A New Year is upon us, and if you’ve already made significant headway into the New Year, then you deserve some applause. However, for every person that is really making it big in the New Year, there are at least seven that are wondering what to do, how to do it and why they should even bother.
If you think that all resolutions have to be scrapped, then you’re definitely in for a shock — you really can rise above anything and everything you’re dealing with and find true success with your financial resolutions.
Below is a list of 7 points to consider when you’re really trying to keep your financial resolutions!
1. Track Progress!
One of the first things you will need to do is make sure that you are always tracking your progress when it comes to your financial resolutions. If this means that you keep a spreadsheet, then that’s what you need to do. If that means that you turn to a service like mint.com to track your progress and set more goals, then that’s what you should do. You don’t have to feel like you’re just walking down a road without really knowing how far you’ve traveled. As long as you have a way to keep your progress in sight, you’ll feel more empowered to actually make better decisions.
2. Get Accountability In Place!
You shouldn’t make goals in a vacuum. Instead of keeping your goals to yourself, why not share them with your friends and family? This could be something as simple as talking about them on Twitter or Facebook, and it might be something even greater as building a website to track your progress as well as mention how far you’ve come. Think it doesn’t work? SaveKaryn.com was one girl blogging about her debt and asking people to send in donations. She really did become debt free. Of course, we don’t advocate that you beg for money, but a simple site that talks about your quest for a better net worth is definitely a good idea.
3. Discover Shortcuts!
Getting good information on your side can make all of the difference in the world when you’re trying to get little shortcuts along the way. You might learn new ways to save money, or you might learn different techniques and procedures you can turn to when you really want to make sure that you pull in a little extra income.
4. Produce Extra Income!
Are you thinking about making extra money? If you’re really serious about meeting your financial goals, you might want to. This could mean taking on extra hours at work, donating blood, or selling arts and crafts. There are a dozen ways to make money, and you should explore them all to find something that really makes sense for you and your situation. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make extra money
5. Take Your Time!
You don’t want to think that all of this has to be done in a single day, a single week, or even a single month. Even if you get to the end of the year and you still don’t have everything in place, you might realize that you just need to stay the course. A lot of people don’t bother with this, and they end up not being able to get things done.
6. Cut Back Expenses!
Do you really need the best cable subscription? Of course you don’t. You just think that you need it. In fact, there are probably plenty of expenses that you have on your sheet right now that really aren’t necessary. You need to clip back those expenses if you really want to get things done. Is it more important to you to save for a house, or to get your nails done? You might not think those expenses are keeping you from the goals that matter most to you, but you might be surprised.
7. Be Positive!
It’s important to make sure that you can stay positive while you’re trying to save up for your goals. You don’t want to fall behind, but at the same time, you don’t have to take every aspect of life seriously all of the time. Learn to laugh, learn to have a good time, and you should reach your goals in virtually no time at all!