The beginning of a new year is the best time if you want to start your financial life with a clean slate. Staying on top of your finances is quite complicated because of soaring inflation. You are to build an emergency cushion, pay off debts, or increase savings for planned expenses.

No matter how savvy money management is, you cannot stop contributing to emergency cushions and stashing away for planned expenses. There are so many financial goals you may want to set and achieve, but it is all but impracticable to keep putting effort into achieving them all.

Therefore, priority is a must. If you take advice from financial experts, they will recommend focusing on one at a time. Otherwise, you will find it so overwhelming that you will give up before you start.

The key to sticking to your goal is that they should be realistic. Since each of you has a unique financial condition, no one-size-fits-all approach will work for you. Try not to compare your progress with others because your problem could be more serious, and your financial condition may not be as good as they have.

 Here are the financial resolutions you should make in 2023 and ways to accomplish them:

Improve your savings

You should have a good level of savings because it can help meet emergencies when you are in a tight spot. One of the best advantages of having handsome savings is that they can help you meet your expenses when you lose your job or come across a big problem like medical expenses.

If you are looking to give your savings a boost, you should be more strategic with your spending. You will have to analyze your spending. Unless you keep tabs on your outgoings, you will not have an idea of whether there are chances of cutting back on your spending.

Use a budgeting app to see how much you spend in a particular month. Make a list of variable and discretionary expenses. Evaluate how much you can cut back on them. The money you save can be transferred to your emergency cushion.

Here are the tips on how you can cut back on your spending:

• Get rid of subscription plans that you no longer use.
• Buy groceries from thrift stores. Take advantage of offers and schemes.
• Save electricity by turning off lights and fans when you are not in the room.
• Shop for clothes, shoes, etc. only when you need them.
• Identify the difference between needs and wants and take control over impulsive purchases.

You can intensify your savings by taking control of your spending.

Pay off debt

You cannot do up your fiancés unless you come up with a repayment plan for your debts. Whether it is a credit card bill or simply bad credit loans, you should settle them as soon as possible. They should be your first priority when it comes to improving your financial condition.

You will decide on the repayment method based on the amount of debt you have taken on. There are two types of methods – debt snowball and debt avalanche. Based on your current financial condition, you can choose between them.

However, if you do not have too much debt, you can handle them all together. If some of the debts go unpaid, make sure you clear all credit card bills and payday debt, as they are very expensive. If you find it hard to manage all debts together, you can think of taking out debt consolidation loans for bad credit from a direct lender.

Consolidation loans are personal loans. These funding sources can merge all outstanding dues into one large loan. This debt will help pay off all dues once and for all, and then you will have left only this large loan to be paid off over a number of installments.

Once you have cleared all your dues, make sure you do not stop keeping tabs on your spending. If you end up spending more than you should, you will eventually fall into debt. It is important to note that your credit score will be very weak.

Make sure you take a break from borrowing money, so no new inquiries take a further toll on it. Your credit score will not improve automatically even if you do not take out a loan for a year, but it will not affect a lender’s decision while loaning you money.

Build an emergency fund

More than half of people struggle to have an emergency cushion. You can dip into this rainy-day fund when you come across unexpected expenses. The emergency cushion is required to meet expenses that are unpredictable. You will need these funds if you fall sick or lose your job.

It is crucial to note that savings and emergency cushions are two different things. The former aims to meet planned expenses like wedding expenses, down payment for a house or car, vacation, etc. You should not dip into your emergency cushion if you need money for such expenses.

Try to build a rainy-day fund separately from the savings account for planned expenses. This will help you manage both expenses from your pocket.

Save for retirement

Needless to mention, you should start money for retirement as soon as possible. Even if you are in your 20s, just start it. The sooner, the better. Note that your retirement funds are absolutely different from the emergency corpus and other savings. You cannot dip into them for any planned expenses.

If your employer has a pension scheme, make sure you take advantage of it. Do not hesitate to contribute more if you can. If your employer does not provide this facility, you should use a private pension scheme.

Look for investing prospects too. If you are a risk-aversion personality, you should buy a fixed deposit. It is safer than stocks and property and will let you earn a good amount of interest every year. This will help you meet your living cost in the golden years of your life.

The bottom line

Every year you make new resolutions. In 2023, you should pledge to improve your finances. You can create a budget and cut back on your expenses. Do not forget to pay off your debts. The sooner you pay off; the sooner your finances will be in control.

Build an emergency cushion, set aside money for retirement, and invest money. If you make realistic goals, you will undoubtedly be able to create a budget.

Description: Financial resolutions to make in 2023 should include creating a budget, saving for retirement, building an emergency cushion, paying off debt, and building retirement funds.