Every week we sit across from people who want to change their financial situation.

They know they need to save more. They know they need to spend less. They know they need to get serious about their future.

And then come the words that kill it all.

“But” and “Because.”

“I want to save… but I couldn’t because I needed new shoes.”

“I was going to put money aside… but I didn’t because there was a sale I couldn’t miss.”

“We’d have savings by now… but because the kids needed things, we don’t.”

“I know we should budget… but because we’re so time poor, we just don’t have the time.”

Those two words working together? They’re the most expensive pair in the English language. Every time they leave your mouth, you’re choosing the excuse over the outcome. The justification over the goal. The temporary relief over the permanent solution.

And years disappear in the gap between good intentions and the “but because” that erases them.

The Anatomy of An Excuse:

Here’s how it works.

You start with good intentions. Real intentions. You genuinely want to save money. You genuinely want to get out of debt. You genuinely want financial control.

Then life happens. An expense comes up. A want disguised as a need. A moment of weakness. A flash sale. A “just this once.”

And instead of facing the tension between what you want long-term and what you want right now, you reach for the two words that make it all go away.

“But because.”

“I could have saved $500 this month… but because we hadn’t been out to dinner in ages, we didn’t.”

“I was going to cancel that subscription… but because I might use it eventually, I kept it.”

“We should have started this three years ago… but because we weren’t ready then, we didn’t.”

The phrase “but because” does something powerful in your brain. It erases everything that came before it. The intention? Gone. The plan? Irrelevant. The goal? Postponed.

What’s left is just the excuse wrapped in what sounds like a reason. And that excuse becomes why nothing changes.

The Most Common “But Because” Excuses We Hear:

Let’s talk about the excuse patterns that keep people stuck. Because chances are, you’re using at least one of these right now.

“I could save… but because I need to live a little, I don’t.”

This is the most dangerous one. Because it sounds reasonable. Balanced, even. Who wants to live a life of deprivation?

But here’s the problem: “living a little” has become code for “I want it now and I don’t want to wait.” It’s the justification for the $200 brunch, the spontaneous online shopping spree, the “treat yourself” purchases that happen three times a week.

You’re not living a little. You’re spending a lot. And calling it self-care doesn’t make it strategic.

“I was going to start saving… but because something always comes up, I can’t.”

Of course something always comes up. That’s called life. The car needs servicing. The kids need school fees paid. The fridge makes a weird noise. Birthdays happen. Christmas happens. Rates arrive.

None of this is unexpected. None of this is a surprise. It all happens every single year like clockwork.

The question isn’t whether these things will come up. The question is: have you planned for them, or are you using them as an excuse for why you can’t save?

If “but because something always comes up” is stopping you from saving, you don’t have a life problem. You have a planning problem.

“We’d have money saved… but because everything’s so expensive now, we don’t.”

Everything has always been expensive. Rent was high five years ago. Groceries were “insane” a decade ago. Petrol has been a complaint since the 1970’s.

Cost of living pressure is real. We’re not dismissing that. But using it as a blanket excuse for why you have zero savings? That’s avoiding responsibility.

There are people on your exact income, in your exact city, facing your exact cost pressures—who have savings. Not because they earn more. But because they decided “expensive” wasn’t an excuse to avoid a plan.

“I know we should budget… but because we’re so time poor, we just don’t have the time.”

You have time to scroll. You have time to watch Netflix. You have time to research your next purchase or plan your next holiday.

You don’t have a time problem. You have a priority problem.

And as long as “but because I don’t have time” is your excuse, your finances will never be your priority. Which means they’ll never improve.

“I could have started years ago… but because I wasn’t ready, I didn’t.”

This one hurts because it’s usually true. You probably weren’t ready three years ago. You didn’t know what you know now. You weren’t in the same head space. You weren’t desperate enough yet.

But here’s the hard truth: waiting until you’re “ready” is just another way of staying stuck.

Because you’ll never feel completely ready. There will always be a reason to wait. A better time. A clearer moment. One more thing to figure out first.

Ready is a myth. You become ready by starting. Not by waiting.

“We were going to get help… but because it’s too expensive, we didn’t.”

