YOU DON'T NEED A BUDGET

Track every dollar you spend. Check your account balances once a week. Always pay off your credit card bill in full. Make a budget—and stick to it. These are just a few of the edicts you'll find in virtually every personal finance book. But this kind of rigid, one-size-fits-all advice—usually written for and by wealthy white men (and a few women) with little perspective on the money struggles that many people face—is unrealistic, and only creates stress and shame.