Finance
This personal finance educator says budgeting is ‘toxic’ — try ‘intuitive’ spending instead
Girl holding shopping bags and walking down the street
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If you’re trying to stay on top of your spending, you might have logged your finances in a spreadsheet, tracked every dollar, and created a strict spending plan, but one expert says budgeting like this can be “toxic.”
Dana Miranda, a certified personal finance educator, is the author of “You Don’t Need a Budget,” a book that looks to liberate readers from the prevailing approach of managing their money.
“Budget culture is our dominant approach to money that relies on restriction, shame, and greed,” Miranda told CNBC Make It in an interview, likening it to diet culture.
“Research shows in budgeting, and we see the same thing with a much broader body of research in dieting, that that kind of restriction doesn’t work,” she said.
“People tend to fail at sticking to those rules, and so you are inevitably going to feel like a failure. You’re going to feel that shame because you’re not reaching those sorts of arbitrary goals that are being set.”
Not everyone agrees, and many financial planners say creating a budget is the single best thing you can do to improve your finances.
However, Miranda cited a 2018 study by researchers at the University of Minnesota who found little evidence that budgeting helps achieve long-term financial goals, adding that it can also increase anxiety.
Sheida Isabel Elmi, meanwhile, a research program manager at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, told CNBC Select that budgeting can be especially challenging for low and middle-income families. This is because they’re more likely to have volatile incomes and lower wages which can’t be easily managed by a strict, prescriptive budget.
Try ‘intuitive’ spending instead
According to Miranda, the toxicity of budgeting stems from a capitalistic culture geared toward making more money and accumulating assets, rather than focusing on the quality of life of individuals.
Instead of scrimping and saving your money, Miranda recommended “conscious spending,” as an alternative. “It’s like an intuitive or mindful approach to spending and using their money.”
“So instead of making a plan for your money on where every dollar is going to go and trying to stick to that and punishing yourself when you don’t, rewarding yourself when you do, take it more mindfully, moment by moment,” she said.
“So how does money serve you in this moment? How can money serve you in a broader way outside of the numbers and spreadsheets that we tend to put it in?”
Miranda acknowledged that it’s not easy to adopt this mindset, but said people need to start trusting themselves more.
When asked about the risk of overspending, Miranda said it’s okay to take on credit card debt. Although controversial, she said carrying debt isn’t always “ethically wrong” or as “destructive” as society would have you believe.
“I consider those as part of the resources available to you to spend,” she says. “As long as we understand how our debt products work and the consequences of different decisions that we make around debt.”
Not paying off your credit card every month can be costly, however, leading to additional debt, an increase in repayments, and damage to your credit score, CNBC Select reports.
Go on a ‘money date’
Another way to avoid reckless spending is to take yourself out on a “money date” every fortnight, Miranda said.
“It’s a way of automating your money management so that you don’t just constantly have this ticker of money stress running through your head,” she explained.
On the money date, you can check how your spending is affecting different areas of your life, and prioritize what’s important.
“So if I take this vacation that my friends are planning, how does that impact the money that I’m putting toward retirement savings next month? Or how does that impact what I’m spending in other areas? How does that impact how much I’m going to use on my credit card?” Miranda said.
You can also create a “money map” which helps organize your goals, the resources you have access to, and your financial commitments, she added — and this should be flexible.
For example, if you initially planned for 10% of your money to go into retirement savings every month, but then you realize you’d rather spend that money now, you can do that with a money map.
“You can sort of move it as it makes sense for you, but it helps you to see your financial situation so that you can understand the consequences of decisions you make,” she said.
“You can make sure that you always have this understanding of the lay of the land in your financial situation, so that it’s easier to make those conscious spending decisions as you go about your day-to-day.”
It’s important to note that budgeting is a standard financial planning method recommended by experts, however. Tania Brown, a CFP and former coach at SaverLife, a nonprofit focused on helping low-income Americans save, previously told CNBC Make It that budgeting is important regardless of income.
“A budget tells your money where to go and what to do so that you can have the life you want,” Brown said. “The less money you have then the more critical it is you prioritize where that money goes.”
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HOLYOKE — The City Council has advanced plans to create a finance and administration department, voting to send proposed changes to a subcommittee for further review.
The move follows guidance from the state Division of Local Services aimed at strengthening the city’s internal cash controls, defining clear lines of accountability, and making sure staff have the appropriate education and skill level for their financial roles.
On Tuesday, Councilor Meg Magrath-Smith, who filed the order, said the council needed to change some wording about qualifications based on advice from the human resources department before sending it to the ordinance committee for review.
The committee will discuss and vote on the matter before it can head back to the full City Council for a vote. It meets next Tuesday. The next council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20.
On Monday, Mayor Joshua Garcia said in his inaugural address that he plans to continue advancing his Municipal Finance Modernization Act.
Last spring, Garcia introduced two budget plans: one showing the current $180 million cost of running the city, and another projecting savings if Holyoke adopted the finance act.
Key proposed changes include realigning departments to meet modern needs, renaming positions and reassigning duties, fixing problems found in decades of audits, and using technology to improve workflow and service.
Garcia said the plan aims to also make government more efficient and accountable by boosting oversight of the mayor and finance departments, requiring audits of all city functions, enforcing penalties for policy violations, and adding fraud protections with stronger reporting.
Other steps included changing the city treasurer from an elected to an appointed position, a measure approved in a special election last January.