Yet you’ll spend $150 on dinner without blinking. $200 on a new jacket. $80 on a subscription service you barely use.

But when it comes to investing in fixing the financial chaos that’s costing you thousands every year? Suddenly price is a problem.

The truth? It’s not too expensive. You just don’t want to face what getting help requires: honesty about your numbers, accountability to a plan, and admitting you don’t have this figured out.

The cost isn’t the issue. The commitment is.

What “But Because” Really Means:

Every time you use “but because” to explain why you didn’t save, why you didn’t start, why you didn’t follow through – you’re doing something specific.

You’re protecting yourself from discomfort.

Because facing the truth is uncomfortable. Admitting you chose the shoes over your savings goal? Uncomfortable. Acknowledging you’ve wasted years on excuses? Uncomfortable. Looking at your bank account and seeing the consequences of every “but because” over the last year? Deeply uncomfortable.

So you use “but because” to soften it. To make it okay. To turn the failure into something beyond your control.

“I could have saved… but because [insert thing that absolves me of responsibility], I didn’t.”

And every time you do this, you reinforce the pattern. You train yourself to believe that your financial situation is happening to you, not because of you.

That the problem is external. The system. The economy. The cost of living. Bad luck. Bad timing. Not the choices you’re making every single week.

How To Stop Using “But Because”:

If you’re ready to stop making excuses and start making progress, here’s how:

1 – Replace “but because” with “and I chose.”

“I want to save… and I chose new shoes instead.”

Now it’s not an excuse. It’s ownership of a decision. And when you frame it that way, you can’t hide behind it. You have to own the consequence.

2 – Call the excuse what it is.

“I could have saved $500 this month, but because we went out to dinner, I didn’t.”

Re-frame: “I chose to spend $500 on dinner instead of saving it.”

The truth sounds different, doesn’t it? Harsher. More direct. That’s because excuses hide consequences. Ownership reveals them.

3 – Ask: “What am I avoiding?”

Every “but because” is avoidance. You’re avoiding the discomfort of saying no. The discipline of sticking to a plan. The accountability of admitting you messed up.

What specifically are you avoiding? Name it. Face it.

4 – Build the plan that removes the excuse.

“But because something always comes up” stops being an excuse when you’ve budgeted for it.

“But because I don’t have time” stops being an excuse when you automate your savings.

“But because it’s too expensive” stops being an excuse when you see the cost of staying stuck.

The plan removes the “but because.” It makes the excuse irrelevant.

5 – Get accountability.

Left to yourself, you’ll keep finding new excuses. Better excuses. More convincing ones.

You need someone who won’t let you hide behind “but because.” Someone who calls it what it is and holds you to the goal you said you wanted.

That’s what accountability does. It removes your ability to excuse your way out of progress.

Where Are You Right Now?

Be honest with yourself.

How many times this month have you used “but because” to explain why you didn’t save? Why you didn’t stick to the plan? Why you’re still stuck?

And more importantly: what have those words cost you? Not just this month. Over the last year. Over the years you’ve been saying “I’ll start soon.”

How much further ahead would you be if you’d stopped making excuses and started making decisions?

Because here’s the brutal truth: every “but because” is a choice. You’re choosing the excuse over the outcome. The comfort over the change. The temporary relief over the permanent solution.

And as long as you keep choosing that, nothing will change. Not your debt. Not your savings. Not your stress. Not your future.

We Help You Remove The “But Because”:

That’s what we do at Your Budget Mates.

We don’t just build you a budget – we remove the excuses that have been keeping you stuck.

No more “but because I don’t have time” – we make it simple.

No more “but because something always comes up” – we plan for it.

No more “but because I wasn’t ready”– we make you ready by starting.

We build the plan. We provide the structure. We hold you accountable when every instinct is screaming to reach for those words and let yourself off the hook.

From “I want to save, but because…” to “I am saving.”

From “We should budget, but because…” to “We are budgeting.”

From “I could have started, but because…” to “I am doing this.”

Not someday. Not when you’re ready. Right now.

Years from now, you’ll either look back grateful you stopped making excuses today, or you’ll still be saying “but because.” The only difference is the decision you make right now.