The start of another year marks a new beginning for many, making it the ideal time to foster habits and manage goals. Alongside prioritizing health and wellness, spending time with family, and trying out new hobbies, one of the most common new year’s resolutions by people across the globe is to be more financially responsible.

While it’s always a challenge to stay consistent and follow through with these resolutions, there are many ways to ensure that you can manage your finances better and improve your financial health in 2025. Check out these financial resolutions and add them to your must-do list for the upcoming year.

Track your expenses tempt

Your journey towards reaching your financial goals starts with knowing where you spend your money. Being aware of your spending habits can help in balancing your income with your expenses and sticking to your intended budget. It also gives you an idea of what aspects of your budget you should save more on and where you can splurge a little.

Using budgeting apps or a budget spreadsheet can help you monitor your spending more efficiently and ensure that you are well on track with your financial journey.

De-influence yourself

These days, trends come and go in such a rapid cycle that it can be hard to keep up with everything at once. The good news is you don’t really have to! Focus on setting goals for what you truly want versus what others claim to be the latest must-haves. Prioritizing necessities over trending items can help you keep your finances in check and avoid incurring debt. This is not to say to stop shopping completely—celebrating with your family over a nice meal on a special occasion or buying that pair of shoes for work that you’ve been saving up for is a great reward for your hard work as long as it’s within budget.

Start building an emergency fund

Unexpected and urgent situations like health emergencies, unemployment, and natural disasters can take a toll on your finances and derail you from achieving your goals. One way to prevent this is by building an emergency fund that can cover at least three months of expenses, depending on your household’s financial situation. Start small and gradually increase your savings so as not to overwhelm yourself. It’s also better to set up a separate account for your emergency fund to avoid being tempted to spend it outside its purpose.

Pay your balances and repayments on time

Avoid the stress (and additional costs) of late fees and penalties by making it a habit to settle all your outstanding balances in a timely manner. Whether it’s for credit cards or loans, being prompt with your payments shows financial responsibility that will positively impact your credit score and build trust with loan providers, providing you with more opportunities in the future.

Note down your payment dates and set a recurring alarm on your phone as a reminder so you’ll never miss them. For Tala users, there is a useful feature that reminds you via push notification and/or email to add your repayment dates to your calendar to encourage timely repayments.

Explore ways to earn extra

Make it a year of financial abundance and growth by trying out additional streams of income. It doesn’t have to be something overly grand and complicated; you can start with something you already know, like baking, handicrafts, or digital and creative services, and offer them on social media. If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, you can look into e-commerce and online retail. Consult with your business-savvy friends and stay updated with the latest trends to know which small business ideas have the most potential to thrive.

This 2025, buo ang tiwala sa Tala as your reliable partner in fulfilling your financial new year’s resolutions! As the world’s first fintech company for the Global Majority, it provides flexible, convenient online credit to customers that they can use to better manage daily expenses, save more, and fund a side hustle.

Tala user Hector is a testament to the positive impact of Tala’s financial services on its customers’ lives. As someone who lost his job during the pandemic, he had to find other ways to support his family. He decided to start a fruit stand and applied for a loan from Tala to use as capital. From the initial PHP 200 that he borrowed, he was able to expand his business and grow his loan limit as well through on-time repayments.

“As we welcome another year, Tala remains committed to cultivating radical trust and helping bridge the financial inclusion gap among the Global Majority. We aim to enable more Filipinos to achieve their goals through our innovative financial services, fast and hassle-free loan approvals, and easy and flexible repayment options,” said Charisse Alvarez, Tala Philippines President.

Know more about Tala’s financial services by visiting tala.ph and downloading the official Tala app.