Great Lock-In?

There’s this new trend floating around called “The Great Lock-In.”

Basically, the idea is simple: from now until the end of the year, you lock in on your goals.

No distractions, no detours, no “I’ll start in January”.

I love this concept… because it’s exactly what most people need right now and it gets you to stop being Mr Tomorrow and start being Mr (or Mrs) Today.

2025 has been expensive for everyone. Groceries, gas, housing, you name it.

And if you’re like most Americans, you might feel like you’ve been in survival mode all year.

You’ve made progress, but maybe not as much as you wanted.

So let’s talk about a challenge we can all try for the rest of the year:

Before you write off the rest of the year, use the next 90 days to get laser-focused.

This is your window to lock in and finish strong.

Here’s how I’d approach it

The 4 Locks!

Lock In Your Why

You have to have a clear vision of where you want to go.

Everything starts with having a clear picture in your mind of what you want your life to be. This is your destination. Without it, you’re just wandering around.

Vision gives you purpose and energy.

Your vision isn’t only to be done with debt, it’s bigger than that! Your vision will get you out of bed early, it will push you through tough times and it will keep you focused when you or other people doubt you.

Think big here. Think unreasonably big.

You’re not going to love every moment of your financial journey, but your vision will make it worth it. You’re not suffering - you’re investing!

Lock In Your Budget

Making a budget isn’t going to get you out of debt, but it’s going to help you make a plan that you can easily follow that will get you out of debt.

1. Gather credit card & bank statements from the last month - If you’re using a budgeting app and paying for their premium version, you can skip this part since they should have all your transactions pulled.

2. Decide Your Budget Mechanism - This could be my free spreadsheet, a spreadsheet you make, or an app like Monarch, YNAB, EveryDollar, etc

3. Income Remaining - If you’re using my budgeting spreadsheet you’re going to want to enter the income you had remaining when you started the month. this way we can really account for every dollar.

4. Tracking Transactions - One by one, enter in each transaction (including income) to the Monthly Expense Tracker. I’ve put in some basic details that you can use to start to categorize each transaction. Be honest when you decide if it’s a Need or Want. If you can’t be honest with yourself, who can you be honest with.

5. Analyze/ Audit - Use the filtering tools to look at what you’ve been spending on Wants. Where can you get better? When looking at Needs, are there ways to lower the cost of certain bills like being smarter about grocery shopping, auto paying bills or shopping around for insurance? This is something you should really spend time thinking about.

6. Show Yourself Some Grace - You might have some terrible spending habits. That’s ok, that’s why we’re making a budget. You might be behind on how much you need to be making. That’s ok, that’s why we’re making a budget.

Lock In Your Habits

For the rest of 2025:

• No new subscriptions

• No dining out unless it’s planned

• No scrolling Amazon at 11PM

• No “I deserve it” excuses

Most importantly, no unplanned spending.

I’m not telling you to be Scrooge this Christmas.

But don’t be the dummy that goes back into credit card debt buying people gifts they won’t care about in 5 months!

It’s ok to not spend hundreds of dollars decorating your house this holiday season. If you really want some decorations, hit up Goodwill!

Really think about how your behaviors lead to unplanned spending. The situations that cause you to toss away $10-$50 like it ain’t no thang.

And enjoy a no-spend weekend!

Lock In Your Growth

Most people try to save their way out of struggle.
But if you want to change your life, you’ve got to grow your way out of it.

The rest of 2025 is the perfect time to focus on increasing your income and bettering yourself.

That might look like:

• Picking up a side hustle or extra shifts. 26 side hustles that don’t suck

• Getting certified or learning a new skill that makes you more valuable at work. Check out TripleTen, Coursera, Udemy. You can get a lot of ROI from the right program.

• Asking for the raise you know you’ve earned. It’s way more expensive to hire good talent, put together a business plan for the additional value you bring.

• Or even focus on your mental and physical health. You’ll be shocked at how much easier it is to get out of debt when you wake up feeling good.

Don’t underestimate what three focused months can do for your income and your mindset.

You can’t control the economy, but you can control your effort.

That’s it for this week.

Thanks again for your support and please let me know how I can help.

Best,

Dan