I’m a Financial Planner – This is a Simple Money Habit You Need to Quit in 2025

New year, new habits.

Shannon McLay, CEO of financial planning service The Financial Gym, is sharing the one spending habit people need to break in 2025.

Emphasizing ‘awareness’, the money guru says it’s time to delete simple payment apps from your smartphone that allow you to make mindless purchases with just the click of a button.

“I always say that we work really hard for every dollar that we make, so we have to make it hard to spend those dollars because it’s hard to get them in the bank,” she told TheStreet.

“But it’s so easy for us to spend the money we spend on our phones. We spend it with credit cards on apps and we don’t realize where it’s going.”

McLay says financial experts “hear all the time” that their clients “have no idea” where their money is going, with many saying they “make it and then it’s gone.”

She encourages people to be aware of their money, even though it often causes anxiety.

“We see people who seem very financially healthy to us and they’re feeling anxious,” she said. “And when we feel anxious about an area, we avoid it. We don’t want to dig into the thing that’s creating the anxiety.”

As a result, people “won’t look” at where their income is going.

A study last year found that 73% of Americans are stressed about their finances.

“So that’s one of the first steps we would say is being aware of where your money is going and whether it’s tracking your spending through an app or even just manually tracking it in the Notes app on the phone yours,” advised McLay.

“That process of paying attention to where your money is going is a really good first step.”

Gen Z has also ushered in another financially savvy trend — “loud budgeting,” or being transparent about finances.

“They say there’s no shame and guilt in their financial situation,” financial expert Julie O’Brien, senior vice president and head of behavioral science at US Bank, previously told Money.

“They’re just saying out loud that healthy management of their money is something they value more than consumerism and the curated, unrealistic ideals they see portrayed.”