It's Too Much!

Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you that you’re behind. You should be making more money. You’re wasted time investing in X, when you could have investing in Y. Do you have any investments? Do you even have savings? How far would you be in life, if you had started saving earlier? You should be doing better for yourself by now. It’s a whole lot of “shoulda, woulda, coulda”. Right now, money may be tight, but it might not be totally your fault.

There was a time when I earned UGX 600,000 monthly (approx. USD 160). Somehow, I could pay my rent, settle my son’s school fees, cover all my bills, and I’d still have money left over to enjoy myself – life felt affordable. While I earn more money today than I did back then, the financial pressure feels much worse, and there are days when 1+1 doesn’t add up to 2. Why is that?

Inflation is the biggest culprit. Money doesn’t stretch like it used to, and the cost of living is always going up. Fuel prices, transport fees, school fees, food prices, and rent, the price of everything just keeps going up. Suddenly, the salary that once felt comfortable is now barely enough to help you keep your head above the water – we’re all either treading water, or drowning.

This is where budgeting comes in. While you can’t budget your way out of poverty, it can give you clarity on where your issues lie. If you create a budget and follow it to a T – tracking your money, avoiding any careless or unnecessary expenses, and still have money left over after saving and investments – you have a spending problem. On the other hand, let’s say, you have nothing left after paying your bills and expenses, even when you’ve been careful with your money, then it’s obvious that you have an income problem.

Budgeting gets a bad rap, and to some, it can feel like a punishment, but it’s a system to help you make smarter decisions. When you track your income and expenses, you can clearly see: where you need to cut back, if you need to increase your income, whether your savings and investments are actually growing, or if inflation is quietly eating your money.

Currently, I use a mobile app called Money Manager to track my income, expenses, savings, and investments. I find it handy because, I’m chronically online and my phone has become an extension of me – almost like another limb. However, feel free to use whatever works for you – a notebook, an Excel spreadsheet, et cetera. The tools don’t matter, consistency does.

If you are new to budgeting, start by tracking everything you spend money on for one or two months. This will help you identify your expenses and determine your spending patterns. You’ll be surprised to discover how much money you have at your disposal. Tracking my spending made me more intentional with my money. I started “policing” myself – stopped making impulsive and regretful expenses, and started saving and investing more. Budgeting doesn’t just change your bank account, it changes your behaviour.


Do you budget? How has budgeting changed your life? Share your experiences here in the comments, or DM me – @KagoTMD on TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn. I really want to know.

If you're interested in watching full video essays of this and other topics I've discussed here, visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Let's build your future, together.

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