16 Best Financial Life Hacks To Reset Your New Year
Want some financial life hacks to reset your new year?
Every year, I’d get the feeling to hit the reset button and finally break the bad money habits I’ve developed over the years.
Then would start the chase for new strategies, new gadgets, and new colour-coded budget planners that I promise I’ll stick to this time.
But here’s the truth:
You don’t need a complete personality change to get your money life together. Just a few smart tweaks, a dash of consistency, and the right hacks to help you feel like the organised, thriving version of yourself you know you can be.
So here are the best financial life hacks to reset your new year, which helped me overcome debt, meet my financial goals, and save a ton of money!
Once I implemented these hacks, I was finally in a position to buy a house mortgage-free, buy a car with no debt, and take holidays with my loved ones using money I saved in advance.
Here is the resort where we stayed in Bali, no debt, no over-the-budget expenses, a stress-free family holiday. Paid with the money I saved.
And here is our beautiful, fully renovated kitchen in our mortgage-free home. This would have never happened without saving smartly and consistently.
16 Best Financial Life Hacks To Reset Your New Year
Yes, budgeting is a journey, a challenge! As rewarding, if not much more, than completing a marathon! Start with baby steps, build your stamina just like with running, and you’ll succeed in saving money and be debt-free. Trust me, I’ve done both!
1.Do a Money Cleanse
Not a facial cleanse, but still, think of this as a mini spa day… but for your bank account.
Take one uninterrupted hour and go through:
- your subscriptions
- recurring payments
- old direct debits
- apps you forgot you bought
- that sneaky “free trial” that grew into a £9.99/month monster
Cancel anything you don’t use weekly.
Not monthly—weekly. If you haven’t opened it in a month, trust me, you won’t miss it.
For example – I noticed I was paying for newborn baby tracker app I no longer use (as my baby is no longer new born ) and my insurance as charging me a monthly fee to use their ‘premium app’. I removed both immediately !
This tiny cleanup alone can save hundreds over a year, and it instantly gives you a lighter mental load.
2.Create a “Bare Minimum Budget” Before a Fancy One
Most people try to build the perfect, colour-coded, Pinterest-worthy budget.
And after a week, they give up because real life doesn’t care about your cute spreadsheet.
Instead, start with a bare minimum budget:
- Rent/mortgage
- Groceries
- Utilities
- Transport
- Non-negotiables such as insurance, basic clothing, and savings
This is the amount you must cover to survive.
Once you’ve got this baseline, everything else becomes flexible—not stressful. It shows you how much space you have left for savings, investing, fun money, and personal goals.
It’s simple, grounding, and perfect for a reset.
What does that amount look like for you?
3.Automate Your Money So You Don’t Think About It
If you want to save or invest consistently, automation is your best friend.
When your savings depend on how disciplined you “feel” that month… well, you know how that goes.
Set up:
- automatic transfers to savings
- automatic investments
- automatic bill payments
Dont leave the fate of your finances up to willpower, or memory, make it easy and let it automatically happen for you.
Here is the proof that it does pay off! Chase your dreams.
4.Split Your Savings Into “Mini Goals” to Stay Motivated
One massive savings goal feels impossible.
Five tiny ones feel achievable.
Break your savings into categories like:
- Emergency fund (this should be 6 month of your bare minimum monthly spending)
- Travel fund
- Home upgrades
- Future you (investing)
- Fun guilt-free money
Label each pot in your banking app.
There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing each category grow. It feels like your money finally has a purpose.
@s.h.e.budgets
5.Do a “No Spend Reset Week” – Not a Whole Month
Look, I love a good financial challenge.
But a whole No Spend Month in January—when life feels cold, dark, and expensive? That’s a recipe for failure.
Try a No Spend Reset Week instead.
For 7 days:
- no takeout
- no impulse snacks
- no random Amazon buys
- no “but it was on sale” moments
It’s short, sharp, and effective. And by the end of it, you’ll feel more in control—not deprived.
6.The 72-Hour Rule for Impulse Buys
This rule is magical.
When you want to buy something, whether it’s online or at the mall, add it to your mental wishlist.
Leave it alone for 72 hours. If you still want it AND it fits your budget, go for it. Most of the time, I’ve already forgotten about it within a day!
And that’s money saved with zero effort.
7.Find it Second Hand
If you’ve followed the 72-hour rule, still think about it, and it doesn’t fit your budget, then you might want to look for it on:
- second-hand platforms
- thrift shops
- or ask someone who might want to sell it (or give it away!).
I personally LOVE Facebook Marketplace and used it to buy my daughter’s toys! I got her THIS jumperoo!
