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The year has come to an end, and if you’re like most people, you might be reeling a bit from your holiday spending. Even if you’re a master budgeter, it can be wise to take a look at your budget at the end of the year and see if anything needs to change. Here are 6 steps to refresh your budget for 2026!
If you don’t have a budget, now is a great time to start! Here’s my post on how to make a budget.
6 Steps to Refresh Your Budget for 2026
Examine last year’s spending
This is going to be the most helpful thing to figure out what you want to do moving forward. Even if you didn’t have a budget or track specific categories, you can probably get a decent idea of trends by looking at your bank account statements (search for “Kroger” or where you normally buy groceries, for example). If you didn’t keep track of your spending last year, consider how you can do that in the coming year, even if it’s just a notebook.
Set 1-3 financial goals for 2026
These don’t have to be huge goals. Adding X dollars to your emergency fund, saving up for an item you’ve been wanting, or increasing your retirement contributions even by a small percentage are all great goals.
Consider your subscriptions and yearly bills
Look at your streaming services, app subscriptions, and other monthly services (even Amazon Prime!). Did you actually use them this last year? Do you think you can live without it? Many subscriptions allow you to pause them for 1-3 months, so think about doing that if you’re not sure how you’ll cope without the service. When it comes to fixed expenses like insurance and utilities, do a little research to see if it’s worth shopping around.
Evaluate your current spending categories
If you have been tracking your spending, then you can consider how much you want to spend in certain categories in the coming year. For example, maybe you feel like you spent too much on groceries and would like to spend less in 2026. Or maybe your kids are becoming teenagers and eating more and you need to increase your grocery budget. This is the time to really be honest about what you need to spend each month!
Have teens? Speed over to Amazon where you can score 50% off these adorable grace & stella Hydrocolloid Dot pimple patches!
This makes the patches just $5. This is a great idea for a teen!
Even better, they have great reviews!
This deal is good for a limited time. Shipping is FREE for Prime or on orders $35+. This is a great filler product if you’re trying to reach that $35 threshold.
See more online shopping deals!
Right now, head to Walmart.com where you can score a set of (3) pre-lit ceramic trees for just $29.99. These hand-painted trees are normally $86.99!
Grab is now at this great price and then pack it away with the rest of your decor. It’ll be ready for you next Christmas!
There are two colors to choose from at this price. White with white lights and green with colored lights. Both have great reviews!
This deal is good for a limited time and while supplies last. Shipping is FREE!
See more online shopping deals!
My favorite after-Christmas deal is back!! While supplies last head to your local Target and get 50% off Hams with a new high-value Target Circle offer.
We won’t see them on sale again for at least 6 months… so don’t miss your chance!
Target Circle Offer:
-50% off Good & Gather or Market Pantry Hickory Smoked Ham, Target Circle eCoupon
After the coupon you’ll get ham as low as 74¢ per lb which creams any price we saw before Christmas! These freeze great, just buy it and through it straight in the freezer for a future meal (or even for Easter).
Note: When we see this offer pop up stores sell out quickly, so don’t want.
Offer ends 1/3.
Here is a list of the deals from the current Walmart ad! Get good deals on mac & cheese, Dial hand soap, sandwich bread, and more.
For Walmart cash deals, you’ll be able to use your earnings on your very next Walmart purchase. You can earn them on in-store and pickup orders as long as you clip the offer before checking out.
Toy Deals
- Lego Duplo Disney Mickey & Minnie Mouse Birthday Train Toy, $23.99
-$3 Walmart Cash, limit 2 - hand2mind BubblePlush Yoga Ball Buddy, $24.97
-$6 Walmart Cash, limit 1
(makes it $18.97)
Produce
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Bananas, any brand, 20¢
-50 Swagbucks WYB Bananas, Swagbucks RP=1″ rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank” >magic receipts
(Free after Swagbucks) Read More→
Speed over to Woot! where they’re having a crazy coat sale! Grab outerwear for just $9.99!
Get fleece, puffers and more for just $9.99 to $15 (though most pieces are just $9.99). Sign into Woot! with your Amazon credentials for FREE shipping.
Deal Ideas:
Goodthreads Womens Oversized Teddy Sherpa Coat $9.99
This deal is good through 1/3 but some deals are already sold out.
Read More→
A new year is upon us, and I’m excited to start sharing a new year of monthly meal plans with you. For the January 2026 monthly meal plan, I came up with a new template and decided to try something a little different, which I’ll explain below.
For this month, I am sticking to some old favorites while also mixing it up with some fun recipes I think my family will love. You’ll notice that we are doing a lot of tacos, as that’s our usual Wednesday night meal. We also have dinner at community group this month. In our group, a different family hosts each time, so at least once a month, you get the night off from cooking (which as the mom in a large family I always appreciate).
Southern Savers FREE January 2026 Monthly Meal Plan
This month I decided to mark whether a recipe comes from my kitchen, or if it’s a recipe I found elsewhere. If it’s from somewhere else, you’ll see a little blue hyperlink symbol. If it’s one of my recipes, you’ll see our magnolia blossom. Some days don’t have either because it’s not really a recipe, more of a meal idea. I hope this gives you some encouragement to try some of my recipes if you haven’t already, but also to branch out to other fantastic recipe sites!
Starting this Saturday, January 3rd, Target is hosting a series of FREE in-store events promoting wellness!
Check out the dates below and mark your calendars. All events are from 12-4pm in-store.
Target Welness Events:
January 3rd: Free Wellness Box Giveaway, 12-4pm
January 10th: Good & Gather Giveaways & free smoothies, 12-4pm
January 17th: 20% off Embark or All in Motion Water Bottles + Free Stickers
See current deals at Target.
The Stanley Winter Sale is here!! Find items up to 40% off! There are lots of popular tumblers and mugs on sale, so grab them while they’re available!
This is a good chance to stock up the gift closet!
Deal Ideas:
The Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler | 40 OZ – $22.50 (reg. $45)
The IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler | 30 OZ – $17.50 (reg. $35)
The Stay-Hot Camp Mug | 24 OZ – $19.50 (reg. $30)
This sale ends 1/8. Shipping is free on orders or $65+.
