Ever looked at your bank account and thought, Where the hell did all my money go?
You make good money. Maybe even really good money. But at the end of the month, it feels like you have nothing to show for it. Bills, random expenses, a few splurges here and there—it all adds up. And before you know it, your paycheck has disappeared into thin air.
I know the feeling.
When I started making real money in my career, I thought my financial worries would be over. But I quickly realized:
How much you make means nothing if you don’t know how to keep it.
My turning point? Learning the Pay Yourself First formula—a ridiculously simple but life-changing money strategy that helped me:
✅ Get out of debt
✅ Stay out of debt
✅ Build an emergency fund
✅ Start accumulating actual wealth
How I Went from Broke to Building Wealth
I started out like many people, using credit cards as my emergency fund to pay bills, buy what I needed (or wanted), and then try to save whatever was left over. But, there was never anything left over.
So I flipped the formula.
Instead of saving last, I started paying myself first—before rent, before bills, before anything. That meant setting aside money for my future first, then living on what was left.
Here’s how I did it:
- I automated my savings and investments. Every paycheck, a chunk of my money went straight into separate accounts—before I even saw it. I used some to pay off debt and the rest for savings and investments. Once my debt was gone, I redirected that money to wealth-building.
- I forced myself to live on less. If I only had X dollars left after saving, that’s what I spent. No second guessing, no “I’ll save later” excuses. What I got to spend on was what I had after I paid myself, not the other way around.
- I used income increases to save more—not spend more. Every time I made more money, I increased my savings rate instead of upgrading my lifestyle. Over time this helped me accelerate my wealth building.
And guess what? It worked. I quickly got out of debt, built an emergency fund–so I never got back into debt–and started seeing my net worth actually grow.
How You Can Start Today
If you’re making good money but not keeping enough of it, here’s your game plan:
✓ Pick a percentage. Start with at least 10-20% of your income and set it aside before anything else. If you can’t do that yet, start with 5% and work your way up.
✓ Automate it. Don’t rely on willpower—set up an automatic transfer that moves your money before you can spend it.
✓ Forget about it. Treat this money like it doesn’t exist for daily expenses. It’s your future self’s money, not yours to touch now.
✓ Live on what’s left. If you only have $X left after saving, that’s what you have to work with. This forces you to prioritize spending instead of mindlessly blowing through cash.
✓ Level up when you earn more. If your income increases, increase your savings percentage before increasing your expenses.
Why This Works (Even If You Make a Lot)
Making six figures (or more) doesn’t guarantee financial success—keeping and growing your money does. If you don’t have a system in place, you’ll always feel broke, no matter your income.
The Pay Yourself First formula is your way out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. It’s the difference between working for money and having money work for you.
So, next time you earn money, ask yourself: Are you paying yourself first, or are you just working to pay everyone else?
Your future self will thank you.
