--- title: "How to do a mid-year money review" description: "How to do a mid-year money review: check your spending, savings and goals, review bills and subscriptions, and adjust your plan for the second half of the year." author: "Wealtie Team" published: 2026-11-12 updated: 2026-11-12 category: "Budgeting" canonical: https://wealtie.com/blog/mid-year-money-review --- # How to do a mid-year money review A mid-year money review is a quick check, halfway through the year, of how your spending, savings and goals are going, so you can adjust before the year is out. An hour is enough, and the checklist below covers what to look at and what to change. ## Key takeaways - A mid-year money review checks spending, savings and goals halfway through the year. - In a worked example, saving 1,400 against a 1,800 target means adding about 70 a month to catch up. - Reviewing bills and subscriptions mid-year often finds easy savings. - Plan for big costs in the second half, like holidays and year-end celebrations. ## What is a mid-year money review? A mid-year money review is a short check, around the halfway point of the year, of how your money plans are going. Many people set goals in January and look back in December, but a lot can drift in between. Checking in halfway gives you time to adjust while there are still six months to make a difference. It doesn't need to take long. An hour with your accounts, a cup of tea and the checklist below is enough. ## How do you review your spending? Look at the last six months, category by category. Which areas stayed on budget, and which went over? Look for patterns, like eating out creeping up, a category that's always over, or costs you didn't expect. Compare the first three months with the second three to see whether things are improving or slipping. Notice the wins too: categories where you spent less than planned show habits worth keeping. If you track spending regularly, this takes minutes. If you don't, going through bank and card statements gives you the picture. [How to use analytics in Wealtie](https://wealtie.com/blog/use-analytics-in-wealtie) shows how to see spending trends at a glance. ## How do you check your savings and goals? Compare where you are with where you planned to be. Here's a worked example for someone saving towards a 3,600 yearly goal, in round numbers that work in any currency: ![Savings goal, halfway through the year. Target by now: 1800, Saved so far: 1400.](https://us-1-s3.polodev.net/wealtie-blog-media/posts/2026/11/savings-goal-halfway-through-the-year-target-by-now-1800-f1c309f4aa.webp "Source: Worked example in round numbers") At the halfway point, the target was 1,800, but 1,400 has been saved. The gap is 400. Spread over the next six months, that's about 70 a month extra to catch up. Seeing the gap clearly makes it easy to decide whether to save more, adjust the goal or extend the deadline. If you're ahead, decide whether to bank the extra, raise the goal or put it towards another priority. ### Are your goals still right? Life changes. A goal set in January might matter less now, or a new one might have appeared. It's fine to change goals. [How to set financial goals](https://wealtie.com/blog/set-financial-goals) helps you decide what's worth working towards. ## How do you review bills and subscriptions? Go through every regular payment. Check for: - Subscriptions you no longer use - Contracts ending soon that you could switch - Insurance renewals coming up in the next six months - Prices that have risen since you signed up Mid-year is a good time to do this, since it's often quieter than January. Write down the renewal month for each contract, so you can compare deals before the price changes. [How to cut subscription costs](https://wealtie.com/blog/cut-subscription-costs) has a simple checklist. ## What should you plan for the second half of the year? Look ahead at big costs. The second half of the year often includes summer holidays, back-to-school costs, birthdays, and year-end celebrations and gifts. List the ones you know about and how much each will cost. Setting a little aside each month from now means they won't all land at once. Big birthdays, weddings and travel to see family are easy to forget until they're close. ### Check your income too Has your income changed since January, through a pay rise, new work or fewer hours? Update your budget to match, and decide where any extra goes before it gets absorbed into spending. ### Check your emergency fund Is it still the size you want? If you've used some of it, plan to top it up. If your costs have risen, it may need to grow too. ## What about debts? If you're paying off debt, check your progress. How much have you paid off since January, and are you on track for your target date? If a debt has a higher interest rate than the others, putting any extra towards it saves the most. If a promotional rate ends in the next six months, plan for it now, and check whether any interest-free period ends before December. ## How do you make the review a habit? Put it in your calendar. Choosing a fixed date, like the last weekend of June, makes it easy to remember. Pairing it with a monthly check-in and [a year-end money review](https://wealtie.com/blog/year-end-money-review) gives you a simple rhythm: small checks monthly, a bigger look twice a year. If you share finances, [the monthly money meeting](https://wealtie.com/blog/monthly-money-meeting) is a good format to do it together. Writing down two or three changes for the second half, and sharing them with someone, makes them more likely to stick. ## How do you do a mid-year review in Wealtie? Look at your [expense categories](https://wealtie.com/features/categories) over the last six months to see where money went, and compare each month against your limits in the [budget tracker](https://wealtie.com/features/budgets). Budget Health shows how this month is pacing, and your savings accounts show progress towards each goal. ## Questions people ask ### What is a mid-year money review? A short check halfway through the year of your spending, savings, goals, bills and plans for the next six months. ### How long does a mid-year money review take? About an hour, especially if you track spending regularly. ### What should I check in a mid-year money review? Spending by category, savings and goal progress, bills and subscriptions, debts and big costs coming up. ### What if I'm behind on my savings goal? Work out the gap and spread it over the remaining months, or adjust the goal or deadline. *This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your situation is your own; check the numbers that apply to you before you act on them.*