Ready to feel financially unbothered next year? We walk through a complete 2026 money reset built for midlife women who want stability, freedom, and calm without living on rice and beans. The plan is practical, compassionate, and system-first, so your progress doesn’t depend on willpower.
We start by facing the numbers with a clear audit: list every debt with APRs and due dates, pull your credit report, check your DTI, and tag spending as essential, nice to have, delete, or negotiate. From there, we choose a debt payoff path—avalanche, snowball, or hybrid—then automate minimums and channel extra dollars from a dedicated bucket once a month. Quick wins keep you motivated; automation keeps you consistent. Next, we slash expenses with intention: trim subscriptions and delivery fees, re-shop insurance and internet, use curbside grocery orders to control totals, and reset to a three-bucket budget that reflects your real life.
Income growth gets equal weight. We map a raise and bonus conversation, then layer in realistic side income options like freelance services, digital offers, affiliate income, and seasonal or remote part-time work that won’t wreck your back or your schedule. With new cash flow, we build sinking funds—emergency, travel, car care, glow-up, debt payoff, and even a future rental fund—and automate transfers the day after payday. Retirement gets a refresh too: review 401k allocations, capture the match, increase contributions when a raise hits, and automate Roth IRA deposits with index funds or ETFs that fit your risk level.
To lock it all in, we set daily five-minute money check-ins, schedule no-spend days, and use a 48-hour rule for online purchases with a running wish list. Then we automate everything—bills, transfers, debt payments, and reminders—so systems carry the weight when life gets loud. By the end, you’ll have a clean checklist to activate by January 1: debt list, payoff plan, reworked budget, income goals, savings buckets, retirement contributions, and automated rituals that make peace your default. If this roadmap helps, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review so more midlife women can find us.
Episode Transcript
Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Gatter podcast
where we glow up every part ofour lives in our 40s, 50s, and
beyond with intention andstructure.
I'm Jax, and today's episode isa special one.
I'm walking you through my full2026 money reset plan.
(02:22):
This is the exact process I'musing to get financially
grounded, organized, and wealthyin a way that feels doable and
sustainable for real midlifewomen with real
responsibilities.
If you're craving clarity,control, and financial peace
heading into the new year, thisepisode is your blueprint.
(02:46):
So we'll get started.
So first let's ask ourselves whya money reset matters in
midlife.
Well, money is the backbone ofevery glow up.
I mean, you need money to payfor a gym membership, to buy
books if you were reading foryour glow up, to buy clothing,
skincare, maybe a walking pad athome, or dumbbells, or an
(03:11):
exercise class.
So you need money for your glowup.
And midlife brings also newpriorities: stability, health,
retirement, travel, and peace.
You have new goals in midlifeand you need money to accomplish
them.
A reset is not starting over, itis taking full ownership.
(03:32):
You put yourself in thisposition, not the circumstance,
but your reaction, yourdecisions.
And you deserve a financial lifethat actually supports the woman
you are wanting to become.
What who are you becoming?
You need a financial, afinancial life to set you there,
(03:54):
to to progress you there.
And resetting your money is notpunishment.
It's not about deprivation.
It's about creating a financialenvironment that makes you and
your goals easier to reach.
We're not hustling in circlesanymore like we did when we were
younger.
We're moving deliberately.
(04:15):
So first things first, it's timeto face the music, the reality.
Gather your financial reality.
Take some time this week andgather your financial reality.
Calculate all your debts.
I have two credit card debts, Ihave an auto loan, and I have a
parent plus loan.
(04:35):
But calculate all your debts.
Your credit, your creditor, yourbalance, your APR, your minimum
amount due, the due date, andthe projective payoff if you
stick to that minimum amountdue.
That's eye-opening for sure, andthe interest rate.
So really face the music andthen pull your credit reports.
(04:57):
Look at your credit report.
Look at your score.
Look at your DTI, yourdebt-to-income ratio.
If you don't know what that is,I would chat GPT it.
So look at your debts comparedto your income and look at the
percentage.
Review your monthly bills andsubscriptions.
See what kind of subscriptionsyou have out there.
(05:18):
Review your bills.
Tag the your bills.
Uh look at your bank statementand tag the essentials, the nice
to have, the deletes, and thenegotiate.
So look over where you'respending on your credit cards
and your debit card, yourchecking account.
Where's your money going?
(05:39):
This step will feeluncomfortable, but it's one that
changes everything and it isneeded.
You cannot fix what you don'tknow.
And interest doesn't care aboutyour feelings.
You know, it's not shameful.
It is just eye-opening.
You need to know where you areso you can see where you're
going and where you want to go.
