10 Powerful Ways to Become Financially Aware

P.S: This is not a motivational speech. It’s an actionable guide on how to leverage a system that works to make your finances work better.

Most people think financial awareness means checking their bank app or knowing their salary. But the real awareness is about understanding where your money comes from, where it’s going, and how to use it intentionally and not reactively.

So in this guide I will be sharing with you 10 simple but powerful ways to build financial awareness and take control of your money (without needing a degree in finance).

1. Know Your Numbers (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)

You must know about the total cycle of your financial life, and it is all about awareness which starts with clarity. So how do you become aware? you can go about this by tracking these numbers at least weekly:

Current account balance
Total monthly income
Total monthly expenses
Debt balance
Savings & investment totals

Recommended tip: Use a free tool like Google Sheets, Notion to fill in the information, and have an overview of your current state, or you can do it automatically by using Balancc.

2. Review Your Bank Statements Line by Line

Most people think they’re “kind of okay” with money, until they realize how much they spend on food delivery, rideshares, and impulse purchases.

Every month, I want you to take an audit by sitting down with your bank statement.

Highlight:

What you needed to spend
What you chose to spend
What was wasted

With this practice you can know what you’re spending money on that’s not necessarily important and things you can cut off.

3. Calculate Your Net Worth (and Track It Monthly)

Your Net worth is the clearest snapshot of your financial health. And how do you calculate:

Net Worth = Assets (cash, savings, investments) − Liabilities (debts, loans, credit cards)

Do this ritual every month, as the goal is simple- to make your net worth go up.

4. Ask Yourself: “What’s My Money Personality?”

Are you a spender, saver, avoider, or investor? Your money patterns often reflect your upbringing, fears, and values.

What you can do is take note of your emotional triggers and act on it:

Do you spend when you’re stressed?
Do you avoid checking balances?
Do you hoard money and feel guilty spending?

Financial awareness includes being emotionally aware also.

5. Set Financial Check-In Days (Like a CEO)

Your money deserves the same attention a business gives to cash flow, so pick a weekly “Money Date” (e.g. every Sunday evening):

Review your income and expenses
Update your goals
Decide on the next week’s financial focus

6. Read 1 Financial Book or Article Every Month

The average person spends more time choosing dinner than learning how money works. Start changing that, by reading financial books, you can start with these beginner-friendly reads:

Even reading 5–10 mins/day compounds and will increase your knowledge gap.

7. Audit Your Subscriptions & Recurring Payments

These quiet, monthly charges can kill your cash flow awareness, so take note of all your subscriptions and block your card from the ones that no longer cater for your needs.

8. Track Your Spending by Category

Don’t just track how much you spend, track what you spend on, by breaking your expenses into:

Essentials (rent, food, bills)
Growth (courses, books, gym)
Lifestyle (clothes, fun, delivery)
Wealth-building (savings, investments)

With these you can prioritize on what to spend more on.

9. Create a “Money Vision” for Your Life

Financial awareness is about purpose. Why do you want money? If you don’t know why you want money, you won’t manage it well.

Write this down:

“What does a financially free life look like for me in 3, 5, and 10 years?”

Use this vision to make spending and saving decisions that actually align with your goals, not with trends.

10. Talk About Money Openly (with People You Trust)

Money grows faster in communities than in silence. Most people are afraid to talk about money, but that’s the fastest way to learn about it, you can start small by: