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The financial new year is almost upon us. How’s your housekeeping looking? Do you feel confident that you’ll be able to make the most of your income in the year ahead? Or do you feel tied down by a bunch of loose ends that are flapping in the metaphorical wind?

We get it. When finance isn’t the centre point of your life, the admin that goes along with managing your money matters like a grown up can pile up – especially when you aren’t quite sure how to address the more complicated things.

In our experience, the best way to deal with financial clutter is simply to start. Just get going. Start by sorting out something small, and once that is done, just keep at it. Eat the big old elephant bite by bite. Here are a few ways in which you can start to clear out clutter before the 2021 financial year starts:

Sort out your subscriptions

We’re all guilty of being subscribed to a bunch of things online that we pay for but don’t actually use. These small, cheap monthly fees may seem insignificant, but it adds up. Sort through it and remove anything that you haven’t been using for the last three months.

Unpack your physical wallet

Take out all the receipts that are making your wallet look pregnant – toss the ones you don’t need, and store the ones you’ll have to access later. While you’re at it, get rid of any store cards you don’t use regularly. Stores have your info on their system regardless of whether or not you are toting about a little plastic card.

Go through your bank statements with a fine-tooth comb

Filter through the automatic payments appearing on your bank statements. Does anything look a little suspect, or that you know you could go without? A monthly R50 fee here, some form of membership there. Identify at least one such fee that can stop and take the time to cancel it.

These are just a few ways in which you can start to clear out the financial clutter, so you are free to thrive in 2021. If you want to get some professional advice on making a clean sweep of all the bad habits holding you back, feel free to reach out to a member of the Experity team to find out more about our financial services.