Your Money Reset Part 5: Build Habits That Make Your Plan Stick

If you’ve made it this far in the money reset series, pause.

Take a second to notice how far you’ve come.

• You’ve looked honestly at where your money has been.
• You’ve unpacked your money story and clarified what truly matters to you.
• You’ve envisioned the life you want and turned that vision into real goals.
• And you’ve built a budget that supports those goals in your everyday life.

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That’s a lot of work. And it’s not small work either.

It takes intention, reflection, and courage to look at your finances this closely!

You should be so proud of yourself for showing up and doing the work.

But here’s the part that often gets overlooked.

A financial plan, on its own, doesn’t change your life.

What actually changes your life are the small things you do again and again, consistently.

That’s where habits come in.

Habits are where intention meets reality

Most of us don’t struggle with money because we’re clueless.

We struggle because we’re human.

Money decisions happen when you’re stressed, hungry, bored, celebrating, procrastinating, and the list goes on…

Habits remove that friction.

They take decisions you want to make and turn them into actions you make automatically.

Not perfectly. Not every day.

But often enough to matter and make a difference.

This isn’t about discipline or forcing yourself to “be better” with money.

It’s about designing habits that work with your life, your energy, and your reality — instead of against them.

Start small (smaller than you think)

The biggest mistake people make with money habits is going big on Day 1.

New year. New spreadsheet. New you.

Track everything! Optimise everything!

Fix your entire life by January 1st!

And then… it’s a tired Tuesday, and the spreadsheet becomes a guilt document.

So let’s do the opposite.

Pick habits that feel almost silly because they’re so easy.

The goal is not impressive. The goal is repeatable.

Try one of these “too small to fail” habits:

• The 10-second check: Open your bank app once a day. Just look. No judging.
• The pause purchase: Put anything non-essential in your basket and wait 24–48 hours.
• The “pay me first” transfer: Automatic transfer on payday — even a tiny amount.

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Small habits don’t look impressive but they’re incredible powerful.

Focus on awareness before optimisation

Before you try to improve your finances, focus on noticing them.

Awareness is the foundation of every good money habit. Without it, change becomes guesswork.

That awareness might look like:

• Looking at your balance regularly
• Knowing when your bills go out
• Paying attention to how spending actually makes you feel

You don’t need to judge or fix anything yet. Just noticing is enough to create movement.

Once you’re aware, better decisions tend to follow naturally — without forcing them.

You don’t need to judge or fix anything yet. Just noticing creates change.

Once you’re aware, better decisions follow naturally.

Build habits that support your budget

Your budget from Part Four is your plan. Habits are how you live it.

Ask yourself:

• What small habit would make my budget easier to follow?
• Where do I usually lose momentum and how could I add support there?

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For example:

• If saving feels hard → automate it
• If spending feels chaotic → add a pause before buying
• If money feels stressful → check in more often, not less

Track progress — not perfection

One of the fastest ways to lose motivation is to focus only on what you didn’t do.

I’m definitely guilty of this myself. I tend to fixate on the things I missed instead of all the moments where I actually showed up. And it’s something I’m still working on.

One thing that’s really helped me, especially after listening to the Money Confidence podcast here in the app, is learning to track my wins instead.

So what does that look like in practice?

You can do this by keeping a simple note on your phone called “Money Wins.”

Tracking your wins is about becoming aware of everything you do, not just what you don’t.

Those moments count.

They deserve to be noticed and honestly, celebrated.

That’s where real progress starts.

Let habits evolve with you

The habits that work for you now won’t necessarily work forever.

Your life will change. Your income will change. Your priorities will shift.

That’s not failure - that’s growth.

That’s why it’s key to revisit your money habits regularly and ask:

• Does this still support my life?
• Does it still feel realistic?

You’re allowed to adjust. A flexible habit is a sustainable habit.

Action: choose one money habit to begin with

Now, it’s time to get down to business.

Choose one habit that feels supportive right now.

Something small. Something realistic.

Something you’re willing to return to.

Start there.

When that habit feels natural, you can add another. And then another — slowly, at your own pace.

A softer way to move forward

Your financial reset doesn’t end here.

It continues in the everyday moments, when you check your account, make a choice, or decide to show up for your future self again.

Real change doesn’t come from doing everything at once.

It comes from small, consistent actions, repeated gently over time.

You don’t need perfection.You need consistency.

And you’ve already started.

Here’s to 2026.

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