by Dr Tshidi Gardiner

Financial well-being isn’t about how much money you earn — it’s about how secure, informed, and in control you feel about your finances. This includes your ability to meet current needs, manage unexpected costs, make thoughtful choices, and plan ahead without constant stress or worry.

In the veterinary profession, financial well-being can feel especially complex. Many of us regularly have sensitive conversations with members of the public about the cost of treating their animals. We see firsthand how financial pressure affects decision-making, emotions, and well being. Alongside student debt, practice pressures, and rising living costs, this can also affect our own relationship with money.

We also know there is a strong link between money and mental health. Poor mental health can make managing money more difficult, and worrying about money can make mental health worse. It can become a difficult cycle, but you don’t have to stay in it. Here are some practical, manageable steps that may support you.

7 Practical Tips for Healthier Financial Well Being

1️⃣ Be Aware and Make It Easy to Maintain

Clarity reduces anxiety. Start by organising your financial information so it’s easier to manage. Awareness creates choice, and control starts with visibility. Try this:

• Put all important documents in one place. Letters, bank statements, payslips, bills, and receipts. 
• Create one physical folder or one digital folder
• Check your bank balance at a regular, set time each week so you can see what you’re spending and what remains
• Treat this as a check-in, not a judgment session.

2️⃣ Use a Spending Plan and Use Cash if Needed

Think of a spending plan as supportive structure, not restriction. It helps you direct money where it matters most. Fo instance, if card spending feels too easy or hard to track:

• Use cash instead of cards for certain categories
• Withdraw only what you can afford for a specific purpose for example, your weekly shop. When the cash is gone, spending stops.

This can be especially helpful during stressful periods when impulse spending increases.

3️⃣ Gradually Build a Small Safety Cushion 

If you can, begin setting aside a small emergency buffer. Even modest, regular amounts help. We know that unexpected bills can sharply increase financial stress and anxiety — and they’re very common. Many of us know someone who’s had sudden car damage from a pothole or a random cracked windscreen — frustrating and unplanned. A small reserve won’t remove the annoyance, but it can reduce the emotional and financial shock.

4️⃣ Schedule Money Tasks (Don’t Chase Them)

Financial admin becomes overwhelming when it stays on your mental to-do list. Move it into your calendar instead. Make it a routine appointment:

• Build money tasks into your daily or weekly schedule
• Set a fixed time for tasks like paying bills or reviewing accounts
• Keep the session short and focused
• Plan a relaxing activity afterwards, maybe a walk, tea break, or an episode of a favourite show. This type of structure reduces avoidance, and routine reduces stress.

5️⃣ Don’t Carry Financial Worry in Silence

Money stress grows heavier when kept private. Talk with someone you trust — a colleague, partner, mentor, or adviser. There is always help available. Support charities such as Vetlife and similar helplines can listen without judgment and signpost you to useful financial and wellbeing resources. You do not have to figure everything out alone.

6️⃣ Practice Self-Compassion Around Money Decisions

Many caring professionals are far harder on themselves about money than they would ever be with a client. Past decisions are data, not identity. Financial skills can be learned and strengthened at any stage. Progress beats perfection anyday.

7️⃣ Use Supportive Tools — You Don’t Have to Start From Scratch

One of our Vets in Mind trustees has shared a practical financial budgeting tool designed to make planning clearer and more manageable. If getting started feels difficult, using a ready-made structure can help alleviate mental load and provide a clear starting point.

You can access the budgeting tool here.

A Gentle Reflection for This Month: You may have supported clients through difficult financial decisions with empathy and clarity. Can you offer yourself that same patience and compassion with your own finances?