Starting a new year means setting goals again, the kind you probably will never keep, feeling motivated, making plans, new energy. Believing everything is going great, but with a knot in your stomach. January is that month when absolutely everyone avoids opening their banking app to see how much they have spent since November, right? Expenses, expenses, and more expenses, the credit card smoking and you not knowing if you really have enough to survive the first month of the year. That is why we are here today, we are going to give you some tips so you can start the year without financial stress.
It is not just about money
We already know that when the bank account is doing badly, everything goes badly. You sleep worse, you are more irritable, you argue much more, and any small expense, and if it is unexpected, even worse, feels like a threat. At the end of the year, and therefore at the beginning of the next one, it feels even worse. Gifts, social commitments, family meals all mix together, and that “I work for this” that has gotten us into so many holes. Spoiler: you can spend your money on whatever you want, but you have to anticipate it.
Saving does not make you less happy
It seems that the more we spend and the more we do, the happier we will be, maybe because of pressure, it is called capitalism, wanting to get attention from others, or who knows. You do not need to look good to anyone but yourself, you do not need to celebrate more than others or give more or more expensive gifts. We are completely immersed in a culture of comparison and it seems everything has to be perfect and expensive.
That is the first mistake. You have to accept that affection is not measured in dollars, and that any impulsive expense sometimes only covers up an uncomfortable moment, but it lasts for several weeks.
We need to talk about budgets
Having a budget is not something bad or living limited, it is knowing where you are standing and how much you can spend, precisely to avoid scares later. When we talk about budgets, we mean budgets for everything: Christmas gifts, shipping, travel, possible subscriptions you have. Everything is getting more expensive and our salaries do not rise as much as inflation, so it is important to measure how much we can or cannot spend, and if we cannot be at the level of our friends or family, that is fine.
Avoid the jungle
With prices the way they are, you should not spend like crazy, it is not an option. A trick we can give you is that first you make a list of what you want to buy and think for several days about whether you need it or if it is really a craving that can be replaced with something cheaper. Of course, we are not talking about basic necessities here.
If you think what you want to buy is an impulse, then wait and compare prices, wait for sales, and above all ask yourself if it adds something real to your life or if it is just a whim you will regret.
Prioritizing is not depriving yourself, it is choosing better, and when you choose better, saving stops feeling like a punishment.
Learn to say “no”
It does not cost anything to understand that you cannot be part of every plan and you do not have to. It is hard to accept, but everyone has their own reality, and if in yours you cannot afford something, it is important to make it clear that you cannot take part in that plan, and that does not make you “less fun”.