(06:00):
So that is the first thing.
Face reality.
So now you're going to buildyour 2026 debt payoff strategy.
You're going to decide if you'regoing to use the avalanche
method, the snowball method, orthe hybrid method.
I'm doing hybrid because myhighest interest debts, my two
credit cards, are also thelowest balances.
(06:21):
So it's a hybrid.
And you may or may not be inthat situation.
You could do the avalanche,which is paying your high
interest rate loans or creditcards first, the ones with the
highest interest rate.
Or you could do the snowball,the lowest balance first.
With the snowball, if you startpaying the lowest balance,
you'll pay more in interest inthe long run, but you'll get
(06:41):
quicker dopamine hits, betterpsychological benefits.
You know, you'll see that smalldebt paid off really quick and
it'll want you to keep movingand it'll give you psychological
benefits.
You start with the snowball.
Me, it's hybrid because I stillhaven't paid off my credit card
balances.
I see them coming down, andthey're also the high interest,
(07:02):
highest interest rate first, soor highest interest rates.
So that's why mine is a hybrid.
And then you want to automateyour minimum payments.
Your minimum payments for yourcredit cards and loans all
automate those minimums.
A lot of times theseinstitutions select the date
that you have to do the autopay, and they usually select it
(07:22):
right before the due date.
So they collect the most amountof interest.
They have it all mapped out,trust me.
So you have to you have to rollwith it.
And then create a debt, extradebt payment strategy.
I have a savings account withbuckets, and in one of my
buckets is my debt payoffaccount.
(07:44):
And I stash extra funds everytwo weeks in that account to
apply to my debt once a month.
Those are the extra principalpayments.
So I don't spend the money.
I don't buy something fromAmazon because I miscalculated,
and that was for my extraprincipal payment on my credit
card.
So I store it in an account andthen determine what you're gonna
(08:06):
spend extra a month.
You know, maybe it's 50 bucksextra a month or even 10 bucks
extra a month, what you canafford.
Maybe it's 150.
Kind of calculate and foreseewhat you're gonna pay extra on
the principal.
So debt payoff works when it'sboth emotional and mathematical.
Quick wins fuel you, automationsustains you.
(08:28):
So automate, project, have aplan for your debt.
All these credit card companieshave plans.
You need a plan to tackle themand to overcome this debt.
So have a plan.
So your debt payoff strategy,that's what that's what you have
to do next.
(08:50):
Now it is time to slash yourexpenses like a CEO.
You want to check randomsubscriptions, delivery fees.
Scroll through your target runs.
You know, it can ruin lives, thetarget runs, the amount you
spend.
Amazon spending as well, becauseit's so easy to spend.
(09:11):
Reduce your insurance, yourphone, your internet, your
groceries.
My phone is pretty reasonable.
I'm with my family on a familyplan and we pay our portions.
It's probably the best way wecan we we can tackle that
payment as a family.
It is lower than doing itindividually.
My internet, we have veryhigh-speed internet at home.
(09:34):
I'm gonna look into theStarlink.
They have a new system.
I don't know if it's if it'sstill good, the the internet and
what the fees are.
So I'm gonna look into that.
But my internet is prettyexpensive, but we we live off
it.
Groceries, I have gotten down toa science.
(09:54):
I do use curbside, and so thatjust saves me time in my
situation, being, you know,taking care of my parents,
working full-time, trying tohandle this online brand
business and maintaining a homeand still having my sanity.
I I use curbside.
And also it's easier on thepocketbook.
I know what I spend every week.
(10:16):
I see before I actually get thegroceries, and I could cut if I
need to, if I'm over budget.
And it also prohibitstemptation, you know, going into
the store, buying chocolatebrownies that I don't need
because they just look so good.
I don't see that when I don't goin the store.
But my insurance, my carinsurance, I'm gonna re-evaluate
(10:37):
in January.
Um, I'm gonna see if I couldslash that payment because I
know it's coming to renew and itprobably will go up.
They always do.
So I'm gonna see if I can get anew car insurance company.
And then also reorganize yourthree-bucket budget, your
essentials, your savings andretirement, and your fund
spending.
My essentials right now are 40%.
(10:59):
My savings and retirement are40%, and my fund spending is
20%.
Do I really need that fundspending 20%?
Probably not, but it keeps mesane.
But I'm gonna reevaluate it, andyou need to reevaluate yours.
Maybe you have mostly going toessentials, and in the next
section, we'll tackle how tobalance that out.
(11:20):
But this isn't aboutdeprivation.
This is about designing a lifewhere your money reflects your
priorities, not your impulses.
