The book isn’t your typical personal finance manual. It’s refreshingly honest about how tricky managing money can be, no matter how much or how little you earn. 

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Over the course of a few blog posts, we’ll be diving into different key takeaways from the book, as a Q&A with Mat was too insightful to use for a single blog. Breaking it down into smaller chunks gives us smaller action points that we can all use to improve our relationship with money without sacrifice.

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One simple but powerful idea to explore here is: know your daily number.

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So what is that? Your daily number is the amount by which you’re either ahead or behind every day after accounting for your income and fixed expenses. Why does it matter? Because thinking about money daily—not just monthly or yearly—completely shifts your perspective. It helps you make smarter choices, avoid financial stress, and build better habits without sacrificing the things you love.

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During a Q&A, Mat explained why this one insight can completely shift your relationship with money.

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Why is knowing your daily number so important?
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Most people have no idea what they actually earn on a daily basis, let alone whether they’re ahead or behind each day. It’s usually only annual or monthly salary people know, but breaking it down to a day changes everything.

When you realise you might only be £7 ahead each day, suddenly spending £20 on something random has real meaning. That’s why I wanted to give people that pulse-check—a sense of how financially healthy they are today, not in some vague future.
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Why do you think people avoid thinking about their spending this way?
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It’s partly human nature. It’s much easier to ignore reality, right? And the other part is that the modern world encourages spending without thinking. We’ve made purchases so easy. Tap your phone, click one button, next-day delivery - and that removes the mental ‘speed bumps’ that might normally stop us. Plus, psychologically, people only tend to change their behaviour in response to pain or the anticipation of pain. Knowing your daily number introduces that anticipated pain early, before a crisis forces it.
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You challenge the classic Warren Buffett advice on saving. Why did you feel it was important to flip that on its head for modern readers?
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I love Warren Buffett—he’s brilliant. But his advice of “save first, spend what’s left” doesn’t reflect the messy, real-world experience most people have with money. It sounds good as a soundbite, but for people with kids, obligations, or unpredictable expenses, it’s unrealistic. You can’t just set aside 25% of your income before thinking about what your family needs next week. I wanted to challenge that because modern financial life is tighter, more complicated, and full of small daily costs that sneak up on you.

My approach is: first get control of your spending, and then you’ll naturally have something left to save. If you don’t tackle your spending habits first, saving won’t work. Real life isn’t simple, but by breaking it down to that daily number, it becomes manageable.
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Does this apply even to people with comfortable incomes?
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Definitely. I’ve seen high earners living hand-to-mouth—not because they don’t make enough, but because their lifestyle grows with their salary. It’s really common to be at a daily break-even or even deficit without realising it, especially with kids or a busy lifestyle. High income doesn’t mean high security if your spending is out of sync.

We fool ourselves into thinking ‘it’s fine’ because the spending seems manageable. But small deficits over time add up—whether you’re making £25k or £250k a year.
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You mentioned your own kids’ sports costing more than you expected - how did that change your view?
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Yes! With my kids, we started ice hockey, and it’s £15 here, £20 there, for trials, for kit and it’s never one cost. Before you know it, you’re spending thousands a year on just that one activity. Once I started applying my own method, I realised we needed a budget for this. Now we decide: this or that and not just ‘yes’ to everything. Otherwise, you just end up drifting into overspending, thinking ‘it’s not much,’ but it adds up.
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What’s your advice for someone who wants to start tracking their daily number?
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Start simply. Just divide your take-home pay by 30. Then estimate your fixed daily costs like food, transport, housing. What’s left is your daily surplus—or deficit. And once you’ve got that daily figure in your mind, you’ll think twice before saying ‘oh what’s another £10?’ because you’ll know what that £10 really means.

It’s not about being strict every day, but if you know that number, you make better decisions without even trying. HyperJar’s whole model is built around making that easier for people, giving them that instant insight. 

There’s more coming from Mat’s book in the coming weeks. If you love the sound of his technique and you haven’t yet downloaded HyperJar you can head to your nearest app store and get started in minutes.

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