Additionally, the city would adopt a financial management policies manual, create a consolidated Finance Department and hire a chief administrative and financial officer to handle forecasting, capital planning and informed decision-making.
Garcia said that the state has suggested creating the CAFO position for almost 20 years and called on the City Council to pass the reform before the end of this fiscal year, so that it can be in place by July 1.
In a previous interview, City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti said nine votes were needed to adopt the financial reform.
She also said past problems stemmed from a lack of proper systems and checks, an issue the city has dealt with since the 1970s.
The mayor would choose this officer, and the City Council will approve the appointment, she said.
In October, the City Council narrowly rejected the finance act in an 8-5 vote.
Supporters ― Michael Sullivan, Israel Rivera, Jenny Rivera, Murphy-Romboletti, Anderson Burgos, former Councilor Kocayne Givner, Patti Devine and Magrath-Smith ― said the city needs modernization and greater transparency.
Opponents ― Howard Greaney Jr., Linda Vacon, former Councilors David Bartley, Kevin Jourdain and Carmen Ocasio — said a qualified treasurer should be appointed first.
Vacon said then the treasurer’s office was “a mess,” and that the city should “fix” one department before “mixing it with another.”
The City Council also clashed over fixes, as the state stopped sending millions in monthly aid because the city hadn’t finished basic financial paperwork for three years.
The main problem came from delays in financial reports from the treasurer’s office.
Holyoke had a history of late filings. For six of the past eight years, the city delayed its required annual financial report, and five times in the past, the state withheld aid.
Council disputes over job descriptions, salaries and reforms also stalled progress.
In November, millions in state aid began flowing back to Holyoke after the city made some progress in closing out its books.
The state had withheld nearly $29 million for four months but even with aid restored, Holyoke still faces big financial problems, the Division of Local Services said.
Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of New Year, New You, a weeklong look at your financial health headed into 2026.
You get your W-2 in January and realize you either owe thousands in taxes or get a massive refund. Both mean your withholding was wrong all year.
Most service members set their tax withholding once during in-processing and never look at it again. Life changes. You get married, have kids, buy a house or pick up a second job. Your tax situation changes, but your withholding stays the same.
Adjusting your withholding takes five minutes and can save you from owing the IRS or giving the government an interest-free loan all year.
Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator First
Before changing anything, run your numbers through the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator at www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator. The calculator asks about your filing status, income, current withholding, deductions and credits. It tells you whether you need to adjust.
The calculator considers multiple jobs, spouse income and other factors that affect your tax bill. Running it takes about 10 minutes and prevents you from withholding too much or too little.
Read More: The Cost of Skipping Sick Call: How Active-Duty Service Members Can Protect Future VA Claims
Changing Withholding in myPay (Most Services)
Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Marine Corps members use myPay at mypay.dfas.mil. Log in and click Federal Withholding. Click the yellow pencil icon to edit.
The page lets you enter information about multiple jobs, change dependents, add additional income, make deductions or withhold extra tax. You can see when the changes take effect on the blue bar at the top of the page.
Changes typically show up on your next pay statement. If you make changes early in the month, they might appear on your mid-month paycheck. If you make them later, expect them on the end-of-month check.
State tax withholding works differently. DFAS can only withhold for states with signed agreements. Changes require submitting DD Form 2866 through myPay or by mail. Not all states allow DFAS to withhold state tax.
Changing Withholding in Direct Access (Coast Guard)
Coast Guard members use Direct Access at hcm.direct-access.uscg.mil. The system processes changes the same way as myPay. Log in, navigate to tax withholding and update your information.
Coast Guard members can also submit written requests using IRS Form W-4. Mail completed forms to the Pay and Personnel Center in Topeka, Kansas, or submit them through your Personnel and Administration office.
Read More: Here’s Why January Is the Best Time to File Your VA Disability Claim
When to Adjust Withholding
Check your withholding when major life events happen. Marriage or divorce changes your filing status. Having kids adds dependents. Buying a house affects deductions. A spouse starting or stopping work changes household income.
Military-specific events matter, too. Deploying to a combat zone makes some pay tax-free. PCS moves change state tax situations. Separation from service means losing military income but potentially gaining civilian income.
Check at the start of each year, even if your circumstances seemingly stayed the same. Tax laws change. Brackets adjust for inflation. Your situation might be different even if it seems the same.
The Balance
Withholding too little means owing taxes in April plus potential penalties. Withholding too much means getting a refund but losing access to that money all year.
Some people like big refunds and treat it like forced savings. Others would rather have the money in each paycheck to pay bills, invest or set aside in normal savings.
Neither approach is wrong. What matters is that your withholding matches your tax situation and your preference for how you receive your money.
Run the estimator. Adjust your withholding. Check it annually. This simple process prevents tax surprises.
Previously In This series:
Part 1: 2026 Guide to Pay and Allowances for Military Service Members, Veterans and Retirees
Part 2: Understanding All the Deductions on Your 2026 Military Leave and Earnings Statements
Part 3: Should You Let the Military Set Aside Allotments from Your Pay?
Part 4: This Is the Best Thing to Do With Your 2026 Military Pay Raise
Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits
Military benefits are always changing. Keep up with everything from pay to health care by subscribing to Military.com, and get access to up-to-date pay charts and more with all latest benefits delivered straight to your inbox.
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