Money List Expense Triage
Label spending B, UB, or C to diagnose whether to cut costs or earn more
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 100%
Money List Expense Triage begins with a complete monthly spending list, then classifies each line by controllability. A B is a bill owed to someone. A UB is a utility-like bill that moves with usage. Everything else is a C: a cash expense or choice. After labeling, compare total choice spending with total bills and utilities. If choices dominate, the person has a “spend too much” problem and should reduce C items line by line, starting with forgotten subscriptions or cheaper payment options. If bills and utilities dominate, further squeezing choices is the wrong lever; the person has a “don’t make enough” problem and should activate an earning skill or other income source. The framework makes budgeting a decision diagnosis rather than indiscriminate deprivation.
Origin
Aliche created the Money List worksheet for Made Whole to make budgeting less intimidating and to focus expense changes on the categories people can actually control.
Core principles
- 01Different expenses offer different degrees of control
- 02Diagnosis must precede cost cutting
- 03Cash choices are the first cuts only when choices dominate spending
- 04Fixed obligations dominating the budget signal an income problem
How to run it
- 1
Build the Money List
Write down everything you spend money on and its monthly cost.
Pro tip Convert annual subscriptions and irregular costs to monthly equivalents.
Watch out Omitted expenses will distort the diagnosis.
- 2
Mark Bills
Put B beside anything owed to a person or institution where nonpayment has a consequence.
- 3
Mark Usage Bills
Add U to bills that rise or fall with usage, creating the UB category.
Pro tip Utilities are bills but retain some controllability.
- 4
Mark Choices
Label everything remaining C for cash or choice.
Watch out Classify in B, UB, C order so obligations are not mistaken for choices.
- 5
Compare the Totals
Add B and UB spending, add C spending, and identify which side absorbs more money.
- 6
Choose the Correct Lever
If C is larger, reduce choices line by line; if B and UB are larger, seek additional income through your monetizable 'bank.'
Pro tip Check unused subscriptions and annual-plan discounts before sacrificing valued essentials.
Watch out Frugal people often keep cutting choices even when inadequate income is the root cause.
In the wild
A household lists every expense and discovers that rent, debt payments, and utilities consume far more than all optional spending. Removing one streaming subscription will not close the monthly deficit, so the earner activates a tutoring skill rather than continuing to strip small pleasures.
→ The response targets the income gap instead of misdiagnosing it as overspending.
Another person finds that C expenses dominate and audits them line by line. They cancel an unused subscription and convert a service they value from monthly to a discounted annual plan.
→ Choice spending falls without touching fixed obligations.
Common mistakes
Cutting before classifying
Random cuts can consume effort while leaving the dominant cost structure untouched.
Treating every expense alike
Bills, usage-sensitive bills, and choices have different degrees of control and require different actions.
Solving an income problem with austerity
When obligations dominate an already-frugal budget, earning more is more useful than repeatedly trimming small choices.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who repeatedly run out of money and need to identify the highest-leverage response.
Not ideal for
People whose income already comfortably covers all spending and who are not auditing for another goal.
From the transcript
“if any of them is a bill you're going to put a b next to it”
“the U stands for utility um up and down usage”
“if most of my money spent on my C's I have a spend too much problem if most of my money is on my bees…”
From the episode
Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche: Financial Wholeness, The Financial Freedom That's Accessible For Everyone
Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche