The champagne is gone, the ball has been dropped, and the holiday bills are starting to roll in.

That means there91裸聊视频檚 no time like the present to make a New Year91裸聊视频檚 resolution 91裸聊视频� especially one that might help take some of the sting out of those bills.

Experts say it really is possible to use Jan. 1 as an opportunity to turn over a new financial leaf.

91裸聊视频淭here are certain times of year that are the best times to set a goal, and one of those is most certainly New Year91裸聊视频檚,91裸聊视频� said B.C.-based Kerry Taylor, a financial journalist and creator of the financial website Squawkfox.com.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 science called the fresh start effect, and it91裸聊视频檚 a really cool way to make resolutions stick. What it is, is a psychological phenomenon where we feel more motivated and excited to attack a goal based on the time of year.91裸聊视频�

That91裸聊视频檚 good news for the 38 per cent of people who have chosen 91裸聊视频渋mprove finances91裸聊视频� as their New Year91裸聊视频檚 resolution for 2024, according to Forbes magazine,which polled 1,000 U.S. adults in October.

Money-related resolutions are always a popular choice, second only to the perennial 91裸聊视频渓ose weight91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频済et fit91裸聊视频� New Year91裸聊视频檚 pledge. But financial New Year91裸聊视频檚 resolutions feel especially timely this year given Canadians have spent the past 12 months grappling with grocery store sticker shock, rising interest rates and increasingly unaffordable housing costs.

91裸聊视频淚 know people are motivated to have more in the bank account, whether that91裸聊视频檚 tackling the mortgage or paying off credit card debt,91裸聊视频� Taylor said.

91裸聊视频淏ut Jan. 1 doesn91裸聊视频檛 make the change for you. It doesn91裸聊视频檛 guarantee the success, which is where a lot of us go astray. So to make that goal stick, you have to actually do the work.91裸聊视频�

When it comes to resolutions, making them stick is less about willpower and more about habit formation, said Vancouver-based Natasha Knox, a financial therapist who helps clients think, feel, communicate and behave differently with money.

Knox advises resisting the temptation to overhaul your entire financial picture at once. Instead, she suggests starting with an extremely small goal 91裸聊视频� what she calls a 91裸聊视频渕icro- or nano-goal.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 quite a lot of science around habit formation,91裸聊视频� Knox said.

91裸聊视频淎nd when you91裸聊视频檙e trying to form a new habit, you want to start with something so easy it requires no willpower at all.91裸聊视频�

That means, if your goal is to save more money in 2024, start by increasing the amount you auto-transfer to a savings account each month by a 91裸聊视频渕iniscule91裸聊视频� level, she said.

And if your goal is to spend less, try a 91裸聊视频渘o-spend day91裸聊视频� rather than tackling a more ambitious 91裸聊视频渘o-spend January.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淢easure it in small chunks. Try it for a single day, then maybe the next week pick two days. And then by spring, maybe you have a no-spend week,91裸聊视频� Knox said. 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 a lot more sustainable.91裸聊视频�

Vanessa Bowen, founder of Toronto-based financial coaching service for women Mint Worthy Co., said the new year can be a good time for people to sit down and reflect about why they make the money choices they do.

91裸聊视频淲e talk a lot about money management, but we never seem to talk about money mindset,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淪o let91裸聊视频檚 say someone says, 91裸聊视频極K, my resolution this year is to pay down my debt.91裸聊视频� OK, that91裸聊视频檚 great. But if they hold a mindset that they91裸聊视频檒l always be in debt, or they believe that getting out of debt is hard and they don91裸聊视频檛 have enough money to get out of debt, their actions will always align with their mindset.91裸聊视频�

To understand your own money mindset, Bowen recommends thinking about the financial beliefs you may have adopted from your parents, your own triggers and habits around money, as well as visualizing how you want to think and behave about money in the future.

It can also be a good idea to set up weekly 91裸聊视频渕oney dates91裸聊视频� with yourself. This is dedicated time you set aside on a recurring basis to touch base with your financial goals and evaluate your progress.

91裸聊视频淚f you just set a goal and hope and pray it will happen, it won91裸聊视频檛 happen,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淏ut if you have a plan and have these weekly check-ins, you91裸聊视频檙e more likely going to stick to your resolution way past February.91裸聊视频�

Other psychological tricks experts recommend include 91裸聊视频渢emptation bundling91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� where you take something you don91裸聊视频檛 like to do, like paying bills, and bundle it with an indulgence, like eating chocolate.

Another trick? Visualizing yourself as a senior citizen. That trick, in particular, can help you create empathy for your future self and encourage you to care for yourself by saving for retirement.

Whatever the goal, however, it91裸聊视频檚 important people don91裸聊视频檛 put too much pressure on themselves. Knox recommends finding a friend or family member with a similar goal, so you can cheer each other on when things are going well and commiserate during setbacks.

91裸聊视频淭hat has a lot of value. We91裸聊视频檙e social creatures,91裸聊视频� she said.

While these are difficult financial times we live in, almost everyone can benefit from taking the time to make small changes that will help set them up for a more prosperous new year, Bowen said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 progress over perfection,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not to say that you91裸聊视频檙e going to have a 100 per cent mark at the end of 2024, but I think small steps will help people to make the incremental changes that our society and economy needs right now.91裸聊视频�

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