Splinched

Five years ago my world crumbled. Four years after that I had piled up $110,000 of mostly consumer debt — leather-business overhead, tax bills, marital separation, and a lot of trying to fill a hole inside me with the spending of money I had, and the spending of money I didn’t.

In October 2024, God broke through and I started to come back together. In December 2025, my wife and I remarried. By June 2026 we had paid down close to half of what I’d accumulated, and I was on track to be debt-free by March 2027.

The system that got me there started as a Python web app I built for myself — a private Ledger that runs my payday sessions, projects my payoff dates, and hunts down forgotten recurring charges. It worked. Other tools I’d tried (spreadsheets, Notion trackers, budgeting apps) all went stale within months. The Ledger didn’t, because it’s built around five specific questions instead of a dashboard full of metrics.

Splinched is the book I wrote about it. It’s the story behind the system, the method that runs it, and a full working toolkit — a browser-based Projection & Sandbox app, a spreadsheet ledger, a leak-hunt template, and a milestone-mapping worksheet — you can use yourself.

It is not a budgeting app. It is not a Dave-Ramsey replacement. It is the honest book I needed when I was carrying $110,000 of debt and didn’t know where to start. If that sounds like you, or someone you know, it’s for you.

The bundle

You get:

• The book — PDF, ~100 pages, my voice, the story plus the method
• The Projection & Sandbox app — a self-contained web tool that runs the same projection math as my private Ledger. Model your debt-free date and play with what-ifs: extra monthly attack, side income, windfalls. Browser-only, no signup, yours forever. Try it now with example data →
• The Ledger Spreadsheet — spreadsheet version of my private app, no coding required
• The Leak-Hunt Sheet — analyze your bank exports for forgotten recurring charges
• The Milestone Worksheet — sketch your own debt-free sequence
• The Daily Practice Card — index-card-sized cheat sheet for payday sessions

Pricing

What it is not

Splinched is not for everyone. To save you time:

• It is not a budgeting app or a competitor to YNAB. If you want to track every dollar in every category, you already have better tools.
• It is not financial advice. I am not a CFP, an accountant, or a licensed anything. I am a guy who paid down a lot of debt and wrote the system down.
• It is not faith-neutral. My story includes God moving in my life. I’ll meet you where you are, but I won’t pretend the faith part isn’t there.
• It is not for someone with no consumer debt. Different problem. Different book.

About the author

I’m Aaron Aiken — a program manager, a tinkerer, and a guy who built his way out of debt by writing his own tools. More about me at aaronaiken.me/about. When I’m not at the day job or with my family, I write code, make leather goods, and tend a small private operating system that runs my life. The Ledger is one piece of that system. Splinched is the story of how it got built.

Frequently asked questions

When does the book ship?

The manuscript is being written through summer 2026. The founder’s pre-order window opens when the manuscript is complete and the bundle is ready. Drop your email and you’ll get the first notification.

What if I’m not happy with it?

Reply to your Lemon Squeezy receipt within 30 days and I’ll refund you. No questions, no friction.

Can I share it with my spouse?

Yes. One copy per household, please. If you want a copy for your small group or community, get in touch.

Will there be a print version?

Maybe. If Splinched lands well, an Amazon KDP paperback is the obvious next step.