The Five Things I’m Changing Going Into 2026
On spending less, choosing better, and building a life that costs less to live
There’s a particular kind of clarity that comes at the end of a demanding year.
Not the loud, triumphant kind.
The quieter kind! The kind that settles in once you’ve been stretched, tested, and forced to look honestly at how you’re living.
2025 felt like one of the hardest and best years of my life at the same time.
Hard because it demanded more from me emotionally, mentally, financially.
Good because it stripped away a lot of noise and left me with something solid underneath.
By the time the year drew to a close, I wasn’t interested in reinventing myself or chasing novelty. I wasn’t looking for a “new me.”
I wanted fewer decisions.
Less waste.
More margin, financially, mentally, energetically.
So instead of setting vague resolutions, I made a handful of clear, practical changes that I’m carrying with me into 2026. Not as rules, but as boundaries. Not as punishment, but as relief.
These are just a few.
1. I’m Not Shopping for the First Three Months of the Year
No clothes.
No homeware.
No “just browsing” purchases that quietly add up.
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about interrupting a habit.
Shopping has become one of the most socially acceptable coping mechanisms of modern life. We buy when we’re tired. When we’re bored. When we’re overwhelmed. When we want to feel in control.
