Happy New Year! Yeah, I'm a little late, but things have been kinda crazy & weird, so I've been unable to think straight and express my feelings coherently. Anyway, about new years resolutions...
I'm not one to necessarily believe in making new years resolutions. I'm the sort of person who is constantly setting goals for herself (attainable and unattainable), and making to-do lists. So, I don't think it's necessary to set a new year resolution. However, I have set a few in the past. Most of them I don't remember, but two of them I do.
#1. A few years ago I set the goal to never choose staying home when offered an opportunity to go out. I was in pharmacy school, and was commuting almost an hour to & from school on a daily basis. I had a tendency to turn down offers to go out 'cause I didn't feel like driving, or was tired from my long days of school & work. I realized that if I continued doing that I would alienate all of my friends (perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but that could have been the consequence). So, I set a goal! From what I remember I stuck to that resolution for a long time. I know I made it at least through the summer! Who knows, maybe I'd have a lot fewer friends if not for that resolution.
#2. Last year I resolved to keep my check book balanced. I can 100% say that I accomplished that! Every cent is accounted for on an almost daily basis. This is quite impressive, 'cause approximately 95% of my purchases are made on my check card! That is one resolution I'm glad I made.
So, this year I wasn't sure I was gonna come up with a resolution. I don't like things that are difficult to measure, like: "I will get in shape," "I will be healthier," I will manage my money better," etc. I need an goal where I can track my progress and monitor myself. So, I came up with a challenging goal/resolution for myself. This year I made the goal to save $15,000. Wow, that number looks bigger on paper than in my head! I took a look at my finances and realized that so much of my income is wasted. I convinced myself that since I had my 401k maxed out, all of my bills paid for on time, and no debt (except for that pesky school loan that I have to pay for the next 27 years), that I was doing well on the money front. I've slowly come to the realization that I was very wrong. I have a minimal savings that is barely an "emergency fund." I started to wonder how I would ever buy a house. Of course there are other things that I need to save money for, but a house is in the not so distant future, so it's easier to see that as my goal.
Sure, I can pay a monthly mortgage, but wouldn't I want to put money down on the house to lower future payments? Also, don't I want some money so that I can furnish, renovate, etc?
So, starting January 1st I started working toward my goal of $15,000. I've mapped out a plan and hopefully will be able to stick with it. I can't say that this will be easy, but I'm really gonna try my hardest. Part of what helped is that I took a look at my past monthly expenses, and realized that a significant portion was being spent on NOTHING. Just stupid shit. I'm sure that TARGET is gonna be pretty pissed at me, considering that a considerable percentage of my paycheck went to them. Oh well, they'll get over it. Hopefully I'll be able to live without my daily visits there to buy kitchen gadgets, decorations, hair products, clothing, etc.
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