8.Learn to say : I cant afford that, I am saving for x
Learning to say no also applies to budgeting.
If you have friends who always go to fancy dinners, to the movies every weekend, and on expensive vacations that you can’t afford, then you need to learn how to set boundaries for yourself.
Because saying no to them is actually saying no to yourself.
It’s easier if you keep your goal in mind and visualize why you want to save money.
This way, when you have to say no, you have the bigger picture: a debt-free life, that farm in the countryside you’re dreaming of, the horse-riding lessons you’ve always wished for.
9.Take up FREE hobbies
Saving money doesn’t have to be boring. There are plenty of free activities and hobbies that are totally fulfilling.
Go hiking, cycling, most outdoor activities are free, and they keep you healthy!
You will save hundreds!
10.Make a “New Year Rates Check” List
Once a year, check and compare your:
- car insurance
- subscriptions
- internet plan
- phone plan
- energy provider fees
This will help you keep track of your subscriptions and find any better deals.
11.Meal Prep… But Make It Realistic
You do not need to spend your Sundays chopping vegetables like a master chef.
Realistic meal prep looks like:
- batch-cooking one simple meal
- prepping breakfast for the week
- doubling tonight’s dinner
- freezing leftovers
- keeping a drawer of “lazy but healthy” basics (my favorite cheat trick!)
This saves money on groceries, reduces food waste, and protects you from $18 Uber cravings.
I like to meal plan on Sundays and get all my groceries in one go.
@angelika_reichelt
12.Sell 5 Things You Don’t Use Anymore
Not 20. Not a full wardrobe overhaul. Just five things. Everyone has five items lying around worth selling.
My trick is that I don’t start listing the 20 onesies my kid has outgrown and are worth $3; I give them away.
However, the items I sell are worth more than $10 each, so the time I’ve invested in listing and packing them is worth it.
Put them on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or sell them at a yard sale.
13.Start a Side Hustle With One Simple Rule: “Only Start What You Can Maintain”
January is peak side-hustle energy… and by February, 90% of people give up because they started something unsustainable.
Pick something that:
- fits your personality
- fits your schedule
- fits your energy
- fits your skills
- fits your budget
Some low-effort options (I teach them all for free at the links):
- creating digital products
- selling printables
- simple freelance work
- reselling items you already own
- teaching a skill
- offering admin or organisation help
Small, consistent side hustle income adds up fast.
14.Create a “Money Calendar” for the Whole Year
This is a game-changer. Your money calendar can include:
- when you check your budget
- tax deadlines
- insurance renewals
- seasonal expenses
- big purchases (planned!)
- savings milestones
- holiday spending reminders
The whole year suddenly feels manageable instead of chaotic, and you can be sure not to miss any deadlines that could add up fees.
15.Reset Your Mindset: Replace “I Can’t Afford That” With “How Can I Afford It?”
I can’t afford to travel back to my family in Ireland for the holidays. What can I do to afford it?
Maybe I have furniture in the garage, items lying around the house, and old clothes that could sell.
What about a side hustle? Working extra hours in a restaurant.
Ask around, maybe a friend of yours is looking for some help and is willing to pay you for your expertise.
16.Start Your Emergency Fund, Even If It’s Tiny
An emergency fund is when you put money aside for unexpected expenses, such as car bills, losing your job, or house repairs… It’s to give you financial safety in hard times that are not covered by your budget.
Most people avoid starting an emergency fund because they think it needs to be huge.
Start with $100.
Then aim for $300.
Then one month of expenses.
When your emergency fund has started to grow, you can apply the 3-6-9 rule: be able to set aside enough money to cover three, six, or nine months of expenses.
17.Track Your Net Worth (It’s Not as Scary as It Sounds)
Your net worth is simply: what you own – what you owe.
Tracking it monthly shows:
- your progress
- your debts decreasing
- your savings growing
- your investments compounding
Even if the number is negative, watching it improve is extremely motivating.
18.Give Your Money a Purpose
The keys to my new house. A mortgage-free home. The purpose behind my savings.
Money without purpose gets spent without intention.
Ask yourself:
“What do I want my money to do for me this year?”
Maybe it’s:
- freedom
- travel
- less stress
- home improvements
- a business
- financial security
Once your money has meaning, your habits naturally shift.
Final Thoughts: Resetting Your Money Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated
The New Year isn’t about reinventing yourself.
It’s about gently steering your financial life back on track.
- Pick 3–5 hacks from this list and try them this month.
- Not all 15.
- Not perfection.
- Just progress.
Because small money habits become big transformations when you stick to them—one step at a time.
Share with me your best financial life hacks to reset your new year and track your progress!
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