Because sometimes, the wealth you’re chasing is hiding in your routine.
When Brian Finally Snapped
I still remember the night Brian, a close friend from Nairobi, texted me out of frustration.
“Bro, I’m tired. I work hard, but I’m always broke. Like, where does my money even go?”
Brian worked as a graphic designer in Westlands, earning a decent income, enough to live well.
But by the second week after payday, he’d already be borrowing airtime or skipping lunch to “manage.”
Nothing extreme. Just the normal Nairobi lifestyle:
- Matatu fare: KSh 100 to work.
- Java coffee: KSh 250.
- Lunch takeout: KSh 450.
- Random M-Pesa sends: “Bro, lend me 500, I’ll refund you tomorrow.”
- Data bundles: KSh 100 every other day.
Small, right? But they were slowly eating him alive.
The Night of Truth
That Thursday night, Brian checked his M-Pesa statement for the first time in months.
He scrolled through endless messages — “You have sent KSh 200…” “You have bought bundles worth KSh 100…” —and realized something brutal.
His money wasn’t running out.
He was leaking it.
He called me the next morning, voice heavy.
“I can’t keep living like this. I’m earning, but I feel like a slave.”
That’s when I shared something simple, the same advice that changed my own life:
Spend 10 minutes every night tracking your money. Just 10 minutes.
He sighed. “Ten minutes can’t fix this.”
But he tried it anyway.
The 10-Minute Habit That Changed His Life
Every night, before bed, Brian opened his notebook and wrote down what he spent that day.
He didn’t use Excel or apps, just a pen and a cheap notebook from Uchumi.
Day 1:
- Matatu: KSh 100
- Lunch: KSh 450
- Data: KSh 100
- M-Pesa to cousin: KSh 300
Total: KSh 950.
He didn’t judge himself. He just looked.
By day 5, he started noticing patterns.
He spent the most on days he was stressed, bored, or tired.
He started to see his spending for what it was, emotional comfort disguised as convenience.
The Turning Point
Two weeks later, Brian made a simple change.
Instead of buying lunch, he started cooking ugali and sukuma at home and carrying leftovers.
Instead of topping up bundles daily, he bought a monthly plan.
Instead of sending random M-Pesa transfers, he started saying “Not this time.”
After one month, he saved KSh 6,500.
By month three, he had built an emergency fund worth KSh 20,000.
That’s when he told me,
“Bro, I don’t feel rich yet, but for the first time, I feel free.”
The Psychology Behind It
What Brian discovered is what psychologists call “pattern recognition.”
When you track your money, your brain starts connecting emotion to action.
You start noticing what triggers your spending, loneliness, pressure, reward, or boredom.
And once you notice, you can change it.
A study by the University of Nairobi Business School found that people who journal their spending daily develop better saving habits within 30 days, even without earning more.
Brian’s success wasn’t luck. It was awareness turned into discipline.
The Kenyan Reality
Let’s be honest, Nairobi can drain you fast.
Matatus, rent, friends’ birthdays, church contributions, endless data bundles… it never ends.
We’re not wasteful people. We’re just unaware.
Money doesn’t leave loudly, it leaks silently through habits that feel normal.
That’s why this 10-minute habit matters.
It’s not budgeting. It’s accountability.
It’s how you teach your brain to see money differently.
Brian’s 10-Minute Blueprint
Here’s the same system he still uses today:
- Set 10 Minutes Before Bed. Just you, your phone, and your honesty.
- List Every Expense for the Day. Even small ones.
- Mark One “Unnecessary” Spend. Call it your “leak.”
- Ask Yourself Why You Did It. Stress? Habit? Peer pressure?
- Plan One Fix for Tomorrow. Small shifts lead to big wins.
That’s it. No fancy tools. No financial jargon. Just awareness.
Six Months Later…
When I saw Brian six months later, he looked lighter.
He wasn’t panicking mid-month anymore.
He had savings, confidence, and a new side hustle he funded himself.
He told me,
“I thought freedom was earning more. Turns out it’s managing what I already have.”
And honestly, that’s the secret most people miss.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Where does my money go?” this is your sign to take back control.
Start tonight.
Just 10 minutes. One notebook. One truth session with yourself.
Because like Brian learned in Nairobi, financial freedom doesn’t start with money it starts with awareness.
Want more powerful real-life stories that will shift how you think about money and success?
Read more life-changing lessons here: EuniceIrewole.com/blog