From the article: New Year's Resolutions: Financial Goals
Every year people make financial resolutions and goals in the hope to change their situation for the better. Unfortunately many of those people struggle to meet those goals. Share and learn tips and success stories that can help inspire you to stick with your goals and be successful this year. Share Your Tips
Be Specific
- I think it helps to articulate exactly what your goal is. If you just say "I want to save more" or "I want to spend less", there's no real measure. But something like "I want to save $200 more per month" is a great goal. And I love the idea of starting small and working your way up to it.
- —Guest Mel
Financial Review
- These are great financial goals. Each year we take a look at where are financially. This year we took a slightly different approach and used the plan from a book called "The Debt-Free Millionaire" by Anthony Manganiello. It has been a great help in planning for the future.
- —Guest Betty
Got Out of Debt
- My goal was to pay off my $10,000 in credit card debt last year and I did it! It wasn't easy, I really had to cut back on my spending, and I sold some stuff that I didn't use anymore. But it was really worth it. Now I don't have to worry about those payments and I can really afford to go on vacation and do the things that I want to. You just need to make a plan and stick with it!
- —Guest Tristie
Be Accountable
- It always helps me to be accountable to someone else. That means I find a friend I can trust and report to him or her about my current goal. The once a week meeting helps me to keep everything in perspective and I'm able to really accomplish what I set out to do. It's not easy to discuss finances but my budget buddy made all the difference in helping me to stop overspending each month.
- —Guest Jodi
Be Realistic
- My best success comes when I break the goal down into parts and then work towards those individual parts. For example last year I wanted to save an extra $200.00 a month. I made it a goal to save $50.00 extra in January and then upped it each month by $50.00. By April I was saving the money, but I took my time so that I could find real ways to save that fit my priorities and lifestyle.
- —Guest Randi
