The decision

This chapter asks you to decide something. It comes late because at the start it would have sounded like a telling-off, the sort of thing you've heard before and gone on not doing. You now have reasons to think it's worth doing, and that it's smaller than you feared.

The decision has two halves. Every envelope gets opened the day it arrives. And I look at my balance every day.

Here's what each involves.

Open at the door. When the post comes, open all of it straight away, standing up, before it gets put down anywhere. That's the key. Once an envelope is put down, it's halfway to the drawer. Opening takes seconds. Then sort as in chapter 11. Most of it goes straight into recycling. Anything to keep goes in a folder. Anything needing action goes in the tray for the weekly look, unless the date on it falls before then, in which case deal with it today. The same goes for email. Open messages from your bank, your suppliers and the council when they arrive. If they need action, flag them or move them to one folder that you clear each week.

The daily ten seconds. As in chapter 10. Do it in the morning, attached to something you already do. Look at the balance and the recent transactions, and close the app.

The weekly look. As in chapter 12. Same time each week, twenty minutes, covering the tray, the transactions, the three numbers and one thing.

The backlog first. If you have a drawer, empty it once, as in chapter 11, before starting the rest. The new habits are easy to keep up from a clear table, and nearly impossible with eleven unopened envelopes still in the house.

Respond early. When something arrives that you can't pay or don't understand, get in touch with the sender within the week and ask what your options are. Chapter 7 explained why this one move is worth so much.

Here are three when-then plans, which you can adapt.

When the post lands on the mat, then I'll open every envelope before I put anything down.

When I catch myself judging a letter by its envelope, then I'll open that one first.

When I feel the clench at the thought of the app, then I'll open it for ten seconds and close it.

The second plan turns the old skill round. You've become good at recognising which envelopes to avoid. That skill now tells you which to open first. The third plan does the same for the feeling. The clench used to be the signal to look away. From now on it's the signal that a look is due.

Here's what to expect, and I'll be careful, because I can't promise you an outcome. In the first week you may get some unwelcome information. The number may be lower than the rough idea, and the tray may have more in it than you'd like. That's the accumulated cost of the old habit coming into view, and it's a one-off. After two or three weeks the daily look will have lost most of its sting. After a couple of months I'd expect fewer surprises and fewer penalties. I'd also expect one or two pleasant discoveries of money you were wasting or were owed, and a noticeable drop in the background hum. I can't promise you'll have more money. That depends on your income, your costs and a good deal else that this book doesn't touch. What should change is that you'll know where you stand, and your money problems will stay at the size they were when they arrived.