Find the Money, First.

Updated September 2025

How I accidentally ate my financial goal

Back in the Summer of 2008—a Saturday night, as I recall—I ate part of a 1984 Yamaha 1000cc motorbike.

It wasn’t a very big part, mind you (just a throttle cable and part of its housing). Still, for an otherwise normal Canadian evening, my dinner selection might strike you as somewhat odd. Good instincts. It’s true, I didn’t actually eat the cable and its housing.

The real story is, I went to a restaurant and splurged a bit on dinner—the cost of which completely blew my ‘Dining Out’ category. I decided to roll with the punches and move money from a different category of my budget to pay for the meal.

The next morning, as I reviewed my budget to cover the overspending, I realized the true impact of my night out: my ‘Next Bike’ category (which had been a long-term goal of mine for a while) had taken a hit for a meal that was, all in all, not that memorable (with the exception of this budgeting lesson, of course). Facing my money in the light of day, through the brutally honest lens of my YNAB plan, I realized I wasn't making intentional choices about how to save money and spend it. This led me to a question that changed my life:

If I’d known I was eating my bike last night, would I still have ordered the garlic and balsamic mussels as a first course?

Motorbikes or mussels? How I learned to prioritize my money

Now, I’m not so much interested in the food pairing here. I’m sure we can agree that one simply wouldn’t pair a garlic shellfish appetizer with something greasy, like a throttle cable entree. No, what interests me are financial priorities and how I can save money for those things.

If I’d been paying attention, could I have been more selective when ordering and not had to take money from the bike category? Yes, absolutely. Of course, on Sunday when I reviewed the damage, it was too late to change my mind—the food was eaten and part of my bike savings was gone.

That’s when I knew I needed a way to prioritize my financial goals, so I drew a line in the sand. From then on, I decided, I would always find the money, first.

How to save money: Find the money, first.

It’s not just a catchy phrase—I live by these four words.

See, if I find the money before I spend it, then I’m aware of exactly what I’m giving up to get the thing I want right now—and whether or not that thing aligns with my financial priorities. In other words, I’m aware of the sacrifice (delayed enjoyment of my new bike), before I shell out the money on mussels. Pun intended.

Finding the money, first, gives me the choice to put my money towards the thing I truly want. For example, I might prioritize dinner with an old friend who, unexpectedly, dropped into town for the weekend well above the urgency of buying a new bike. Or I might realize that building my emergency savings takes precedence over both the dinner and the bike.

Using “Find the money, first.” as my guide, I’d very likely move that cash right on over to the ‘Dining Out’ category of my savings plan. (Great! And, while I’m re-prioritizing my money, I’m more mindful of how much I want to spend on the unplanned dinner—maybe I’ll cap my night’s expenses at $100, instead of going all out, so I can still save money for my bike.)

On the other hand, do I really want to spend my bike money on a casual, unplanned Friday night? I can tell you with complete confidence that day-to-day impulses, like take-out food or a new streaming subscription, will not send my spirits soaring like the purr of a new bike.

What’s your bike fund?

YNAB has made a tremendous difference in my life and, for me, finding the money, first, is key. It’s right up there with “When making decisions, check your budget, not your bank account balance.”

It’s the behavioral game-changer that turned my financial situation from a guilt-ridden, reactive one to a positive, proactive one that actually moves me toward my financial goals. I’ve shared this approach with people who attend my YNAB workshops, and it brings me so much happiness to see that “Find the money, first.” is helpful to them, too.

If you stopped to find the money, first, is there a savings goal in your plan that could be fully-funded faster? Could you save money more effectively by being intentional about your trade-offs? Give this a try and see what happens with your emergency fund, down payment, or whatever other savings goals you have!

And drop into one of our YNAB workshops. They’re free and cover a variety of personal finance topics. If I’m teaching, I’d love to hear how YNAB’s working for you and what milestones you're hitting.

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