{"id":83086,"date":"2026-04-14T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=83086"},"modified":"2026-04-13T17:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T23:42:16","slug":"your-finances-and-mind-probably-need-a-spring-cleaning-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/your-finances-and-mind-probably-need-a-spring-cleaning-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Your finances (and mind) probably need a spring cleaning right now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When the United States began its war with Iran, Merry Renduchintala\u2019s first impulse was to \u201cbuy everything now,\u201d before prices increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m feeling panicked because I grew up really poor,\u201d Ms. Renduchintala, 54, said. Her father died when she was young, leaving her family with a mountain of debt. Now, as headlines induce worry, Ms. Renduchintala, who works in communications for a Connecticut food bank, feels her old anxieties about money rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She isn\u2019t alone. Roughly two-thirds of Americans feel stressed about money, and a March survey by the University of Michigan found that Americans\u2019 overall confidence about their personal finances over the next year fell by 10 percent, partly because of the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With fluctuating oil prices and interest rates, and fears about wars and a recession, staying optimistic about your financial prospects isn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to calm your financial anxieties is to focus on what you can control. Taking stock of your bank account with a \u201cfinancial spring cleaning\u201d timed to the season of renewal can help. This overhaul of your spending and savings helps you adjust your budget (if needed) so you can stay on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ditch the Doomsday Mentality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by auditing your expenses. Experts suggest dividing items into necessities \u2014 like shelter, food, clothing and transportation \u2014 and nice-to-haves. Budgeting apps can help, though most charge subscription fees. For those who prefer a free option and don\u2019t mind going old-school, spreadsheets work just as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith Strongheart, 52, a single mother of two in Los Angeles, recently reviewed her monthly spending. \u201cThere were a lot of things that I\u2019d been doing out of convenience, like having auto subscriptions on Amazon for household supplies,\u201d she said. Once she took note of what she actually needed and didn\u2019t, cutting back was easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although adjusting her budget in small ways has helped, it wasn\u2019t enough to close the gap. Unemployed for nearly eight months, Ms. Strongheart, who works in the film industry, recently liquidated two I.R.A. accounts and her children\u2019s college funds to cover mounting bills like rent and utilities. It was a \u201cdevastating\u201d choice, she said, made after she had exhausted other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is relief on the horizon, however. She snagged a production supervisor role on a new movie that she expects to start next week, and the payout from a small legal settlement will go toward rebuilding her savings. Longer term, Ms. Strongheart might return to school for a new career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financial volatility often incites overwhelming fears, which can impair rational decision making because of what experts call a \u201ccognitive bandwidth tax.\u201d It\u2019s like \u201chaving a thousand tabs open on your computer,\u201d said Chantel Chapman, a financial expert and the author of \u201cThe Trauma of Money.\u201d And it can push you toward decisions that ultimately backfire. For example, you might decide to \u201clive for today\u201d and spend beyond your means or pull back on your retirement contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactive choices, according to Ms. Chapman, are \u201cstress responses\u201d that arise when scary emotions take over. Remembering that feelings aren\u2019t facts is a good place to start. Just this pause can create \u201cpsychological distance\u201d in the brain, leaving you feeling calmer. This small shift can help you make \u201cwise\u201d choices that aren\u2019t informed by \u201ccatastrophic thinking,\u201d Ms. Chapman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Renduchintala can relate. With so much uncertainty in the world, her thoughts can volley between spending and saving. \u201cSometimes, I think, \u2018Let\u2019s take the money and go do something we deserve,\u2019\u201d she said. But she doesn\u2019t let the impulse take over. Instead, Ms. Renduchintala makes \u201ctiny tweaks\u201d to her budget and puts more into savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember Your \u2018Why\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reassessing your financial goals \u2014 like buying a house or saving for retirement \u2014 can also help curb shortsighted thinking. These check-ins ensure that you stay on track as circumstances and needs change, too. Budgeting apps like YNAB and Monarch can help here, too \u2014 many automate transfers in the background so you can reach your goals faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financial experts advise saving six months\u2019 worth of expenses, but don\u2019t be discouraged if that feels out of reach right now. Even if you \u201ccan only put a few dollars per month into savings, it\u2019s important to keep