How To Finish the Year Strong Financially (Even If You Feel Like Giving Up)

As we count down the final weeks of 2025, you might be looking at your resolutions list and realizing that there are missed financial goals. Perhaps you find yourself struggling to see “what’s next” as the increased cost of living continues to outpace your income. It is tempting to just throw in the towel, overspend for the holidays, and tell yourself you will “deal with it in January.”

If that is you: Pause. Breathe. Let’s keep going.

Every step you take in these final weeks counts. A last-minute sprint can still narrow the gap on your goals and, more importantly, strengthen your overall money management habits. As the saying goes:

A strong finish to 2025 isn’t just about the numbers; it is about setting yourself up for a confident, stress-free beginning in 2026. Here are three ways to finish the year strong financially.

1. Do A “Compassion Audit”

When reviewing your finances for the year, it is easy to fall into a spiral of guilt or regret over past decisions. Maybe you overspent on a trip, or didn’t save as much as you planned. However, shame creates paralysis and can hinder growth. Alternatively, Respect—for yourself and your journey—creates growth.

Instead of a standard review, try a “Compassion Audit.” Process the numbers without beating yourself up and acknowledge that “mistakes” are simply part of the journey of learning and iterating for improvements. Here’s how:

• Understand where you stand: Look at the data objectively
• Accept what you cannot change: The money spent in June is gone. The bad investment made has happened. Let it go
• Extract the wisdom: What triggered that spending? On hindsight, what can we learn from it to adjust the strategy for next year and beyond?

Leave the guilt in 2025, but take the wisdom into 2026. Clear out the emotional trauma for things we would have done differently, allowing you to build a healthy, forward-looking relationship with money.

2. Reaffirm Your Boundaries for the Festive Season

It is common to drop the ball in December. The holidays bring a wave of invitations, gift exchanges, and family gatherings, making it incredibly easy to forget our budget in the name of “celebration.”

However, true compassion for ourselves means accepting who we are and living authentically —even regarding your finances.

Instead of projecting a lifestyle you can’t afford just to meet social obligations, pause and consider how you can be authentic this season. Ask yourself: Does every friend need an expensive gift, or can we cut out the noise and give them what is truly valuable – perhaps the gift of presence? Instead of an expensive restaurant outing, can we suggest a potluck or even a coffee in the park?

People who want the best for us will respect our financial boundaries; we just need to communicate them. Find ways to reaffirm these boundaries now so that you can maintain financial discipline without mental exhaustion. Resist impulse purchases and taking on new loans unless absolutely necessary to avoid carrying new liabilities into 2026.

3. Review the Numbers (The Final Sprint)

With only a few weeks left, it might feel futile to review your accounts now because the income for the year is largely fixed. However, this is actually the best time to review our standing. Knowing exactly how much we have in savings, debt, and investments gives us the clarity needed to build a realistic plan for next year.

The numbers will reveal where a focused last-minute sprint can make a difference:

• If you have a surplus (like a year-end bonus): Direct that extra cash towards bridging the gap on your priority goals —whether that is clearing a lingering debt, hitting a savings milestone, or optimizing your tax / financial position
• If funds are tight: The sprint is about strategy. Identify leaks to plug or get organised to avoid getting caught off guard in January

Finishing strong is not always about adding more money to the pot. Often, it is about maximising what we already have.

Tip: Instead of asking for physical Christmas presents you might never use, why not ask family to contribute to these goal “buckets” or an investment fund? It is a gift that grows.

You do not need to hit every single target you set in January to consider this year a success. By reviewing your year with compassion, holding your boundaries during the holidays, and making smart, last-minute optimizations to your finances, you are taking control.

Finish the year strong financially, and walk into 2026 with confidence.