top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureLaura Donovan

New Year Means New Habits

We can’t believe it’s already almost February! Where did the first month of the year go?


A new year is a great time to start some new habits AND change some others. In this post, we share 3 habits to start, and 3 habits to stop to make 2022 a great year for your finances!


NEW YEAR / NEW HABITS – 3 Great habits to start and 3 habits to stop in 2022:

3 Great Habits to Start (if you haven’t already)


Build an emergency fund… in 3 simple steps:

If you’re just getting started on saving an emergency fund – here is a really simple way to start.

  1. Set a goal for your emergency fund. While many recommend somewhere between 3 – 6 months worth of living expenses – start with a goal that is meaningful AND do-able to you!

  2. Open a new bank account that’s solely dedicated for the emergency fund

  3. Set up an auto transfer at least once a month for whatever dollar amount makes sense to you and your financial picture.

Once it’s set up – your emergency fund will grow on autopilot. As it’s growing – resist the temptation to dip into these savings unless it is for an actual emergency.

Make 2022 the year you finally understand how credit scores work and why having a good credit score is important. There’s ton of information and resources available to you on learning about this topic. Once you understand how credit scores are calculated, you can work on increasing and/or maintaining your score over time.

Let’s start (or continue) being intentional and mindful with our spending choices.


The world is not going back to the way things were pre-March of 2020 – your spending & savings habits don’t have to either. As we enter 2022 – let’s be mindful of what spending habits we can leave behind in the pre-covid years, and which we choose to take with us into 2022.

3 habits to stop in 2022:

#1: Stop believing that it’s “too complicated” to understand basic money questions and concepts. If you’re reading this, I promise that you are more than capable of learning the basics. To keep it simple, pick one money question that you want to understand better and do a little bit of research on just that one topic. Not entirely sure what your 401(k) is? How compound interest works? What does APR even mean? A quick search will teach you the basics. Start with one question each month. Over time, your understanding and confidence will grow! You’ve got this!

#2 Stop the subscription madness!

These small monthly costs really do add up.

Take ½ an hour at the beginning of this new year and go through all the subscriptions you’re currently paying a fee for and ask yourself:

1. Is it something you actually use?

2. Does it improve the quality of your life?

Not sure if you would answer yes? Try canceling it for one month and seeing if you miss it. You can always turn it back on.

#3 Stop having “lazy” financial goals. What do I mean by lazy? Goals that aren’t measurable or definable. For example, for folks who say: “I want to save more” - what does “more” even mean?

If you have financial goals for 2022 – get specific with them. Turn “I want to save more” into “I will save 100.00 a month for the next 6 months.” I want to build an emergency fund becomes – “I want 3 months of my living expenses saved in an emergency fund by the end of the year.” You get the idea.

Last thing to point out: If you’re already doing some (or all) of these things – think about what will help take you & your money to the next level.

Maybe it’s researching / reading more articles. Maybe it’s subscribing to a new to you money podcast. Maybe it’s meeting with a financial professional. One thing is for certain, we can always keep growing & improving when it comes to our financial goals.

What Catherine & Laura are reading this month:

Catherine:

Atomic Habits by James Clear.

“For January, our focus is all around habits – creating new habits and getting them to stick. This book goes through a step-by-step process for how to do just that – and is a really fun read. Win win.”

Laura:

Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee. “This book focuses on how our environments can affect our emotions and happiness. One of my goals for 2022 is to live more joyfully – and I love that this book focuses on teaching tips for creating more joy in our daily lives by reimagining our physical spaces.”

What’s happening next month:


We’re diving into money & relationships for the month of February. How & when to have the money talk with your significant other? When does it make sense to combine finances - and what does that even mean? What to do if one of you loves saving and one of you loves spending?


Save the date: Wednesday Feb 16th, 5:30pm


Register here!


bottom of page