Growing up counting every dollar teaches you what things cost, long before your friends ever find out.

Counting closely teaches you the real price of things, in hours as much as in dollars. You learn what a bill actually is, what a repair costs, how long saving takes, and that arrives years before most people go looking for it. None of it is a fair trade for the worry involved. It is still a real understanding, and it stays useful for the rest of your life.

Keep the knowledge and set down as much of the anxiety as you can, since only one of the two is useful. Write out what you actually spend across one month. Knowing the numbers is calmer than sensing them.