doing it,\u201d said Kate Bulger, a vice president of business development at Money Management International, a nonprofit credit counseling agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve mapped out your budget and trimmed the fat but still feel stressed, don\u2019t fret. Give yourself permission to step back, Ms. Bulger said. \u201cSometimes taking a break from cable news, or however you\u2019re getting your information, can be a really healthy thing, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Bulger also recommends monitoring changes in your month-to-month spending. Doing so can help you feel more in control, even when it seems like the world is on fire. \u201cSlow increases over time, and across a lot of different categories, can really add up for folks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Strategic Adjustments<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In times of crisis, experts recommend pulling back on discretionary spending through strategic cuts to your budget. Many streaming services and gyms, for example, offer the option to pause your monthly membership. This makes it a lot easier to pivot when you need to adjust your budget very quickly, said Bruce McClary, a spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cody Bortle, 24, a high school math teacher in Phoenix, feels the financial pinch. He recently spent $60 on gas for his car, up from $45 last month, and while he supplements his income with a cross-country coaching gig, he still lives paycheck to paycheck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s been able to stretch his grocery budget with the help of his school\u2019s food bank. \u201cI\u2019ve been getting food packages that have canned and boxed items, which has been incredible,\u201d Mr. Bortle said. With the staples covered, his limited funds can now go toward fresh produce. He\u2019s accustomed to such adjustments \u2014 for example, last year Mr. Bortle moved to central Phoenix, paying $100 a month more in rent, to reduce his commute to 10 minutes from 45. \u201cI feel more comfortable living in an area where I\u2019m really close to work, and I\u2019m surrounded by my community members and my friends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is to figure out your priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Renduchintala and her family forgo their favorite $60 Vietnamese takeout when money is tight, but only after talking it through together. Getting everyone\u2019s buy-in can help prevent resentment, she said. \u201cWe have to have that conversation upfront, so they\u2019re actively choosing where we want to spend money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address Your Debt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A weekly date night or a routine grocery run might not feel different now compared with a year ago, but the bill often is. Price increases, whether from typical inflation or because of tariffs or being at war, may tempt you to use your credit card more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hear about people who are using credit cards for all sorts of expenses that they would have otherwise used cash for,\u201d Mr. McClary said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making judicious cuts can help your monthly budget, but there\u2019s more to the equation. Financial resilience, or the ability to take a financial hit and recover, also comes from bolstering savings and reducing debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Bulger suggests starting with unsecured debt, like credit cards, which typically carries higher interest rates than secured debt like mortgages or auto loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paying down credit card debt can quickly improve your credit score, increasing your access to credit and personal loans should you need them. \u201cThat gives people more flexibility with their budget during times of rapid change,\u201d Ms. Bulger explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re struggling to pay off debt, let your creditors know sooner rather than later, Mr. McClary said. Your creditor may allow you to skip a payment or two without incurring a late fee as you weather the financial setback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temporarily switching to minimum payments is OK, too, according to Mr. McClary. \u201cDo what you can to protect your credit rating while at the same time taking care of the necessities,\u201d he said. It\u2019s also worth keeping an eye on your credit score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofit credit counseling agencies like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or Money Management International can connect you to financial professionals who can help review your budget and manage your debt. These organizations often partner with major creditors to reduce your monthly payments or stop late fees on your credit cards. A caveat: Some moves they suggest, such as closing accounts, tend to hurt your credit score but can be a lifeline if you\u2019re really struggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mr. Bortle, who is working with Money Management International to resolve $18,000 in credit card debt, seeing some movement in this area has been \u201cawesome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore, it felt like I was stuck, just making minimum payments where most of the money went to interest, so my balance barely moved,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was frustrating, and if I missed even one payment, the consequences felt overwhelming. Now I can actually see progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n