Earnest Stories highlights the money and investing experiences of experts, individual investors, and non-investors alike. Watch the full episode here.
Your approach to money management can determine the kind of year – and life – you’ll have. That’s why it’s no surprise that new year’s resolutions are often related to financial habits.
To serve as inspiration, we asked people about the habits they started this past year and the new ones they plan to develop in the year to come.
Which good money habit did you adopt in 2025?
Instead of starting a new money habit this year, April, a product owner, simply continued the good practice of tracking her expenses religiously.
“I try to be more consistent [by] regularly tracking everything,” said April. “Kasi that’s really how you become more aware of your spending habits.”
Monitoring daily expenses also allows you to stay within your allotted budget. The practice of properly budgeting is a habit that Ina, an investment counselor, focused on in 2025.
Setting a budget every payday helped her keep her spending in check. “That helped me estimate how much I should save as well as invest,” according to Ina.
Learning from money mistakes during the previous year, Nath, a bank employee, made sure to lessen her impulse purchases in 2025.
“Last year kasi mahilig ako mag-add to cart tapos check out agad. Bili nang bili na hindi naman talaga sya worth it or need,” recalled Nath.
“So, this year, I started being mindful on what I spend,” she shared further. “Iniisip ko muna, kailangan ko ba talaga sya?”
Controlling impulse spending is also what Mark, a service designer, resolved to do this year. He learned a trick for avoiding unplanned purchases through an online article.
“If you really want something, for you to determine kung gusto mo talaga sya, delay it for 7 days. And if after 7 days gusto mo pa rin sya, saka mo sya bilhin.”
Knowing when to save or spend money can also be a matter of understanding your priorities and how your purchases can contribute to your overall quality of life.
What’s a money habit you’d like to start in 2026?
Looking forward to the year ahead, Mark wishes to continue practicing mindful spending by following the “no-buy” list method.
This online trend promotes saving money by listing items that you wouldn’t buy over a certain period, typically a year. For his no-buy list, Mark has identified things he doesn’t need more of yet, like shoes and perfume.
As an investor with a Conservative risk profile, April wants to explore new investment options in the coming year. Although she has already learned about her options in the past, she ended up putting off making new investments.
“Maybe now I’ll try to learn other investment options and actually do it,” said April.
To get the confidence to invest, it’s ideal to learn about the types of investment vehicles you can consider given your risk appetite, skill level, and goals.
A stronger investment portfolio is also what Ina aims to achieve in 2026. “Since I’m young, there’s a lot of risk I can take right now with my money,” she noted.
To expand her portfolio, Ina hopes to tap into asset classes like equities and fixed-income securities.
Are there any habits you’d like to break?
“I’m really prone to impulse buying. Lalo na kapag sweldo o kaya bonus,” Mark answered when asked about money habits he would like to break.
“Kasi I feel like, ah, deserve ko ‘to kasi may pera ako, may extra money ako. Kailangan ko syang i-balance talaga with saving and investing.”
April and Nath also identified unplanned spending on wants as a bad habit to end.
“Pupunta ka sa isang store, gusto mo lang mag-window shopping, pero ang ending, you’re going out from that shop na ang laki ng nilabas mong money. At the same time, nag-stress eating ka pa,” recounted Nath.
When the temptation to spend arises, April counters her “shopaholic” tendency by going back to the good habit she has set for herself.
“[It’s] really [about] trying to be more conscious about your personal expenses and how you spend your money. Or [trying] to live within your means,” said April.
How do you motivate yourself to follow good money habits?
To make good money habits stick, Ina believes a change of mindset is important. She reminds herself, “It’s really more [about] spending for the needs rather than the wants.”
Nath avoids spending too much on wants by setting a strict budget. “When entering a mall or a shop iniisip ko, ‘oh, ito lang yung na-set aside ko.’ Hindi dapat ako mag-exceed dun.”
On the other hand, Mark maintains multiple bank accounts to easily monitor his progress toward money goals.
“Each bank account has a purpose kasi. And [with] each account, what I do [is], may goal money ako na kailangan andun sya at the end of the year,” Mark shared. “Masaya ako kapag na-hi-hit ko yung target ko for a certain account.”
Striking a balance is how April keeps herself motivated. She makes sure to reward herself once in a while without going overboard.
“At least try and feel the reward of saving or investing by buying yourself something, eating out, or spending it with your family. So yun, that’s how I find balance.”
