Your Financial Health Day
For the past 15 years, my wife Jessica and I have had a standing weekly financial meeting every Friday. Nothing fancy—just the two of us sitting down, going through what came in, what went out, and where we’re headed. Some weeks it’s quick, some weeks it turns into a deeper conversation about goals, stress, or opportunities—but that consistency has probably been one of the most important habits in our marriage. It keeps us aligned, removes guesswork, and honestly, it takes a lot of the pressure off because nothing is being ignored.
Around tax time every year, we take it a step further and have what we call our Financial Health Day—a personal conference where everything is on the table. Income, expenses, subscriptions, debts, investments… all of it. But we go deeper than just the surface numbers. We’re reviewing interest rates on credit cards (are we carrying anything too expensive?), looking at our insurance coverages (are we overpaying or underinsured?), checking the mortgage rates on our properties (do they still make sense in today’s market?), and even digging into things people forget—reward balances on credit cards, unused gift cards, accounts that can be consolidated, or cash just sitting idle. The goal isn’t to restrict—it’s to understand.
Another area that gets overlooked, but can make a real impact, is everything you already own. Most people are sitting on thousands of dollars’ worth of unused items without even realizing it. Clothes you don’t wear, old tech, furniture, fixtures, kids’ gear that’s been outgrown… Things that are just taking up space but still have real value to someone else. A Financial Health Day is the perfect time to walk your home with fresh eyes and start making a “sell pile.” Whether it’s Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or local groups, turning unused items into cash is one of the easiest ways to create an immediate financial boost—and it also simplifies your space at the same time.
You’d be surprised how easy it is for $50 here, $100 there, random subscriptions, unused services, and inefficiencies to quietly stack up. When you actually sit down and go line by line, most people can realistically cut $1,000–$2,000 per month without changing their lifestyle in any meaningful way. That’s $12,000–$24,000 a year—basically giving yourself a $25K raise without working any harder.
If you’re married—or in any kind of partnership—this is one of the most valuable things you can do together. Not just for your finances, but for your relationship. Money is one of the biggest sources of stress for couples, and most of that stress comes from lack of communication, not lack of income. A Financial Health Day puts you on the same team, with the same visibility, working toward the same goals. It’s simple, it’s practical, and it works.
Block out a couple hours. Pour a coffee (or a glass of wine), pull up your accounts, and treat it like a meeting that actually matters—because it does. Your future self will thank you.