So slash expenses, like youcan't, like you know, like you
have to in in certainsituations.
Delivery fees also may beoutrageous.
Door dash fees.
Do you really need a door dash?
We did door dash on Saturday.
(11:41):
Weather was super bad.
We gave them a really good tip,and we didn't want to go out in
the snow because weather wasbad, and they want to make extra
money, and we we reallycompensated them for a tip.
And that was also a Costcodelivery I got sent to my home.
I was working and I couldn'tmake it to Costco.
Plus, it's a mad house onSaturdays, so I had a Costco
(12:01):
delivery to my house and I gavethem a very good tip.
But did I really need to dothat?
Could I have gone on Fridayevening when the weather was
better, or Sunday when theweather was better?
Possibly.
So that's something I have tore-evaluate, and maybe you do as
well.
So slash expenses like a CEO.
(12:22):
So next is increase your incomeon purpose.
You need to have a plan toincrease your income.
You can't just slash expensesyour whole life.
You need to increase yourincome.
Ask for that raise.
Ask for that bonus.
I had a meeting with my managerand I discussed all the extra
things I took on this year andmy progression.
(12:42):
And I asked her if my raise andmy bonus were gonna be better
this year than last year.
And she said is it is expected.
I have improved since last year.
So I did confirm with her.
So ask for that raise, ask forthat bonus.
Approach it method methodically,you know, have a plan, have side
(13:03):
income, glowgetter coaching,digital products, affiliate
income, like I'm doing.
I haven't really monetizedsignificantly.
I do have a plan to start a freecoaching program in spring 2026
that'll get my feet wet toeventually charge for coaching.
So I do have a long-term plan toincrease my income, and you
(13:24):
should as well.
Don't just sit there floppingaround, you know, making your
income and not thinking aboutthe future.
You need to grow your income.
Also, maybe you could dofreelance services.
Maybe you're the the work you'rein, you could do some freelance
on the side.
Explore that, look online, seeif there's different apps,
(13:45):
different sub differentcompanies where you can
advertise your freelanceservices with the area that your
expertise sell unused items.
I I tried that maybe about fouryears ago, three years ago, and
it worked out.
I I sold a camera that I hadn'tused for like three years.
I sold some other items, but youcould sell items you no longer
(14:10):
use.
You could also try to getweekend or seasonal work.
I know it's a little late in thegame to get Christmas seasonal
work.
I almost did that with Target.
I got an offer, but I did nottake the job because it would
have put strain on my back.
And I do have slight backissues.
So I did not take the job thatway.
And I was very honest with them.
(14:31):
I told them that was a reasonwhy I wasn't taking the
position.
And they appreciated me beingforthright and honest up front.
So, but you can get springseasonal work, maybe weekend
seasonal work.
So look into getting maybe apart-time job when I was really
chugging down and paying downdebt.
I got a part-time remote job,and I was evaluating social
(14:55):
media ads from my phone andlaptop and making good hourly
income.
And I did it mornings andevenings and weekends when I had
availability.
So you could look in getting apart-time job remote even from
your phone, from your computer,from your laptop.
So look into increasing yourincome.
(15:17):
That is huge when you're whenyou're trying to pay off debt
and get your finances in order.
That is extra money you can pullto apply towards a debt, apply
to savings, and you know,improve your financial future.
So increase your income.
Next is design your 2026 savingssystem.
(15:39):
Decide on how much is going intoyour sinking funds, your savings
accounts.
I have a savings account withbuckets, and they are one is an
emergency bucket, one is fortravel, one is for car repair,
one is my glow-up fund budgetbucket, one is my debt payoff
(16:00):
bucket, one is my future uhshort-term rental purchase
budget, so or bucket.
So I have buckets for differentpurposes and they have different
balances.
So have your sinking funds setup and then set up auto saves.
Um, have the funds either comingdirectly from your employer into
(16:20):
that savings account or have itcoming from your checking
account the next day after yourfunds hit from your paycheck.
That's what I do.
I don't spread my accounts withemployer and stuff like that.
I have one deposit into mychecking, and that next day
after the deposit, it comes outand goes into my sinking funds
(16:43):
and it's automated.
So automate the transfers rightafter payday so you don't spend
the money.
And then every month I evaluatewhat I have left over to put
extra on top of my debt, as Imentioned earlier, but also
extra to put into my sinkingfunds.
What do I have left over?
Can I put some extra funds inthese buckets, these savings
(17:04):
buckets?
So saving money is not optionalanymore, it is self-respect.
You need to save.
If you can't save, you need toincrease your income as soon as
possible so you can save.
