Achieve Your Financial Goals in 2023
The arrival of the New Year is sure to bring renewed promises to fulfill all sorts of personal, professional or internal goals. Going to the gym, stop eating out as much, take time out for self-care, plan better for vacations and go after that new job promotion. All these things are phenomenal and for sure should be placed on your vision board. Yet there is one other space we need to look at. As we drink more water and eat healthier foods, are we focused on that mountain of debt that we have? What started as a molehill has now grown into hills that seem too steep to climb or get over. Unlike the dust and dirt on the floor, the debt can’t be swept under the rug, as the pile will continue to grow and so will the pressure to fix it.
We can start by creating a budget and sticking to that budget for the first 31 days of the year. Breaking bad habits and creating new ones takes time, so please give yourself some grace and understand this is a learning process. If you do not know how to budget there are always great tools within The Ultimate Guide to Budgeting. Creating a budget gives you clear goals to reach and concise methods to get there. It also can give you different ways to save funds for the dreaded emergency that is sure to arise.
Tips from The Ultimate Guide to Budgeting
New Year, New Financial Strength
- Write out your goals for the month.
- Take a look at your income and create a household budget around it.
- Cut out unnecessary subscriptions.
- Cancel the morning latte trip. Setting timers on your coffee maker at home can have you ready to go quickly, without much effort.
- Try not eating out for 1-3 months and save the money you would have spent on meals.
- Clearly distinguish between essential expenses (like rent, utilities, etc.) and flexible spending (like weekly Amazon purchases).
- Consider trying a savings challenge, like saving a penny a day in a jar or the 52-week envelope challenge.
Creating a budget gives you control over your finances and knowing where you have extra money allows you to utilize the snowball effect and pay off your smallest debts first until you get back to your larger debts. It increases your chances of success when you have a plan that challenges you and rewards you in the end. After all the New Year is meant for you to have a new lease on life. You get another opportunity to build savings, pay off debt, and set up the life you deserve. The New Year is yours for the taking, what will you do differently this year?