37 Financial Self-Care Examples
Financial Self Care
Self-care means taking care of yourself as you need to, to be healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Financial self-care is taking care of your finances, which affords you the ability to take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
As a financial therapist, I’ve heard so many inventive examples of financial self-care, that I have to share with you. These examples are meant to get the wheels turning; to inspire you to think about how you practice financial self-care, and see if there are any exercises you already use or can modify to be a better fit.
37 Examples of Financial Self-Care Practices
Have Money Dates. A money date is where you sit down (solo or if you’re partnered with your partner) and have a date with your finances. You can do these money dates at home on the couch, you can go out, or do them on a walk! Whatever works best for you. While the theme of each money date can vary (for example, long-term planning like reviewing retirement contributions, to short-term bill automation), the goal is to get comfortable regularly reviewing your money so you know what’s coming in, what’s going out, and that you are actively moving forward toward your values-based goals.
Make automation work for you. I'm a fan of letting the robots do the heavy lifting by turning on automation whenever possible. I have auto-saving set up to move money from my checking account to various savings accounts once per month. My high-yield savings accounts include an emergency fund, gift fund, travel fund, sinking fund, and whatever additional short-term goal I’m working toward. I also have my bills set to autopay, and investments set up to be bought automatically as well,
Start a Money Club. Gather a group of folks together for a monthly meeting to talk about all things money. You can rotate the theme, e.g. one month talking about meal prep hacks and another month talking about investment strategies. We know that having a community of people you can openly talk about money with decreases the shame of engaging with money and pairing it with something fun like a mocktail and conversations is a great way to go about it.
Start a Money Book Club. This is a book club with a financial theme. Each month, you read a money-related book and discuss it together with others in the club. If you need a finance book to get you started, you can check out mine The Financial Anxiety Solution.
Go on a Shopping Spree. If you love to shop as a hobby, a form of self-care, or just for fun, I don’t want you to give them up. However, let’s find a way to shop that doesn’t leave you with a financial hangover. Before heading out to your favorite store, decide how much you can safely spend and are comfortable spending. Take that exact amount out of the atm, and leave your debit and credit cards at home. Doing a shopping spree with some built-in buffering can mimic the spontaneity you might get from a shopping spree, while still allowing you to have the experience of browsing and finding the perfect item to bring home.
Mental Health Drives, with a Money Twist. This is a drive (or walk, or bus ride) where you get to dream about what you want your relationship with money to look like, your future financial goals, and how you want things to unfold financially for the year to come.
Rent Clothes Instead of Buying. I love renting clothes instead of buying them. As a person who consistently rotates through three shades of grey tops, renting clothes lets me play around with new pieces, dip my toe in the water of bolder choices, and is easier on my wallet and the environment.
I personally love Rent The Runway’s monthly membership where I rent 4 pieces per month. If you’ve never used the services before, you can get 40% off your first month by using my affiliate link!
Buy Pre-Owned. Buying pre-loved items from clothes, to albums, and books are another great way to reduce waste and to go easy on your wallet.
For pre-loved clothes, I’m obsessed with Thred Up. I love that you can sort by “New with Tags” and by brands that you know you already love. I also love that they will send you a closet clean-out bag. Simply fill up the bag with gently used items you no longer wear, need, or love. It comes with a prepaid shipping label, so USPS will just grab it and take it off. If they want to buy some of your clothes, they will give you money in the event that they sell them, but if not, they ethically and sustainably recycle them. So it's a win-win and is so much better than driving around with a giant garbage bag full of clothes in your trunk for months on end.Have a Swap Party. Rally your friends or neighbors around and host a swap party! A swap party is when you gather folks together and ask everyone to bring items that they aren’t using or loving anymore. The caveat is that they must be items that are in good enough condition to be comfortable enough to swap with someone else. To make it the most impactful, have a theme. E.g. kitchen items, books and records, or kids’ clothing.
Mock Interviews. Having mock interviews with friends or family to help you prepare for a job interview or a salary negotiation.
Look At Your Money Regularly. Regularly can be different for everyone. For some people, they like to look at their money daily. For others, they like to look weekly or monthly, but just having that consistent cadence of checking in.
Wait to Finalize a Purchase. Everyone’s version of “waiting” can be tailored to meet their unique needs based on temperament or neurodivergence. Several common rules of thumb are waiting anywhere from 24-48 hours to make a purchase.
For me, I do this a little bit more strategically. Annually on my birthday, I take inventory of items I’d love to buy that year for myself. Anything from a skincare tool to a pair of new boots is fair game. I keep that short list of items on my phone, and then, throughout the course of the year if I’m out and about and eye something I love, I cross-check it against that birthday list. If the item is on that list and is reasonably priced, I give myself permission to buy! If not, I sit for 24-48 hours before deciding if it’s something I need or just wanted in the heat of the moment.
Bring in a Third Party. Bringing in a professional–or at least an outside third party–to talk money is incredibly important. Whether you meet with a financial planner, estate lawyer, or money coach, getting a neutral and objective person to ensure you’re on track to achieve your goals is a great way to practice proactive financial self-care.
