11 Money Saving Habits That Help You Stop Feeling Behind
Feeling financially behind is frequently measured against a generic milestone that was never actually built around your own, specific life — a number that assumes an income, a starting point, and a timeline that may genuinely have nothing to do with your actual situation.
The eleven habits below replace that generic comparison with your own, specific numbers. Each one measures progress against your own actual trajectory, not an outside benchmark that was never genuinely built for you.
Build the Foundation Behind Measuring Your Own, Actual Progress
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Get the Free Workbook1. Calculate your own actual savings rate as a specific percentage of your own actual income, rather than comparing raw dollar amounts to someone else’s.
A raw dollar amount, compared directly against someone else’s raw dollar amount, ignores the genuine, underlying difference in income that makes the comparison itself misleading. Calculating your own actual savings rate as a specific percentage of your own income provides a genuinely fair, comparable measure built around your own actual numbers.
Calculate your own actual savings rate as a specific percentage of your own income this week, rather than comparing raw amounts.
2. Set your own specific savings milestone based on your own actual starting point, rather than a generic, age-based benchmark built for someone else.
A generic, age-based savings benchmark assumes a starting point, income history, and set of circumstances that may genuinely bear no resemblance to your own actual life. Setting a specific milestone based on your own actual starting point provides a genuinely relevant target, rather than measuring against a benchmark never built for your situation.
Set your own specific savings milestone this month, based on your own actual starting point, not a generic benchmark.
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Visit Premier Print Works3. Track your own savings trajectory over the past year specifically, using your own actual numbers as the only genuine comparison point.
Progress, measured only against an external, generic benchmark, overlooks the real, genuine comparison that actually matters — your own numbers from a year ago compared against your own numbers now. Tracking this specific, internal trajectory directly reveals whether you are genuinely moving forward, regardless of where anyone else currently stands.
Track your own savings trajectory over the past year this month, using your own numbers as the only comparison that matters.
“Feeling financially behind is frequently measured against a generic milestone that was never actually built around your own, specific life.”
Get Clear on What Genuinely Counts as Progress for You
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Start the Free Reset4. Unfollow or mute specific financial content that consistently triggers comparison, protecting your own perspective from an unhelpful, outside benchmark.
Specific financial content, consistently triggering a genuine sense of comparison and falling behind, actively works against a person’s own accurate sense of their own actual progress. Unfollowing or muting this specific content directly protects your own perspective from an outside benchmark that is not genuinely serving you.
Unfollow or mute one specific source of financial comparison this week, protecting your own perspective.
5. Write down one specific, genuine financial accomplishment from the past year, countering the feeling of being behind with real, concrete evidence.
The feeling of being financially behind, considered in the abstract, overlooks real, specific accomplishments genuinely achieved over the past year, evidence that writing them down directly surfaces and makes concrete. This specific habit counters an abstract feeling with real, factual evidence of actual, achieved progress.
Write down one specific, genuine financial accomplishment from the past year today, countering the feeling of being behind.
6. Calculate what your own actual numbers will genuinely look like in five years at your own current rate, rather than only judging today’s snapshot.
A single, present-moment financial snapshot, judged in isolation, can feel considerably more discouraging than the same numbers projected forward at your own current, actual rate of progress. Calculating this specific, future projection reveals genuine momentum a single, current snapshot does not show on its own.
Calculate what your own numbers will genuinely look like in five years at your current rate, this month.
7. Name one specific, genuine circumstance in your own financial history that a generic benchmark does not actually account for.
A generic financial benchmark assumes a uniform, standard starting point that overlooks specific, genuine circumstances — a late start, a financial setback, a different career path — that a person’s own actual history genuinely includes. Naming this specific circumstance directly explains why comparison to that generic benchmark was never genuinely fair.
Name one specific, genuine circumstance in your own financial history that a generic benchmark does not actually account for.
8. Set your own next savings goal based on a genuine percentage increase over your own current rate, rather than an arbitrary, external target.
An arbitrary, external savings target, disconnected from your own actual current rate, can feel genuinely unattainable or irrelevant, while a specific percentage increase calculated directly from your own current rate provides a genuinely achievable, relevant next step. This specific habit builds each new goal directly from your own actual progress.
Set your own next savings goal this month as a specific percentage increase over your own current rate.
9. Review your own actual progress at a specific, recurring time each quarter, rather than checking impulsively whenever comparison anxiety arises.
Financial progress, checked impulsively whenever comparison anxiety happens to arise, tends to be reviewed during exactly the moments a person is least likely to see it clearly and fairly. Reviewing at a specific, calm, recurring time each quarter instead protects the review from being triggered by anxiety alone.
Set a specific, recurring time each quarter to review your own actual progress, rather than checking impulsively.
10. Define what “on track” genuinely means for your own specific life, writing an actual definition rather than relying on a vague, borrowed one.
“On track,” left as a vague, borrowed concept never actually defined for your own specific life, remains genuinely impossible to accurately measure against. Writing an actual, specific definition of what on track genuinely means for your own circumstances gives this concept real, usable meaning going forward.
Write your own specific definition of “on track” this week, replacing a vague, borrowed version.
11. Revisit your own definition of progress periodically, since what genuinely counts as on track for you can shift as your own life circumstances change.
A specific definition of financial progress, genuinely accurate for your own life at one point, can require adjustment as your own circumstances genuinely change over time, which means periodically revisiting this definition keeps it genuinely aligned with your actual, current situation. This specific, periodic review protects against measuring yourself against an outdated version of your own standard.
Revisit your own definition of progress this year, and adjust it to reflect your genuinely current circumstances.
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Kezia had always measured her own financial progress against a generic, age-based benchmark she had seen referenced repeatedly online, a comparison that had left her feeling genuinely behind for years despite real, actual progress of her own. Calculating her own specific savings rate as a percentage of her own income for the first time, revealed a considerably more accurate, fair picture of her actual progress than the generic benchmark had ever provided. She said the generic benchmark had never actually felt unfair to her at the time. Compared against her own real numbers, though, how unfair it had actually been became clear.
Daniel had always checked his own financial progress impulsively, whenever comparison anxiety happened to arise from something he had seen online, a pattern that consistently colored his review with anxiety rather than clarity. Setting a specific, calm, recurring quarterly review instead, for the first time, revealed a considerably clearer, fairer picture of his own actual progress than his anxious, impulsive checks had ever produced. He said his impulsive checks had never actually felt like the problem to him. Compared against a calm, scheduled review, though, how much clearer his own actual picture became was clear.
Your Own Numbers Are the Only Fair Comparison
Each habit in this article measures progress against your own actual numbers — the calculated savings rate, the tracked yearly trajectory, the specific circumstance a generic benchmark never accounted for. None of these rely on an outside, generic milestone that was never genuinely built for your life.
Choose two or three habits that address where comparison currently feels strongest for you, and build them in this month. Download the free Money Reset Workbook to give this progress a clear, simple structure to measure. Feeling financially behind is frequently measured against a generic milestone that was never actually built around your own, specific life.
Ready to Measure Your Own, Actual Progress?
The free Money Reset Workbook walks you through the same ideas in this article, step by step, with room to write down your own numbers.
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Fill Your Space With What Supports Your Own, Actual Progress
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Visit Premier Print WorksDisclaimer
The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, tax, insurance, legal, or estate planning advice, and should not be treated as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any product, security, or service. Please speak with a qualified professional who is licensed in your state before making decisions about saving, investing, or other financial matters. Results and experiences vary significantly from person to person.
The stories of Kezia and Daniel are illustrative composites created to bring the content to life. They are not real people. Any resemblance to a real person is purely coincidental.
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