Your August Financial Wellness Cheat Sheet
by Anoushka Mirchandani , Founder & CEO
I used to think wellness was only about physical and mental health.
In my 20s, I went through cycles. Six months of going to the gym religiously, then six months of doing absolutely nothing. It killed two birds with one stone, kept my physical health in check and gave me an outlet from a stressful work week.
What I didn’t realize until my 30s, when I wanted to buy an apartment and saw a very low savings balance, was that I had been missing the third piece: financial wellness. Nobody talks about that.
The thing is, when money stress is high, it chips away at your sleep, your relationships, and even your work performance. And the opposite is true too — when you feel in control of your money, you have more bandwidth for everything else.
That’s why, in honor of August being Wellness Month and National Financial Awareness Day on August 14, we’re sharing a Financial Wellness Cheat Sheet that’s both a quick learning tool and a way to take action today.
Financial Wellness Cheat Sheet
1. Check Your Money Vitals — Know your baseline before making changes
In physical health, you check your weight, blood pressure, or heart rate before starting a fitness plan. In financial health, your “vitals” are your savings, debts, and spending patterns. Without knowing them, you’re guessing at what needs fixing.
This Week: Write down your savings total, your debt total, and your biggest spending category from last month. Then, circle one number that most needs improvement and decide on a single action to start shifting it.
2. Set Your Wellness Number — Give your money a clear goal
Just like aiming to walk 10,000 steps or lift a certain weight, your money needs a target. Without one, it’s easy to drift and end up nowhere.
This Week: Write down one goal you want to hit by December 31 (e.g., save $3,000, pay off a $2,000 credit card). Break it into smaller monthly targets so you can track progress. Then take the first step toward hitting your first monthly milestone.
3. Build Money Habits That Stick — Focus on consistency over intensity
In fitness, a short daily walk beats a single intense workout once a month. Same for money — small, repeatable actions grow over time and are less overwhelming.
This Month: Pick one small money habit from the list below and commit to it for the next 30 days. Put a recurring reminder in your phone, and at the end of the month, review how much progress you made.
- Automate transfers to savings, even if it’s $20 a week.
- Schedule a 10-minute “money check-in” every Sunday.
- Identify one habit that derails you (e.g., stress shopping) and plan a healthier alternative.
4. Protect Your Energy and Your Wallet — Spend in line with your mental bandwidth
Financial health isn’t just about income and expenses, it’s about avoiding decisions that drain your mental energy. If you’re exhausted, you’re more likely to make expensive, impulsive choices.
This Month: Find one expense that’s more about stress than need. Cut it, reduce it, or swap it for a cheaper option. Then note how it impacts both your budget and your stress levels by month’s end.
Maybe:
- Say no to unnecessary financial commitments.
- Limit social media if it fuels comparison spending.
- Outsource tasks when it’s worth the time saved, but watch for over-spending here.
5. Celebrate and Reinforce Wins — Positive momentum fuels lasting change
Just like seeing the scale move down a pound can keep you motivated to keep exercising, small money victories make you want to keep going.
This Week: Write down one positive money action you took in the last 7 days and one you’ll take this week. Track them in a simple spreadsheet or notebook, celebrate each milestone (even $50 saved matters), and share them with a friend so you’ve got someone cheering you on.
Wellness is not complete without financial wellness. By checking your vitals, setting goals, building habits, protecting your energy, and celebrating wins, you’re strengthening every part of your life — not just your bank account.
Share this cheat sheet with a friend or co-worker and challenge each other to complete all 5 steps by the end of the month. And if this helps, join the SIMMER waitlist and challenge your friend to do the same!
