly, which is the essential first step to adjusting them if you want to.
- Puts a gentle brake on overspending. Just being aware of your spending naturally makes you more thoughtful about your purchases. This helps curb impulse buys and prevents you from spending more than you have, which is key to avoiding debt.
- Helps you build a safety net. Life is full of surprises, like a car repair or a medical bill. Tracking your spending makes it easier to consistently set money aside for an emergency fund. This means you can handle unexpected costs without relying on loans.
- Leads to smarter money choices. When you have a clear picture of your income and spending, you can make better decisions about bigger purchases or investments. You’re making choices based on your real financial situation, not just a guess.
- Gives you better control over your cash. Monitoring your expenses helps you ensure you always have enough to cover your needs. This simple practice can help you avoid the stress of running out of money before your next paycheck or facing costly bank fees.
Why We Started the “Track Your Expenses” Challenge
To help our community build this awareness, we launched the Track Your Expenses Challenge in the FINTEL Warriors group.
For eight weeks, participants record every naira they spend to identify patterns, spot leaks, and understand their financial behaviors.
The goal is simple: to help you take back control of your money.
You can track your spending by using an expense tracker app, a spreadsheet, or keeping a manual spending journal. I created a free downloadable resource you can use to track your daily expenses by manually inputting your expenses into a spreadsheet on your phone or computer.
If you want a mobile app that automates most of your tracking, I highly recommend the one our community members in the Expense Tracking Challenge™ find invaluable. You can join the community using the link below.
Join the FINTEL Warriors Challenge
You don’t have to do this alone. I encourage you to embrace a supportive community that empowers you to master the habit of tracking your personal finances like a pro. Join fellow Warriors who are actively tracking, learning, and growing together in the FINTEL Warriors Community.
Fight Oblivion
2026 is around the corner. Don’t cross into a new year still in the dark about your financial reality.
Let this be your season of awareness. Because when you know where your money goes, you gain the power to tell it where to go next.