You need an emergency fund.
Things happen.
You don't want to ring up thatcredit card again.
You don't want to do paydayloans, you want a savings.
(17:28):
So have a saving system for2026.
Whatever you can do, slashexpenses, increase income so you
can save.
It's vital.
Next is review your retirement,and it's a retirement reset.
Review the 401k if you have one.
Look at your allocations.
Look uh, maybe you have toreallocate.
(17:50):
Maybe you can't be so you needto be more conservative with
your allocations.
And then if you have one like Ido, your your Roth IRA, review
your ETS and index funds, lookat how they've progressed,
research on Gemini, maybereallocate different funds for
next year.
Do your research, see what'sgrowing, see what the what's
(18:14):
predicted, set your contributiontargets for 2026, increase your
deductions from payroll intoyour 401k and automate to the
Roth IRA.
This is something I will nottackle till the end of January
when I get my raise.
Many times when I get a raise, Itake that increase and allocate
(18:36):
it towards my 401k.
So review your deductions.
If you don't have a Roth IRA,you need to open one if you can.
Even minimal automate, a minimalautomated deposits into your
Roth IRA.
Research index funds andexchange traded funds, ETFs,
(18:59):
those are what I invest into.
Remember, midlife is whenretirement stops feeling
theoretical and it startsfeeling like a deadline.
We need to prepare now so ourfuture can't breathe when we
retire.
You don't want to, you're notgonna be able to, and you're not
gonna want to work when you're75 years old, unless you're
doing some sort ofself-employment, some sort of
(19:21):
side gig.
But really the hustle is is whenyou're younger and still, you
know, in midlife.
This is where you're hustling tolive free and have freedom when
you're older.
And you need to take thatseriously.
So if you can't put many moneytowards retirement because
things are too tight, then youneed to slash expenses and
(19:42):
increase your income.
No matter how you do it, youhave to do it.
But retirement reset is next.
Review your 401k and your RothIRA if you have one.
Next is have your money mindsetready and your spending controls
for 2026.
A daily five-minute check-inevery morning when you wake up.
(20:04):
Check that bank account, seewhere you spent the day before,
have a check-in with yourself,face reality, and then have no
spend weekdays or weekends.
You know, days where you don'tspend anything, nothing, not
even a dime.
Have the 48-hour rule before youbuy something on Amazon.
Wait 48 hours, have a wish liston your notes app when you
(20:28):
really want something added tothe wish list.
Revisit, revisit that wish listevery two weeks when you get
paid or every month to see ifyou still want that item and if
you can swing it.
Can you afford it?
So have a wish list.
Mindset is how we stopsabotaging ourselves, structure
is how we stay consistent.
So have a new money mindset andspending controls for 2026 in
(20:53):
place.
So there's no questioning it.
Finally, I'm just going tostress that you need to automate
everything.
You know, we're older, we're inpet paremenopause or menopause.
We could be forgetful, we couldbe overwhelmed to still taking
care of our kids, still taking,you know, trying to take care of
our olderly parents working fulltime.
(21:14):
We have a full load.
You need to automate so youdon't forget, so you don't get
hit with that late charge andyou don't get hit on your credit
report.
Automate bills, rent ormortgage, debt payments, saving
transfers, IRA for wakecontributions, monthly
reminders.
Automate your monthly reminders.
(21:34):
Automation is here how how grownwomen win.
Willpower is cute, but systemsare powerful.
So automate, automate, automate.
So this is your 2026 money resetchecklist, debt list, payoff
strategy, reworked budget,income goals, savings buckets,
(21:55):
automated transfers, retirementcontributions, bills reshopped,
organized accounts.
Daily weekly money rituals,wishless spending system,
automated debt payments, end ofmonth review, and need to
activate this for January 1st.
This is your whole money glow upfor 2026.
(22:17):
Simple, clear, andlife-changing.
So if you're resetting yourmoney for 2026, you're not
alone.
I'm doing it right alongsideyou.
And I will link my PDF fullmoney reset 2026 plan in the
show notes so you can print itand follow along, and step by
(22:37):
step you can do it as well, orat least it will give you some
insight of how to do your ownmoney reset for this coming
year.
This year we build wealth,clarity, confidence, and peace.
This is the year we becomefinancially unbothered.
So thank you for listening.
Um, hopefully, I'll see you nextepisode.
If this helped you in any anyway, if you enjoyed this
(23:01):
podcast, this episode, leave areview.
It helps other women like you,like me, find us.
But I hope you guys have a greatweek ahead.
Thanks for listening, and I willcheck in next week.
Love Jax.
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