*Disclosure: This guest post is sponsored by CO-OP Financial Services.

Just a couple weeks ago marked the first day of summer! In celebration of the new season, maybe it’s time to shed your money mistakes of the past and jump start that financial cleanse that’s been on your mind.

Who knows –  this cleanse may be able to help you put this saved money towards paying off looming debt, save up for an emergency fund or maybe even an end of summer getaway!

Whatever the reason, it might be time for a money do-over. Here are 6 steps for you to kick off summer with a financial cleanse

Track your spending.

While it may sound tedious, start by monitoring your spending. This will help you see where your money is going and to pinpoint any “money pits,” areas in your budget where you’re spending too much. These days, there are plenty of great budgeting apps at your disposal to make it easy.

While tracking your spending gives you information on your spending woes and saving wins, it’s putting the work into changing your habits so you become a successful saver that makes the ultimate difference.

Take inventory of what you have.

While taking inventory of your possessions, use it as an opportunity to do some de-cluttering. It’s a great way to see firsthand how much stuff you end up not using and can stop you from buying stuff you don’t need.

To start your purge, you can apply Marie Kondo’s ever-popular KonMari Method. Make sure you get rid of stuff shortly after you’ve decided to toss or donate it. Otherwise you may find yourself having second thoughts.

Go on a digital cleanse.

The Internet can be a huge gateway to impulse shopping. Sometimes all it takes is an email notification to pop up about a flash sale to trigger an impulse buy. To curb buying things you don’t need, unsubscribe from your favorite stores’ email newsletters and un-follow them on social media.

Keep a list of your spending regrets.

We’ve all experienced buyer’s remorse at one time or another. We would suggest creating a list of recent purchases you regret. Keeping this list in your wallet or on your phone to serve as a reminder will help you from continuing the same habits.

It’ll also help give some insight to when you made emotional purchases and impulse buys. Were there certain times during the past year where you were going through a difficult time in your life, such as stress on the job or a bad breakup, and splurged to boost your mood?

Or maybe you tend to fall prey to super sales? By pinpointing circumstances that caused you to make these purchases, you may think twice next time.

Go on a fiscal fast.

To help you change your bad money habits, you can go on a “fiscal fast,” which is when you stop spending money for a week. This forces you to make do with items you already have in your home. You can turn it into a group event, where you do it with your family, friends, or co-workers.

Once you’ve completed your fiscal fast, you may find out that there’s a lot you can do without. It can also help you realize that a lot of the times we may spend out of habit and not from necessity. You can do this once or twice a year for a week or commit to a longer amount of time.

Stay accountable.

During your financial cleanse, you may find it difficult at times to stay on track. If you’re determined to stick to your financial cleanse, stay accountable by partnering with a friend or making an agreement with someone. Besides support, your friend can also offer you financial tips.

If you fall off the bandwagon and relapse into a bad habit, don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens to the best of us. Just recommit to your goals and create checkpoints to help yourself along.

Going on a financial cleanse will help you develop a better relationship with your money and develop saving habits. By going through a cleanse, it will put you back the driver’s seat so you can take control of your finances.

Are you planning to start a financial cleanse this summer?

 

Other stuff you might like:

Why I Started a Three Year Spending Ban
My Personal Finance “Aha” Moment
How One Millennial Couple Saves $25,000 Per Year
Why I’m Breaking My Three Year Spending Ban
3 Bizarre Ways to Save $2,000 Per Year