I have a confession. After nearly twenty-six years of marriage, I have never once kept a household budget. Not a single month. How we never fell into serious financial trouble, I honestly have no idea — but we didn't, and somehow that made it easy to keep going without ever looking too closely at the numbers.

That changed recently. The trigger was an online community called LibreCity — and a YouTube channel that I had almost forgotten about.

Twenty-six years without a budget

For most of our married life, I managed our household finances the way many people do: money came in, money went out, and as long as we weren't in the red at the end of the month, I didn't ask too many questions. There's a saying in Japan about a leaky bucket — the money bucket full of holes — and that described our finances perfectly.

It wasn't until I lost my job and our income dropped that I finally thought seriously about it. If money wasn't coming in, I had to at least stop it leaking out unnecessarily. That's when I remembered a YouTube channel I had discovered years before and drifted away from.

Rediscovering Ryo's University

In late 2019, I came across a Japanese YouTube channel called Ryo's Liberal Arts University (両学長 リベラルアーツ大学). Its message was simple but powerful: learn about money, build financial stability, and live freely. I watched enthusiastically for a while — back then, the channel had around 300,000 subscribers — and then, as life got busy, I quietly stopped watching.

In February 2026, newly unemployed and with time on my hands, I searched for it again. I was astonished. In the six years I had been away, the channel had grown to 7 million subscribers. The archive of videos was vast — almost overwhelming.

A new morning routine

As I started watching again, I discovered that the channel hosts a live stream almost every morning, starting around 6:40 a.m. and sometimes running past 9 o'clock. I began watching every day.

Those mornings made a real difference. I was unemployed, low in confidence, uncertain about the future — and somehow, listening to calm, practical talk about money and life every morning helped me feel less adrift. I genuinely regretted the six years I had missed.

What is LibreCity?

LibreCity is an online community that grew out of the YouTube channel. Its concept: learn about money, build wealth, and gain the freedom to live as you choose. Members share their progress, ask questions, and support each other — online and in person.

There is a 30-day free trial, after which members choose a paid tier. The entry-level "supporter" membership costs ¥2,200 in the first year, then ¥3,300 annually — roughly the price of a couple of coffee shop visits per month.

When I first entered the community, the sheer volume of content was overwhelming. But the design is welcoming: there's an AI to answer basic questions, daily orientation seminars, and plenty of ways to ask for help. Members are active and enthusiastic. Some people joke that the energy inside feels almost cult-like — and I understand what they mean. It really does have a remarkable warmth and momentum to it.

Why I joined, despite my doubts

I'll be honest — I was sceptical at first. Some thoughts that crossed my mind:

• If I'm trying to build savings, won't paying a monthly fee just make things worse?
• Isn't this just a clever way for the organisers to make money?
• Can't I get the same content for free on YouTube?

The answer to that last question is: mostly, yes. The free content is genuinely valuable. But about two weeks into my free trial, I decided to become a paying member — and three months later, I feel I have received far more value than I have paid for.

If any of this resonates with you, I'd suggest starting with the book Money University (お金の大学) by the channel's host — it has sold over 2 million copies in Japan. If you're curious after that, the 30-day free trial is a low-risk way to look inside.

What budgeting taught me

The community provides members with a "homework list" — a set of practical financial tasks to work through at your own pace. One item on that list is household budgeting. That's what finally got me to open a spreadsheet and start tracking our spending.

Making our finances visible — something I had avoided for twenty-six years — turned out to be genuinely eye-opening. Seeing the numbers clearly changed how I thought about every purchase.

I haven't yet worked up the courage to meet other members in person. After some difficult experiences in my last workplace, I still feel a little wary of new social situations. But I hope to join an event or meetup one day.

In summary

Twenty-six years of marriage, zero budgets — and then, in the space of a few months, a complete change of perspective. It might be a late start, but I believe the right time to begin is whenever you realise you need to.

There are five financial skills I want to develop: earning more, spending less, growing assets, protecting myself, and enriching my life. I'm only at the very beginning — but I've started, and that feels like everything.