Bank like a financial pro with the Alliant mobile app. Make payments, deposit checks, manage cards and so much more.
Renovate your kitchen, pay off high-interest debt, or have access to emergency funds when you need it with an Alliant Home Equity Line of Credit.
Browse new and used vehicle inventory, and qualify for a rate discount when you buy!81
Separate each of your savings goals into an Alliant Supplemental Savings Account so you can visualize your progress.
With spring in full bloom, many of us take the opportunity to declutter and spruce up our homes. But that’s not the only spring cleaning you should do this season. These financial spring cleaning tips will give you some easy personal finance wins so you can enjoy the warmer weather with a budget that shines as bright as the sun.
It’s happened to all of us—we test out a new subscription, use it for a few months, stop and then continue to pay for it every month. Or, we sign up for a free trial and forget to cancel. Automatic recurring subscription charges are easy to forget and can result in a sizable leak in your budget.
Sure, one $10 monthly charge may not break the bank, but that means you’re paying $120 annually for something you aren’t using. Worse still, if you have several unused subscriptions, you’re likely flushing dozens of dollars down the drain every month.
Thankfully, this is a simple fix. Go through all your recent credit and debit card statements, being sure to account for every charge. Be on the lookout for any subscription charges you aren’t actively using. It’s best to review statements up to a year back, in case there’s an annual subscription cost hiding.
Recurring bills such as insurance and utilities often make up a significant portion of our spending. While these are typically necessary expenses, it’s surprisingly easy to lower your monthly payments with little effort.
Having a healthy amount of money in your savings is incredibly important, whether preparing for the unexpected turns life throws your way, saving up for a car or a down payment on a house, or simply for a rainy day. Putting those funds into a high-yield savings account allows you to earn more on your money and have it grow faster than a typical savings account.
Debt is an uncomfortable topic many of us would rather avoid, but making high interest payments is equally uncomfortable on our wallets. Debt consolidation can take some of that sting away by combining multiple unsecured loans into a single debt. If you take several high interest debts and consolidate them into a new debt with a lower interest rate, you’ll pay less over the course of the loan.
For example, let’s say you owe money on several credit cards, each with an APY of over 15%. You transfer the balances onto a new credit card with a 0% interest rate promotion for 12 months. During that promotional period, any payments you make towards that debt will be interest-free! While this method is great for digging yourself out of difficult debt, you should fully understand the terms of any debt consolidation option you choose.
Throughout our lives, our spending habits are naturally going to change. Some of this is due to uncontrollable factors such as inflation. Others are due to major lifestyle changes, such as moving to a different area or having children. Still, others are due to simple preference changes over time—perhaps you used to hit the town with friends every weekend but now prefer to stay in to watch a movie with a nice glass of wine.
Whatever the case is for you, it’s worth looking closely at your current budget to determine what changes you can make. If you find yourself consistently overspending or feeling restricted by particular budget categories, increasing your budget for that category can lessen feelings of guilt. Conversely, other spending categories may have little interest to you now and it may make sense to reduce that budget category or remove it entirely.
This is also a great opportunity to review your short-, medium- and long-term financial goals. Are there any large purchases you plan on making within the next year or two? What about in the next decade? Are you on track with retirement savings? Your budget should reflect all of these goals.
Don’t have a budget yet? No problem! Creating a budget doesn’t need to feel stressful or restrictive. Check out these tips to get started with budgeting.
Following these financial spring cleaning tips will give you plenty of easy personal finance wins, allowing you to reach your goals faster and live your life confidently knowing your finances are under control. Remember to keep this list handy for the future, so you can revisit them for even more savings in the future.
Want more tips on optimizing your finances? We’ve got you covered.
Ben Heinze is a marketing content specialist with a passion for financial education. Instilled with a strong sense of frugality from a young age, he views money as a means to building the life you want, rather than an end in itself. From reading Money Mentor, he hopes you discover new ways money can be used to build your ideal life—whatever that may look like.
with an Alliant high-rate saving account
with award-winning saving rates and loans
Get even more personal finance info, tips and tricks delivered right to your inbox each month.
Thanks for subscribing to Alliant's Money Mentor newsletter! You will now receive personal finance tips in your email inbox each month.
You are leaving Alliant’s website to enter a website hosted by an organization separate from Alliant Credit Union. The products and services on this website are being offered through LPL Financial or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Alliant Credit Union.The privacy and security policies of the site may differ from those of Alliant Credit Union.
You are leaving an Alliant Credit Union website and are about to enter a website operated by a third-party, independent from Alliant Credit Union. Alliant Credit Union does not manage the operation or content of the website you are about to enter. Alliant Credit Union is not responsible for the content and does not provide any products or services at this third-party website. The privacy and security policies of the site may differ from those of Alliant Credit Union.