Beware the trap of spending your way to self-improvement. Have you ever decided to start a fitness program and then spent hundreds of dollars on new gym gear? Or a beautiful crystal infused drinking bottle for your water? Sometimes we do need new things – perhaps a new bike would mean you ride to work each day. On the whole there is so much we really don’t need. If we have to spend money to motivate ourselves, we are probably not truly committed, which means that we will spend the money and still not take action. As boring as it sounds, determination and patience are what is needed to bring your intention to fruition.

Ask yourself: what am I trying to avoid? If it is to distract yourself from emotional distress, don’t do it. If it is to motivate you to do something, don’t do it.

These days, unlike our parents’ generation who had to wait for paper statements each month, we have all this information at our fingertips, and rather than taking days for a transaction to show up in our account balance, it is updated daily. So it’s actually much easier to keep track of things if we choose to.

I suggest setting aside 30 minutes a month to run through your accounts to check for subscriptions being direct-debited that you don’t use, any unauthorised purchases, or purchases your children or anyone else has made. One of my clients found hundreds of dollars in iPhone purchases made by his three-year-old when playing with daddy’s phone! (Quick tip: don’t give kids your phone).