January can be an exciting time for most people, but not everyone gets motivated with a new year.
The January Blues is a common thing most people face from post-holiday bliss, cold weather, longer evenings, and financial stress.
It’s easy to think we will go into the same habits as last year, from never losing that weight or saving for your emergency fund.
However, when it comes to finances, the January Money Blues can make you think that this is another year to go broke, but this doesn’t have to be your reality.
If you set goals and work towards other goals throughout the year, you can end up in a much better financial position in the new year.
6 Ways You Can Avoid the January Blues
1. Set a Financial Goal
One of the best ways to beat the January Money Blues is to set a financial goal.
Setting a SMART goal towards a certain finance goal can help you stay motivated. If you make your goal specific and something manageable you will be more likely to reach that goal throughout the year.
When you set a goal, you are giving yourself something to work on during the year instead of being upset about your current financial situation. It’s easy to be upset about where our finances are and tell yourself you will never get into a better financial situation.
Instead, set a small goal for a month and once you reach that, set a bigger goal. Keep doing this until you feel like you can handle a larger financial goal.
2. Be a mindful shopper
Learn how to be a mindful and smart shopper.
It is so easy to quickly go through your extra money if you don’t pay attention to your spending habits. If you have had months where you don’t know how you have no money left often at the end of the month, then you are not a mindful shopper.
The first thing to do is track your spending, especially if you’ve never tracked your spending before. This will give you a closer look at where you spend your money and how much you are spending.
Once you are aware of your spending, you can take this to the next level and find more ways to be a smart shopper.
For example, you can buy only on sales and coupons or make a list and not buy anything outside of your list. This will ensure you aren’t spending on extra things while you are shopping and help you save as much money as possible. Another great tip is to avoid shopping on an empty stomach.
3. Clean out your house
During the cold, dark winter months, spend time cleaning out your house.
This is a good time to go through the things you haven’t used in months (maybe even years). This can help you spend your time doing something that you’ve probably been putting off, as well as find things you can sell for some extra money.
Most people have a decent amount of items that they never used or are no longer being used. If you have these items, you can sell them on Facebook Marketplace or Mercari so they can go to a new home instead of a landfill and help you turn your junk into cash.
4. Focus on your health
A great way to help you get out of the January Blues is to focus on your health by eating right, exercising more, and sleeping better.
These things don’t have to ruin your budget. If you eat out a lot, cutting this out of your budget will save you so much money. You can use part of that money for your groceries and learn how to cook healthier food.
If you live in an apartment, try to use your apartment gym. If you don’t have an apartment gym or a home, find workouts that you can do for free on YouTube or start going on walks. Focusing on these areas of your health can help you reduce your stress and have the energy to focus on your financial goals.
5. Plan for something exciting
Instead of focusing on things that will upset you, try to focus on something that will make you excited.
This will help you stay motivated and stick to all of your other plans. For example, you can focus on a big project that you can work on throughout the year or plan a big vacation (if you have the savings for this).
This is a great time to learn a new skill as well. If you want to learn how to sew or learn a new language, this is a good time to focus on that. As you make progress, you’ll be motivated in other areas of your life.
6. Volunteer
If you have free time, find an organization to volunteer for.
You can volunteer with a soup club, nonprofit, or even the library. This is a good time to help your community and will give you more empathy towards others and even yourself. Volunteering is a great use of time over shopping or scrolling on social media.
You can decide if you want to volunteer once a week, once a month, or multiple times a month.
Final thoughts
A new year can come with a lot of motivation as well as a lot of self-doubt.
It’s easy to feel like any goal you make will not actualize, but there are steps you can take and small habits that you can build on to help you reach your goal. Focus on these habits and spend your time helping others.
You’ll be about to get out the January Blues feeling more energized and read for the Spring.