Listen to Money Podcasts. I host Mind Money Balance, the podcast all about helping you understand the intersection of mental health and money. Other favorite shame-free money podcasts include Popcorn Finance, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, So Money, and Afford Anything.
Use Apps that Round Up. Join an app that automatically rounds up your purchase to the next dollar, and that change will automatically be saved toward a savings goal!
Donate to Causes that Matter. Whether you donate monthly, quarterly, or annually, using your dollars to support organizations, non-profits, and grassroots political organizations is an powerful act of financial self-care.
Heal Your Relationship With Money. Rewrite your money story, release money shame, and create a healthy way of engaging with your finances. Learn more about money shame here.
Take a Course for Fun. Scratch that creative muscle and do something just for the fun of it. Enroll in an online course or local recreation course to learn anything from a new language to mocktail mixing, rug weaving, or playing an instrument.
Swap Services. Swap babysitting, petsitting, or housesitting with friends and neighbors as a way to build community care and save on expenses.
Participate in a No Spend Challenge. Cut spending for a particular amount of time (e.g., no spending aside from expenses for the month of February) or a particular type of purchase (e.g., no kombucha from the work café for a week) to see how much you can stack up. Note: sometimes, no spend challenges trigger all-or-nothing thinking (as in “I’m good at saving” when you don’t spend and “I’m bad at saving” if you make a mistake), so tread cautiously or skip this one if you tend to fall into all-or-nothing thinking.
Join a Dry Month Challenge. Omit a substance or habit for a month–see what happens if you cut out drinking, smoking, or caffeine for a short time. You never know! It might stick! As always, when we are talking about health, please check in with your primary care provider to make sure that you do this in a safe way. If you struggle with substance use issues, it’s especially important to get professional help.
Know Your Credit. Use a service like Credit Karma to check your credit score, learn what factors impact it, and ensure that everything on your credit report is legitimate.
Making Your Own Lux Food Items. Try your hand at brewing beer, fermenting cabbage to make kimchi or baking sourdough.
Set FUN goals. Set goals that are Flexile, Uplifting, and Number-less. I’ll let disability advocate Emily Ladau tell you more here.
Practice Financial Gratitude. Pause to acknowledge how far you’ve come financially, what your money affords you, and the little wins you’ve won.
Max Out Your Retirement. Top off your Roth IRA or bump up your 401k to max them out. The earlier in your life you can do this, the better, but even adding an extra $10-20 each month will help move the needle with the power of compound interest.
Visualize Your Growth. Pause and imagine where you want to be financially in a year. What does it feel like to have achieved those goals? What needs to change to help you get there?
Read Money Books. Of course, we only read money books that acknowledge our whole selves, the systems and play, and the limitations of capitalism. I love Finance For the People, It’s Not About the Money, and The Art of Money.
Rename Savings Accounts. Instead of “Savings Account -6773,” or whatever generic name your credit union defaults your account to, rename it in alignment with what that savings account is for. If it’s an emergency fund, try naming it a “Safety Net” fund, or a “FU Money” account. A travel fund becomes “Summer in Europe,” or “Reunion weekend!”
Celebrate Your Milestones. Toast with friends when you’ve landed a new job, break out the good chocolate when you update your resume, or light a bonfire when you’ve finalized that student loan payment.
Journal About Finances. This is a great way to kind of track what's going on, what your emotions are around money, what your financial wins are, and kind of see the progress of them overall.
Follow Shame-Free Money Folks. And loving permission to unfollow anyone who makes you feel like sh*t or peddles lies like this.
Attend Therapy. Therapy can be short-term to work through a particular problem or life stressor, or it can be longer to have someone available as you navigate life. I’ve been in and out of therapy since I was 16, and I love knowing I can return to get mental and emotional help whenever I need it. When you start engaging with your money, there are bound to be feelings and emotions that could use some expert navigation.
Care for Your Physical Self. Join a gym, rally friends to make a walking club, or stream a YouTube workout in a way that addresses your unique body’s needs.
Hire a Financial Therapist or Money Coach. If you’re working through a particular money headache or need some handholding toward a financial goal, hiring an emotionally-focused money pro could be the thing to do.
Get Dirty. Start composting food scraps, plant a veggie garden, or raise backyard chickens!
Auto-increase Retirement Contributions. If you’re traditionally employed, make sure you opt-in to auto-increase your retirement savings, and if you’re self-employed, set a reminder to increase them annually!
This is just the tipping point to help you understand various financial self-care practices to help you get your mind and money in balance.
More Financial Self Care
This list is just the tipping point to help you understand various financial self-care practices to help you get your mind and money in balance.
As a financial therapist who regularly facilitates financial wellness workshos, I've seen how individuals light up when they learn about new ways to practice financial self-care. These workshops are usually hosted with lots of opportunities for interaction and sharing, which help normalize and validate our experiences with money. If you’re interested in bringing me into your workplace or organization, I’d love to think through weather a workshop, presentation, keynote, or retreat session makes the most sense for you! Learn more and inquire about bringing me in here:
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