Money & Work
Claim
Cancelling small recurring charges that you never actively use is one of the fastest ways to reduce money stress and increase the feeling of control, because it removes constant background loss without needing daily discipline.
Why it matters
• People systematically underestimate how much small recurring payments add up over a month.
• Studies on self-monitoring and financial behavior show that simply making expenses more visible and concrete reduces overspending and money anxiety for many people.
• For your brain, fixed leaks free more headspace than constantly trying to remember not to buy small one-off items.
Action
1. Open your bank, card, PayPal, and app-store histories for the last 60–90 days.
2. List every repeating charge that is not strictly essential for work, housing, food, or transport.
3. For each one, decide: keep, cancel, or pause for 3 months. Cancel or pause all “maybe later” items now, then set a reminder to review in 90 days.
Source
Research on expense visibility and self-control in spending shows that tracking and aggregating small purchases improves financial outcomes and perceived control over money. Example: Fernandes et al., 2014, Management Science (meta-analysis on financial education and behavior).