The Wake-Up Call: A $400 Car Repair
Priya is a junior at Northeastern University studying biochemistry. She works 15 hours a week as a math tutor, earning about $1,200/month after taxes. Her parents cover tuition and housing, but everything else — food, gas, phone, clothes, social life — is on her.
In October 2024, her car needed a $400 brake repair. She didn't have it. She had to borrow from her roommate and felt embarrassed for weeks. That moment stuck with her: she was earning enough, but had zero savings buffer.
She decided to figure out where $1,200/month was disappearing to. A friend in her study group mentioned ExpenseEasy, and Priya downloaded it that night.
Where $280/Month Was Quietly Disappearing
- ✗ $85/month on coffee shop visits (3-4x/week at $5-7 each)
- ✗ $65/month on impulse Amazon orders
- ✗ $55/month on food delivery when dining hall was open
- ✗ $45/month on subscriptions she forgot about
- ✗ $30/month on vending machines and convenience store snacks
None of these felt expensive individually — but they added up to $280/month
The Eye-Opener: “I Spent WHAT on Coffee?”
Priya committed to scanning every receipt and logging every purchase for one month. Just one month. She told herself she wasn't going to change anything — just observe.
After 30 days, she opened the spending breakdown in ExpenseEasy and was stunned. The coffee shop visits alone were $85. She knew she went to Starbucks a lot, but she'd never quantified it. Seeing “$85 — Coffee & Cafes” with a visual bar chart made it real in a way that checking her bank statement never did.
“I always thought budgeting was something my parents did. Something for 'adults with real jobs.' But when I saw $85 on coffee in one month, I realized I didn't have an income problem — I had a visibility problem. I just couldn't see where the money was going.”
— Priya Sharma
The Strategy: Small Changes, Big Results
Priya didn't go extreme. She didn't give up coffee — she bought a $20 travel mug and made coffee in her dorm 4 days a week, treating herself to one Starbucks visit as a weekend reward. That one change saved $60/month.
She set a $50/month “fun money” limit for Amazon purchases — anything above that, she had to wait 48 hours before buying. Most of the time, the urge passed. She cancelled three subscriptions she didn't use (a meditation app, an old Hulu trial, and a clothing rental service).
Total monthly savings: about $280. She moved that $280 into a separate savings account on the 1st of every month.
The Results: 8 Months to Financial Security
Before ExpenseEasy
- ✗ $0 in savings
- ✗ Had to borrow for car repairs
- ✗ No idea where money went
- ✗ Stressed about money weekly
- ✗ $280/month in unconscious spending
After 8 Months
- $3,000 emergency fund
- Handles unexpected expenses with ease
- Complete spending visibility
- Confident about finances
- Still enjoys Starbucks — once a week
Key Features for Students
Spending Categories
See exactly how much goes to coffee, food delivery, subscriptions, and social life. Knowledge is power — and savings.
Free Forever
No premium paywall for basic tracking. Perfect for students who can't afford another subscription on top of everything else.
Visual Insights
Bar charts and breakdowns that make spending patterns obvious. Seeing '$85 on coffee' hits different than checking a bank statement.
“I tell every friend: just track everything for one month. Don't change anything, just track. The numbers will do the convincing. I'm 21 with a $3,000 emergency fund and my parents are genuinely impressed. That's a first.”
Priya Sharma
College Student & Tutor, Boston MA