Before you blame yourself for not sticking to your money goals, let me show you how you might be sabotaging them without realizing it.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the three biggest ways people wreck their money goals before January is even over, from setting vague, emotionally disconnected goals to falling into an all-or-nothing mindset and failing to track progress. This is the first episode in our brand-new Personal Finance Cheat Sheet series, and I’m giving you practical, realistic tools to finally follow through in 2026 — without burnout, perfectionism, or shame.
Key takeaways:
Vague money goals are setting you up to fail.
“I want to be better with money” isn’t a goal — it’s a wish. When your resolution isn’t specific or measurable, your brain has no way to know if you’ve succeeded, and more importantly, no reason to care. Without a clear outcome or emotional investment, motivation disappears the moment things feel inconvenient. Financial goals only work when they’re concrete and tied to something meaningful in your life — not something you think you should want.
If your goal doesn’t have an emotional anchor, you’ll abandon it.
The real reason people quit isn’t laziness or lack of discipline — it’s a lack of emotional connection. Your brain needs a “why” that actually matters to you. Whether it’s freedom, flexibility, peace of mind, or future opportunities, your goal needs to represent a life change, not just a number in a bank account. When things get hard, that emotional anchor is what keeps you moving forward instead of giving up.
The all-or-nothing mindset is quietly sabotaging your progress.
Trying to do everything perfectly — saving aggressively, fixing everything at once, or demanding constant maximum effort — leads straight to burnout. When you believe progress only counts if it’s extreme, any setback feels like failure. Sustainable financial growth comes from defining a realistic bare minimum you can consistently meet, even on low-energy days. Consistency beats intensity every time.
Chasing the “perfect system” keeps you stuck.
Jumping from budgeting app to budgeting app, strategy to strategy, or “money hack” to “money hack” feels productive — but it’s often just avoidance. The fundamentals of money don’t change: save consistently, spend intentionally, and invest over time. What actually matters isn’t novelty, it’s showing up repeatedly, even when it feels boring or inconvenient.
If you don’t track progress, your brain assumes nothing is working.
You’re far more likely to quit when you can’t see proof that your efforts matter. Tracking progress isn’t just about numbers — it’s about reinforcing motivation and building self-trust. Regular check-ins, celebrating small wins, and acknowledging incremental progress help your brain recognize that change is happening, which keeps you engaged long enough to reach your goals.
Notable quotes
“Your brain needs proof that you are changing — or you will give up.”
“If you demand maximum effort all the time, you are guaranteeing burnout.”
“It’s not that you don’t have willpower — it’s that you don’t actually care about the goal you set.”
Episode at-a-glance
00:00 Intro
01:57 Why New Year’s Resolutions Often Fail
03:56 Mistake 1: Setting Vague Goals Without a “Why”
08:44 How to Anchor Your Financial Goals
13:34 Reflection Prompts for Goal Setting
15:35 Mistake 2: The All-or-Nothing Mindset
24:14 Shiny Object Syndrome & Chasing Novelty
27:54 The Power of Consistency and Bare Minimums
30:08 Free Personalized Money Plan Resource
31:54 Mistake 3: Not Tracking Your Progress
36:34 How to Track Progress & Build Motivation
41:06 The Money Date Practice
43:46 Building Self-Trust and Accountability
47:06 Closing Thoughts & What’s Next in the Series
Not sure where to start on your financial journey? Take our FREE quiz and get your personalized money plan: https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod
Mentioned in this episode:
Science Backed Goal Setting Episode: https://play.megaphone.fm/vtgw675btq6fuky50hmoeg
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Transcript:
Thank you for listening to Financial Feminist a Her First $100K podcast. For more information about Financial Feminist, Her First $100K, our guests and episode show notes, visit financialfeministpodcast.com. If you’re confused about your personal finances and you’re wondering where to start, go to herfirst100k.com/quiz for a free personalized money plan.
Financial Feminist is hosted by me, Tori Dunlap. Produced by Kristen Fields and Tamisha Grant. Research by Sarah Sciortino. Audio and video engineering by Alyssa Midcalf. Marketing and Operations by Karina Patel and Amanda Leffew. Special thanks to our team at Her First 100K, Kailyn Sprinkle, Masha Bakhmetyeva, Sasha Bonar, Rae Wong, Elizabeth McCumber, Daryl Ann Ingman, Shelby Duclos, Meghan Walker, and Jess Hawks. Promotional graphics by Mary Stratton, photography by Sarah Wolfe, and theme music by Jonah Cohen Sound. A huge thanks to the entire Her First 100K community for supporting our show.
Tori Dunlap
Tori Dunlap is an internationally-recognized money and career expert. After saving $100,000 at age 25, Tori quit her corporate job in marketing and founded Her First $100K to fight financial inequality by giving women actionable resources to better their money. She has helped over five million women negotiate salaries, pay off debt, build savings, and invest.
Tori’s work has been featured on Good Morning America, the New York Times, BBC, TIME, PEOPLE, CNN, New York Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, BuzzFeed, and more.
With a dedicated following of over 2.1 million on Instagram and 2.4 million on TikTok —and multiple instances of her story going viral—Tori’s unique take on financial advice has made her the go-to voice for ambitious millennial women. CNBC called Tori “the voice of financial confidence for women.”
An honors graduate of the University of Portland, Tori currently lives in Seattle, where she enjoys eating fried chicken, going to barre classes, and attempting to naturally work John Mulaney bits into conversation.
