I don't know why we keep teenagers away from the financial world when it literally starts occupying so much of our lives the minute we join the workforce. I'm not saying we should torment them with our financial worries, and I understand general budgeting knowledge and administration are already part of what some families teach their children; still, I definitely think it should be a topic in our formal education as well.
In an ideal world, we would put knowledge into practice from a young age and be pros by the time we reach our twenties.
Finances weren't usually discussed in my household, so I grew up thinking mostly everyone started with pretty much the same opportunities from the get-go. Only later did I realize there were people far less fortunate than me, and people who had much more fortune to begin with. I know this is a rather bleak realization, because it's the moment you realize you have to put in three times the effort somebody with rich parents has to put in to start a project, for example.
Still, this rather terrible realization is also key to succeeding and making conscious, lucid decisions when entering adulthood.
The person who wrote the post below says their secret is tracking expenses and not budgeting. Some people might think differently, but the opinion is valid and worth listening to (or reading through).
Whether you are trying to recover from terrible financial decisions or looking to improve your financial administration, this advice is worth looking into.
In the end, it's all about what works for you, but still, every technique you use will include some form of expense tracking; you only have to find the one that fits your lifestyle. At any rate, you can't organize expenses you don't even know you have!
Trust me, sometimes we lie to ourselves and think we cook super often, but when we take an honest look, we find out we're DoorDashing every two days, lol.
So congrats on wanting to fix your finances and say hello to the new, abundant you!