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5 Easy Ways to Spring-Clean Your Finances
By Julia Glum MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Finished scrubbing and decluttering the house? Clean up your finances next.
Spring cleaning is a centuries-old tradition aimed at trashing the old and ushering in the new. With vibes high (and melatonin levels low), it’s an opportunity to wipe away the vestiges of winter and welcome warmer weather with open arms.
But while you’re Cloroxing the bathroom, washing the linens and decluttering the junk drawer, you can’t neglect your money. Here are five easy ways to spring-clean your finances so you’re well-positioned for the rest of 2025.
Capitalize on the momentum
Chris Powell, head of deposits and customer engagement at Citizens Bank, says this is a perfect time to roll up your sleeves.
New Year’s resolutions are in the rearview. You’re likely trading Winter Mode (in which you sit on the couch, online-shop and complain about the weather) for Summer Mode (in which you go out often, splurge on ice cream and take expensive trips). Why not harness that energy?
“Sometimes it’s just stepping back and looking out the window, seeing spring coming and saying, ‘Geez, what do I want to do?’” Powell adds. “‘I’m feeling optimistic; I’m feeling positive about where things are going. How can I take those next steps?’”
Survey the scene
The best way to start is by dropping an anchor, says Haley Sacks, the zillennial finance expert behind MrsDowJones who’s been partnering with Wells Fargo. Either on your own or with a financial advisor, you should look through your accounts and take stock of your balances, debts and interest rates.
Sacks says budgeting should be more about saying “yes” to what matters rather than “no” to fun opportunities. This is an opportunity to drill down.
“Like your closet, [your budget] should reflect your style, your values,” Sacks says. “Look at your last month of purchases and ask yourself: Did this bring me joy? Does it align with my goals?”
While scrutinizing your outflows, Powell says to keep an eye out for areas where you may be experiencing “leakage.”
Are you still using that Apple TV subscription you bought solely to watch Severance? Should you swap Kindle Unlimited for a library card? Do you truly need Nuuly? You should cancel unwanted and overlooked subscriptions so you’re not wasting money on them the rest of the year.
Revisit your goals
You can build whatever is on your horizon — a trip to Mexico City, a beefed-up emergency fund, a fancy swimsuit you’ve been coveting — into your budget.
“Summer is coming up, and it’s a very spendy time,” Sacks says. “I think that a lot of those expenses feel out of the blue because we don’t plan for them. But you can predict them.”
She recommends making a list of expenses you know are coming up and working backward to determine how much you must save to afford them. When you’ve planned for something, “it makes the purchase sting so much less,” Sacks adds.
Boost your savings
After trimming your expenses, you can turn your attention to your savings.
An easy way to dip your toe in is with your tax refund. Millions of Americans will be getting them in the next few weeks; according to the IRS, the average refund so far is $3,116. Sacks suggests you take 10% to 20% and enjoy it. Then you can put the rest to work.
Folks are “finally finding themselves a little bit flush with cash and saying, what do I do with this?” Powell says. “Make some purchases you’ve been looking forward to, but really understand [your] goals.”
Although high-yield savings account rates have been dropping as the Federal Reserve slashes rates, they’re still a great place to park cash and earn interest. (Ally, for instance, offers 3.6% on its high-yield savings account, versus the national average rate of 0.41%.) Automation is the secret weapon here: Using a tool to set and forget weekly deposits into a high-yield savings account is a great way to grow your deposit.
“Don’t use willpower. Rely on technology,” Sacks says.
The technology is plentiful — Qapital, Chime and Acorns, among others, have automated savings features.
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Get creative
Sacks says to always think about how you can earn more. With your spring closet clean-out, are there items you can resell? When was the last time you asked for a raise? Is there a side hustle you can pick up to generate some extra income?
“We talk so much about how to cut down our spending, which obviously sucks, no one likes to be on a budget … but there is a floor to how much you can cut,” she adds.
Putting in some work now to clean up your money can benefit you in the end.
“With financial changes, it’s really about sustainability and having things compound over time. When you’re spring cleaning, don’t do anything so drastic — and definitely lean on the automation,” Sacks says. “Set your worst self up for success.”
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Julia Glum is Money's managing editor for news and email, keeping her finger on the pulse of financial trends that affect Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. A 2014 graduate of the University of Florida's journalism school, she previously covered breaking news, politics and education at Newsweek and International Business Times. Julia joined Money in 2018; during her time as a reporter, she wrote frequently about Amazon, passive income, stimulus checks and creative ways people make money online (think: Vine compilations, Cash App Friday and Facebook gift groups). As an editor, she oversees Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, year-to-year policy changes, tax refunds and the IRS’s ongoing efforts to modernize. For several years, Julia has assisted with Money’s annual Best Colleges rating and Best Places to Live rankings. Recently, she also led Money’s 50th anniversary celebrations, producing the Money Classic newsletter and rolling out Changemakers, a project profiling 50 innovators working to revolutionize personal finance. Julia has interviewed National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, actor Danny Devito, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller, rapper Killer Mike, real estate guru Ryan Serhant and many others. Her work has been cited or otherwise shared by the New York Times, Washington Post, Vox, theSkimm, Mashable, CNBC and POLITICO. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, CBS News, PIX11, WGN, the Mountain West News Bureau and more. Julia is based in New York City. You can find her at juliaglum.com.