Spring Cleaning Your Finances: How to Cut Waste and Reprioritise Spending.

Spring is in the air! And just like you might freshen up your home, your wardrobe, or your backyard, now’s the perfect time for spring cleaning your finances too. A little tidy-up can help you cut waste, make smarter spending choices, and refocus your money on what actually matters to you.

Here are a few ideas to get started.

Step 1: Dust Off Your Bank Statements.

Start spring cleaning your finances by fishing out your bank and credit card statements from the last few months. Go through them line by line and look at where your money is really going – not just where you think it’s going.

👉 Look for:

• Subscriptions you’ve forgotten about
• Regular charges you don’t use or need
• Small daily expenses that add up (hello, multiple streaming services and twice-a-day coffee runs)

Step 2: Declutter Unused Subscriptions & Identify Repeat Offenders.

The gym you haven’t been to since Easter. The magazine you never read. The apps quietly siphoning a few dollars every month. It’s time to unsubscribe, cancel, or downgrade.

While spring cleaning your finances, also keep your eyes peeled for the apps and subscriptions you might be using a bit too much. You know, Uber eats three nights a week. Over time, ‘nice-to-haves’ can sneak into your regular spending without you even realising.

💡 Quick Tip: Your banking app may already categorise your spending – hop in and see if you can spot patterns and recurring charges quickly.

Step 3: Revisit Your Priorities.

Spring cleaning your finances is a great chance to step back and revisit your priorities. Once you’ve cleared out the cobwebs and know where things stand, it’s time to consider where you actually want your money to go. Maybe you’re saving for a holiday, looking to buy a home, paying off debt or just building up your savings or your super balance.

One of the easiest ways to reset (or reaffirm) your priorities is to simply ask yourself:

• Do I really need this?
• Does this still bring me joy or value?
• Could this money go towards something more important to me?

This isn’t about cutting out all the fun – it’s about making conscious choices about your dollars, ensuring they don’t just slip away unnoticed.

Whatever you’re aiming for, spring is a great reset point. So set some fresh financial goals and direct your spending toward them.

💡 Helpful Hint: Try the ‘stop, start, continue’ method by categorising your spending as:

• Stop: to avoid spending that doesn’t add value
• Start: to give focus to new priorities
• Continue: to celebrate and build on what’s working well

Step 4: Refresh Your Budget.

Just like your house gets cluttered over time, so can your household budget. Things change – your priorities, your bills, your income, you.

Take a moment to ask yourself:

• Am I spending in line with my current priorities?
• Have my income, living costs, or debt repayments changed?
• Am I actively putting money towards things I care about (like travel, home ownership, or future security)?

💡 New to budgeting? If you’ve never had a budget, now is a great time to start! Even a simple one can give you heaps more control. So start simple: track what’s coming in, what’s going out, and what’s left.

If you’re struggling with getting your budget moving, a trusted financial adviser can be a great resource, cheerleader and accountability coach.

Step 5: Do a Policy and Product Check-Up.

While you’re in spring-cleaning mode, check:

• Energy, utilities and phone plans – are your current plans still right for your needs? Or could you get a better deal?
• Home, contents and vehicle insurance – are you properly covered? Are there products that might better suit your needs?
• Personal insurance – are you still on the right level of cover? Has your income, health or family situation changed?
• Your bank accounts – are you still happy with your institution and its values? Are service and fees reasonable?
• Your super fund – are you happy with your fund’s ethics? Fees? Are you holding multiple accounts that could be consolidated?
• Your home loan – how are your rates? Are repayments comfortable? Are there other product features you might like? If it’s been a while, speak to a mortgage broker to see if they can assist.

💡 Quick Win: Comparison websites can help you quickly see if you’re getting a good deal or if it might be worth exploring other options. For Bank and Superannuation comparisons, we also love the Market Forces website which lets you see if (and how much) your bank or superfund invests in fossil fuels.

Step 6: Tidy Up Your Paperwork (Or Go Digital).

Your financial spring clean is a great time to:

• Shred old paperwork you no longer need to retain
• Set up digital folders for your financial records
• File essential documents securely
• Take a fresh back up copy of digital financial records
• Switch to paperless statements

Less clutter = less stress. Plus many businesses now charge a paper or admin fee for paper-based documentation. So making the switch to digital can save you real dollars.

Step 7: Refresh Your Passwords and Account Security.

While spring cleaning your finances, you’ll likely log into all your accounts. So that makes it the perfect time to tidy up your digital security.

Take a moment to:

• Update your passwords – If you use a password manager, like Lastpass, this can be a very quick and easy task. You can also consider using a passphrase instead of a password for added security. Just be sure to use a random generator to ensure your passwords are truly ‘random’. Never use the old favourites like birthdays, children or pet names.
• Set up two-factor authentication (2FA) – make sure 2FA is enabled on your key accounts (like banking, email, and social media) for an extra layer of protection.
• Check your recovery details – make sure your backup phone number and email address are correct, so you can quickly reset your password if needed.
• Know what to do in an emergency – time is of the essence if your phone is ever stolen or your accounts are compromised. So read a bit about what to do in an emergency.

🔒 Important: It’s rare for bank accounts to be ‘hacked’ by brute force. They’re usually compromised because someone accidentally shares a password or clicks a dodgy link.

Never share your passwords – even with people you trust – and always think twice before clicking.

Step 8: Diarise Important Appointments & Reminders.

Your finances don’t run on autopilot. So use the end of your financial spring clean to get important appointments and reminders locked into your diary.

• Contact your accountant to book in your tax appointment
• Book in a review with your financial adviser

Then when you’re done, diarise next year’s spring clean and set times to:

• Review your budget
• Audit your bills, super, insurance, home loan and bank accounts
• Refresh your spending priorities and financial goals
• Destroy old paperwork and take a digital back up
• Check in on your account security

The Bottom Line: Spring Cleaning Your Finances Lightens the Load for the Year Ahead.

Spring cleaning your finances isn’t about restriction – it’s about clearing out the cobwebs, cutting waste, and focusing your energy (and your money) on what actually matters to you.

Start small. One subscription cancelled, one bill renegotiated, one password reset, one step at a time – and you’ll build real momentum and better habits for next year.