3 Ways to Declutter Your Banking Habits

Spring is a time to open the windows, clean out clutter and tidy up the garden to make way for new growth.

Taking a spring-cleaning approach to your banking habits — by evaluating your accounts and looking for ways to make small improvements — can also have a big impact on your overall sense of wellness.

Here are a few areas you can explore to streamline your financial life and save some time — and maybe even a few extra dollars.

1. Go paperless

If you’re still receiving credit card bills or bank statements in the mail every month or every quarter, consider switching to digital delivery. Depending on your financial institution, you will likely find the settings for this option under ‘delivery preferences’ or ‘view and manage documents’ in your online banking platform.

Not only will going paperless cut down on the amount of paper clutter in your life, but it can be a more secure and convenient way to receive sensitive financial information. Most banks also archive multiple years of account statements for you to access or download.

Some financial institutions have also started charging customers for paper statement delivery, so by switching to a digital option, you could save money too.

2. Automate transfers to savings and investment accounts

If you’ve already set up a high-interest savings account, tax-free savings account or a registered retirement savings plan, and are contributing a lump sum every so often, you’re on the right track.

This spring, take things one step further by setting up regular, automated transfers of an amount at a frequency that works for your budget.

Taking the opportunity to set up an automatic transfer to your savings account or investment account not only eliminates the need to remember to make your contributions, but also eliminates the possibility of spending the money before you have the chance to put it aside for savings.

If you already have automatic transfers set up each month or pay period, take the time to look at your budget and goals to see whether the amount you’re saving still makes sense.

3. Tally your transaction fees

How long has it been since you’ve taken a close look at what you’re spending in banking fees each month? Reviewing them now can ensure your banking package still fits your lifestyle.

Set aside some time to look at transactions in your bank accounts from the last few months. Do you see any small charges for using an ATM, making debit purchases, or other services? These charges could mean you've gone over your monthly transaction limits, depending on your account type. Compare the amount you’ve paid in fees with the value you're getting in return.

According to JD Power’s 2025 Canada Retail Banking Satisfaction survey, the rate of customers who switched their primary bank in the past 12 months rose to 7%, up from 6% in the previous three years. One of the top factors was excessive or high fees.

In many cases, fees show up on your statement as monthly account fees, ATM charges, overdraft or non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees.

If you have a chequing or savings account that was advertised as “no-fee,” look into whether you’re consistently meeting the criteria for this offer (for example, maintaining a certain balance). Otherwise, you may be getting charged fees you weren't expecting.

Just want to reduce fees?

If you’re happy with your account features and are looking for ways to minimize extra fees:

If your bank account limits transactions to 25 debit or cash withdrawals every month, and this doesn’t quite meet your needs, try the following: