Christopher Liew: The easiest way to reset your budget for the new year

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Christopher Liew is a CFP®, CFA Charterholder and former financial advisor. He writes personal finance tips for thousands of daily Canadian readers at Blueprint Financial.

“New year, new me” is the phrase that much of the world’s population starts the year off with. Despite how great your intentions are, the follow-through is always more difficult than the inspiration. This is especially true when it comes to making financial changes.

The good news is that resetting your budget doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With a few focused steps, you can update your spending plan to reflect recent changes in expenses and income, improve your saving and investing habits, and reduce financial stress.

Why your old budget may not work

Over the past year, changes in interest rates, housing costs, grocery prices and debt levels have reshaped household living expenses. If you’re still operating on the same budget you created a year ago, there’s a good chance it’s become out of date.

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Inflation has eased toward the Bank of Canada’s 2 per cent target. However, prices for essentials like groceries, rent and other services have remained high, with the latest consumer price index (CPI) report from November 2025 showing ongoing price increases. Notably, grocery costs increased by 4.7 per cent year over year, which is the largest increase since December 2023.

6 simple steps to create your budget for 2026

With many households remaining under financial pressure, the new year is the perfect time to revisit your personal finances and make adjustments that better fit your current income, expenses and goals. This is especially true if you racked up holiday debt this past season.

Step 1: Review last year’s real spending

This step requires a bit of brutal honesty with yourself. Start by reviewing your actual spending (not what you thought you spent). Pull up your bank and credit card statements from the past three to six months and categorize your expenses. Here, you can save a lot of time by using a budgeting app or AI tools to quickly scan statements and automatically categorize spending.

Many are disappointed to see just how much they spent dining out, on subscriptions, or making other impulsive purchases. The flip side is that this also lets you see how much extra you could be setting aside as you move into the new year!

Step 2: Update your fixed expenses

Next, detail your non-negotiable costs, including:

• rent/mortgage payments;
• phone plans;
• Insurance; and
• credit card payments.

Many of these expenses increase annually due to rate hikes, contract renewals and inflation. Updating these numbers ensures your new budget reflects your obligations first.

Step 3: Recalculate your variable expenses

Groceries, fuel, rideshare transportation and everyday home supplies are categories where prices can shift significantly from one year to the next. If possible, try to detail how last year’s variable expenses changed from what you remember (or what your budget shows) from previous years.

Then, take some time to adjust your allowance to make space for extra spending due to increased costs. This will help you avoid falling short and will keep your budget accurate and on-track.

Step 4: Revisit savings and debt repayment goals

Once your main expenses have been accounted for, decide how much you can realistically allocate to both savings and debt repayment. This includes:

• your emergency fund;
• Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA);
• RRSP; and
• overpayments toward high-interest debts.

It may seem like a sacrifice now. However, prioritizing your long-term investments/savings and paying down high-interest debt today will put you in a far better financial situation in the future.

Step 5: Set discretionary spending limits

While you should certainly prioritize bills and savings, it’s also important to enjoy your life a bit and have things you enjoy to look forward to. Entertainment, hobbies, shopping and dining out should still have a place in your budget.

Once your primary bills have been accounted for and you’re in a position to at least set a small percentage of your income aside to save or invest, give yourself a weekly or monthly budget for discretionary spending that still allows you to have fun without overspending.

Step 6: Automate where possible

Automating your bill payments and deposits into your savings and investment accounts is one of the best ways to simplify your budget and ensure that your priorities are non-negotiable. Automation reduces missed due dates, prevents late fees, and removes the temptation to spend money before saving it.

What you have left over after your automatic payments is yours to enjoy without having the guilt of unpaid expenses on your mind.

Final thoughts

Once you have a solid budget set up for yourself, stick to it and test it out for one month and track how it feels in real life. Adjust spending or saving categories where needed until you find a good balance.

Ultimately, budgeting is not a one-time event. Your income, bills, expenses and the cost of living are constantly changing for better or worse. Constantly fine-tuning and adjusting your budget is the best way to stay ahead of the curve and make sure that your finances are always accounted for.

More from Christopher Liew:

• Tips for tackling holiday debt, including what to pay off first
• Five smart money moves to start 2026 right
• Why most financial new year resolutions fail
• Are GICs still worth it? What Canadians are choosing instead
• Not all banks are created equal. Here’s how to choose wisely