From skipping impulse coffees to trying a no-spend day, small changes add up to big results. The Kim family put it to the test and discovered just how powerful tiny shifts can be.
Financial fitness starts small
When CommBank personal finance expert Jess Irvine talks about “financial fitness”, she’s quick to point out that it’s not about cutting every luxury or sticking to a rigid budget. Instead, the focus is on creating small, beneficial money habits that can be sustained in the long term (like committing to a daily walk to improve your health). “It’s all those little daily choices that either move us closer to our goals or away from them,” she says.
It’s a philosophy that can be applied to any household. Take the Kim family, for example: Han, Vanessa and their two young boys. Busy, hardworking and juggling everyday expenses, they decided to test how a few smart adjustments, like cutting back on convenience spending and being more intentional with their budget, could put them on a better path.
The challenge: Pressing pause on spending
Like many families, the Kims noticed how quickly small costs (think takeaway coffees, cafe lunches, convenience splurges) stacked up. Han, who loves a spreadsheet, knew where the money was going in theory but admitted they often “made a budget we never really followed”.
Jess set them a “no-spend challenge”. For one week, they would track expenses closely, avoid unnecessary purchases and substitute habits that drained their budget with more intentional choices. Instead of daily barista coffees, they invested in a home machine. Instead of last-minute takeaway, they focused on meal prep. And to up the stakes, they trialled a Saturday “no-spend” rule, where, as a family, they would only do free activities.