Three years and three months ago, at the age of 33, I came to the realization I was in financial crisis after a lifetime of suffering my own super-spendy, anxious-avoidant, totally uninformed money tendencies. I read a couple of finance books to finally learn the basic rules and then spent a week shopping for budgeting apps to help me shape up.

With other apps and methods, I found I would still overdraw my bank account because the list formats weren’t clear enough for me to understand the timings of my obligations.

But after a few years of CalendarBudget, I’m now the kind of person who loves talking about money, learning about money, and making plans for my financial future. It’s still shocking to me, but I’m now the kind of person who opens ALL my accounts and my CalendarBudget at least once a day so I can make sure everything is on track… because I’m now the kind of person who does daily budgeting to relax!

The first thing I did was pay off 9k of credit card debt (on $20,000 net income) during a pandemic. Then I assembled my first-ever emergency fund and a passel of sinking funds that have allowed me to take on several emergencies without breaking momentum or going back into debt.

In February I exceeded a zero net worth for the first time in my adult life. In three weeks I’ll be able to pay off my car four years early. In seven months I’ll have a fully-funded emergency fund, in a year I project I’ll be able to do a European river cruise and pay off my student loans, and in 2024 my projection says I’ll be able to max out my new IRA for the first time ever.

I’m a CalendarBudget evangelist. It is the best, simplest, easiest app on the market and I tell everyone I know about it.