Budgeting is the most depressing thing you can do with your money. I’m serious, I hate it.
I’ve tried sticking to one since college and I don’t think I’ve finished a single month ever.
There’s something about trying to categorize your entire existence and forcing your evolving life into neat little boxes on a spreadsheet that feels…suffocating.
Plus, I’m bad at math. This whole time I thought I was financially irresponsible when in reality, I was just out of alignment.
If you keep downloading budget trackers to get your finances together but you’re still not seeing progress, it’s time to tell yourself the truth.
You’re not actually looking to cut back.
You’re looking for the safety and stability to make more.
Before you call me crazy, ask yourself:
Does the universe live on a budget? Or does it create and live off abundance?
Don’t worry, I’ll wait…
But don’t get it twisted! Not budgeting doesn’t mean I don’t live below my means. I do. And that’s the shift in systems thinking I want to talk about.
Because for many of us, budgeting doesn’t work. Conscious financial design does.
There’s a difference between forcing yourself into a “logical” structure and creating a personalized system that reflects your values, energy, and lifestyle.
Living below your means, without restricting your creativity and imagination is how you build power, freedom, and wealth. And it starts with dropping the guilt.
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Why Budgeting Doesn’t Work
If you’ve tried every budgeting app, envelope system, and color-coded spreadsheet out there, and still don’t know why budgeting doesn’t work for you, you’re not alone.
Most budgeting advice was written by and for people with a very different energy than yours.
Here’s why budgeting doesn’t work, especially if you’re aligned with feminine energy:
- It’s restrictive, not intuitive. Traditional budgeting says, “Don’t spend here, limit that,” rather than tuning into your actual needs and cycles of abundance.
- It ignores creative flow. Maybe you want to launch a brand, redecorate your space, or invest in a new style for your wardrobe. Budgets don’t make room for spontaneous creativity.
- It enforces shame. Overspending is treated like a failure instead of a signal that something deeper needs attention, like emotional needs, lifestyle misalignment, or a scarcity wound.
So what do you do?
You design your finances like you’d design the perfect wardrobe: with intention, flexibility, and space to evolve.
A New Framework: Spend Consciously, Save Strategically, Grow Intuitively
Forget budgeting. Here’s what I do instead. And what I recommend if you want to build wealth.
Track Without Judgment
My favorite financial app to use is Empower formerly known as Personal Capital. I track my net worth, cash flow, investment portfolio, and more.
There is also a budgeting option with categories that I love to track my expenses. But I don’t track to restrict. I track to become conscious and aware of my spending patterns for deeper introspection.
Money is energy. If you don’t know where it’s going, how can you direct it with purpose?
Use AI here:
- Use ChatGPT to analyze your spending categories: Ask it questions like, “What spending patterns do you notice in my last 3 months of transactions?”
- Use AI-enabled apps to forecast your cash flow and identify lifestyle inflation creep aka the sneaky ways your expenses expand when your income does.
Build Your Emergency Fund First
Before anything else, before investing, before luxury, before even paying down all your debt, you should build your emergency fund.
Why? Because security is a luxury and gives you the freedom of creativity. Here’s where to start:
- Aim for 3 to 6 months of expenses in a high-yield savings account.
- Automate weekly transfers, even if it’s just $25.
- Label the account something empowering like “Financial Sanctuary” or “Safety and Power Fund.”
You can’t create freely if your nervous system is fried. This fund is the security you build your life on.
Create a “Nest Egg” You Can Pull From Without Shame
This is your “I’m trusting the Universe but I’m also not dumb” fund. I know what my average monthly expenses are and I usually fall below. When I live minimally on the day-to-day, then I never feel guilty splurging for those random things we call life.
It’s different from your emergency fund. It’s for pretty much anything. I’ve used it for several different things including:
- Taking off a year from work to re-group and transition careers
- Creative business projects – like this blog
- Moving cross-country from Minnesota to Florida
- Saying yes to once-in-a-lifetime vacations
Treat this fund like a sacred well, not a piggy bank.
I was able to build my best egg by living off half of my paycheck. Every time I get paid, I transfer $1000 to an external savings account.
That might seem extreme but it’s psychology.
Because although I may have to dip back into my savings if I fall short on a bill somewhere, if I don’t, that $1000 or even $500 is out of sight, out of mind, in my savings.
Doing this allowed me to build up to 5 figures in savings, without working hard or cutting back my lifestyle.
To get started:
- Contribute a percentage of your windfalls here: bonuses, tax returns, or unexpected income.
- Let this money exist without needing to use it immediately. That’s wealth.
Design a Cash Flow Ritual, Not a Budget
Here’s what my “money ritual” looks like (usually on Sundays, with candles, coffee, and good music):
- I review my accounts in a tracking app or bank dashboard.
- I ask myself:
- What felt good to spend on this week?
- Where did I feel out of alignment?
- What do I need to feel more secure next month?
- I move money accordingly, like rearranging flowers in a vase.
- I visualize what wealth looks like for the next version of me.
One month I can be way under my average expenses but other months I go way over. For example, as a homeowner, unexpected home improvement and maintenance costs can happen quickly.
Living in Florida, I was way overdue for new gutters next month which easily start at 2K. But I was able to pay for this with no stress and anxiety due to a healthy everyday nest egg.
I can track this to keep an idea of my total home expenses for the year.
This practice replaces budgeting. Because it reconnects me to my vision and keeps me in a relationship with my money.
Other Conscious Money Moves That Work
If you’re ready to grow wealth without budgeting like a corporate accountant, try these:
Automate your money:
- Auto-transfer to savings: Even $50/week becomes $2,600/year.
- Auto-invest with robo-advisors: Wealthfront, Ellevest, or Betterment are great feminine-friendly options.
Adopt an 80/10/10 approach:
- 80% for lifestyle
- 10% for long-term savings/investments
- 10% for magic for this can be giving, spiritual work, or future-you splurges
Use AI as your money muse:
- Ask ChatGPT to help you:
- Create multiple income streams ideas based on your skills and interests
- Draft a business plan
- Brainstorm ways to monetize your lifestyle or content
- Analyze your routines and habits and suggest upgrades
- Craft emails or DMs for negotiating bills or canceling services
This Post Has Shown You Why Budgeting Doesn’t Work With Feminine Energy
Most financial systems weren’t built with your vision in mind. You don’t need more discipline. You need more alignment. Intentional design. Room for expansion. Systems that honor your intuition.
So no, I don’t budget. I observe patterns and trust myself.
And if you’re reading this, I know deep down clipping coupons doesn’t give you joy, even if it is practical. If you want freedom, flexibility, and your version of luxury, then guess what?
You’re allowed to have it.
Let’s stop budgeting and start building!
