6 January 2026

Is this January or Januworry for you?

Today's Money Spark - January Financial Refresh

Most people feel stretched in early January. If you overspent in December, you probably weren’t being reckless (unless you were - sorry, friend, try better next time 😊). January is also a time when professionals in private practice may have experienced a dip in their income at the most expensive time of the year. In over-spending, you were probably trying to create memories, joy, or a sense of abundance for the family. That means your nervous system was responding to invisible pressure such as internal stories, family expectations, and social cues.

The January Financial Refresh isn’t about 2-minute noodles or starting the year on a rigid plan that feels like a New Year's Resolution. It’s about paying attention to what is happening in your bank account right now. When you can look at what happened without judgement, your mind will start to clear and a plan will emerge.

Here are some things to try this week to Refresh:

1. Open your Online Banking and look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Look at your bank balance, credit card statement, and transaction history from November and December 2025. Then ask yourself: What’s the damage? What triggered those spends? Notice your patterns. Also notice the gap between what you need this month and what you have to work with.

2. Pick your poisons

Choose at least three areas to pull back on. Think takeaways, top-up grocery shops, Seattle iced coffee, Woolies pre-cut veg, chocolate and biscuits, casual spending - pick your poisons. Keep one small thing that feels good. It’s not about punishment even if you were reckless. For the rest of the cut-backs, find new ways to meet the needs underneath the spend.

3. January Cheappie Meals (you ate too much of the good stuff in December anyway)

Make meals that feel generous without costing a fortune. Eggs, beans, rice, dhal, and veggies are all stars of the show. Here’s a list of budget-friendly but delicious ideas to get started from the Woolies Taste magazine.

The free January Financial Refresh Checklist is a checklist designed for women who overspent in December and don't want to spend January beating themselves up about it.

"The first month of the year | A perfect time to start all over again | Changing energies and deserting old moods,| New beginnings, new altitudes" - Charmaine Forde

On the personal front, I have something exciting to look forward to in 2026 :-) My daughter Ryanne is having her first child and my first grandchild!

The whole family is besides itself with excitement and the photo below shows me on Christmas Day with my paper crown drinking tea from my "Omi" mug. I have decided that the Omi name is my alternative to "Granny", "Ouma", or "Grandma". I hope my little Australian grandchild manages to get their tongue around that and I don't end up with "Onion" as a name or something.... lol

Have a wonderful day, and thank you for reading this Money Spark. With these mini-newsletters I hope to inspire busy self-employed women who have limited time, but also a burning desire to nail their finances and work towards financial freedom one tiny step at a time.