New Years Goals and Ambitions

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 08:15 pm Post Subject:

Good question, goodnatured. I'm not one for making New Year resolutions much either but I do try to review my finances at the start of the new year. If I can find a much better deal that'll improve my financial situation in some way either by reducing payments or getting a better rate on something. I'll look at it more and see if it's worth pursuing.

Goals

1. I agree with you, I'd like to be more structured in what I do and what goes where for 2008. This year has been one expensive thing after another in our house and every time it's been the kind of situations where there's no way you can put it off.

For example, the car needed all the tires replaced - you just can't put things like that on the back burner when it's the safety of your family that's at stake.

So this year I'm adding in amongst all my usual review a mental "on the horizon" category to try and think about what's likely to come up and budget for that too. A new lawnmower in the summer, that kind of thing. While it's maybe just a few hundred bucks at a time, when you get hit with three or four in a row unexpectedly, it sure knocks the stuffing out of your budget. :shock:

I've love to add in a birthday shopping day and get all the gifts out the way . I can do that for the grownups at least and stash it in a cupboard instead of the usual running at the last minute to the store and post office. That's a stress I add to my life that's entirely my fault. That job can come in under the "on the horizon" category actually now I think about that.

I know I'm going to have to devote probably an afternoon to getting my time planned out more into some semblance of a routine, but then in the bigger scheme of things, what's a few hours out of a year's worth of time saved? :)

I like your idea about saving your forum money, that's a good one that I may have to shamelessly steal and claim as my own LOL. :wink: No seriously, that's a good way to save. :)

I'd love to have more time to myself too. I guess it's one of these things that we have to make a conscious effort to build into our day. I used to meditate a few times a week and read a book for an hour before bed. Now, that's nothing but fond and distant memories and yet I know that both did a lot to improve my sense of wellbeing.

When we're too busy to make time for ourselves, we really need to step back a little and say what am I working so hard for? Money and family, yes, but what good's that if we have a heart attack with all the stress we've piled on? Without a safety valve built in to relieve at least some of it, we may not be around long enough to enjoy either. My dad used to say that no one ever worries about what's in their in-tray on their deathbed.

This year, even if all I do is step out onto the back porch and watch the sun set or rise with a cup of coffee, there'll be some quiet time for me. I need to stop more and appreciate the blessings I already have in my life and the fact that I'm above ground would be a good one to start the day with.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:45 am Post Subject:

Well good morning and Happy New Year to everyone, hope that you and your families made it home with out incident and pray that we don't get any really bad queries today on the forum, especially those involving drunk driving, fingers crossed.

Lilac,
My main priority I guess is the time thing, I need to spend a little more time for me, see it is just after 5 in the morning and I am up. I need to focus more, this little hour or so to myself, even if it is just spent here, is gonna benefit me in my other goals. I keep a little notebook here and jot down my thoughts. It is amazing what solutions come up when your fingers are stroking away and your mind is mentally free.

On the financial end of life, I really need to get more focused too, and stick to my guns, I too, have to reach and pull from other areas when I need something like tires, no don't you think we would know better by now? We are grown people, LOL. But I will put it aside until I have to take the car or truck to the shop and then have to pull from another bill to pay for them. I will need four new tires for my corolla by winter, see I am telling you know, so you can through something at me in October when I say, I don't have the money to do it, LOL.

I do need to grow up and be a little more responsible with my money, I tend to get carried away in some areas and it does me no good, just costs me more money that is all.

Maybe through places like this forum I can find the guidance to stay on track and put some money back each month for tires and such.

My paypal account, I need to keep my grubbing little hands out of there for awhile, that is extra money that I could use, I want to use it for christmas purchases, so if I see something on sale through the year I can purchase it with money made on these forums and put it aside until christmas, you know it is only 11 months and 24 days away, be here before you know it. LOL

Goodluck in your goals, hope you suceed, everything you have written is easy enough to do with a little self discipline, hope you do it. keep me updated and if you need a push let me know, hopefully you will do the same for me, LOL.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:46 am Post Subject:

GREAT POSTS GIRLS!

I've love to add in a birthday shopping day and get all the gifts out the way . I can do that for the grownups at least and stash it in a cupboard instead of the usual running at the last minute to the store and post office. That's a stress I add to my life that's entirely my fault. That job can come in under the "on the horizon" category actually now I think about that.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 05:02 pm Post Subject:

After reading this post, my goals for 2008 seemed so simple, heck I just wanted to get my house better weatherized for next winter. But I could be more careful with money, by saving a few dollars here and there and shopping those clearance racks, I may have more money left to put into my weatherization project.
I am going to start clipping my coupons again for my groceries, I have told myself that the little lie about, I am too busy to do that is not true, I am going to take the time to do it. I have been encouraged to do this on the credit forum. I used to clip and save quite a bit, especially on my cleaning and household products. I am going to make an effort to start doing this again. There is a really good thread on this on the credit forum if you all are interested. If you don't think it adds up, just put the money you save into a jar and see what you have in a few months, look at your reciept and match it in the jar.

I wish you all luck in your goals and hope you have a great new year.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 09:13 pm Post Subject:

erb,
any goal that you set is a good one as long as you feel that you have a pretty good shot at accomplishing it or giving it your best shot. We all need something to look forward to, hope you meet all your goals too, no matter how big or small they are, they are important to you and that is what counts. Goodluck, hope you got some good tips on the credit forum, there are a bunch of good people there with some great ideas.

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 04:55 pm Post Subject:

I personally don't believe in setting New Years resolutions since I believe that if you are serious about an objective you should start once you realise your goal not wait until the new year starts.

But if you want to know mine
1) Stop smoking and don't start back up. (Actually began back in November, and I haven't had a cig since Nov. 1st.)
2) Straighten my finances out (Have been working on this one for a long time, every time I think I got it some thing comes up to throw it out of whack again)
3) Save more for retirement. (My hardest to do, with #2 still being an issue)

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:08 am Post Subject:

avengerki, I hear you on the finances, I will sit down and right it all out and then see the money I have coming in and have plenty to cover things until the time comes, I get so frustrated with this. I have decided that I am going to commit to my little nerdy savings plan, I used to clip coupons obsessively, I really need to get back on the boat with that one.

I like erb's idea of putting a match of your savings in a jar. I think that would give me a good way to track what I have saved, I did get a jar penny bank for christmas and it has a counter on top of it, as you drop money in, it counts it for you. So, I am thinking that I will start this immediately.

Good luck on your smoking goal, boy that is a tough one, if you have went this long you have a really good start. I have a few packs left and I am going to try it, my husband is really trying with the chantix, it isn't gonna do him much good if I am in the house smoking and he is trying to quit. So this is something I am gonna seriously try as soon as I finish off these few packs.

Goodluck with all your goals, hope you accomplish everything that you intend on doing.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 02:38 am Post Subject:

I actually stopped with 2/3 of a pack left and carried that around for a week and a half before giving it to someone. On the week prior I said I was gonna quit on the 1st ordered the patch and a thing of endit fake cigarettes. The first came and I used the patch and didn't smoke a cigarette, four day later I got tired of the patch and stopped using that(supposed to stay on it for like eight weeks) and haven't had a cigarette since. Every once in a while I will get the urge and pull out the endit fake cigarette thing, put it to my lips and think this is crazy and put it away. For me mentally thinking about it has been working for once. Many of my co-workers have quit on chantix but had some very lucid dreams while on it.

For the finances I have started cutting coupons, and one of my major cost savings was switching to bringing my lunch. I was spending over $20 a day on food for myself and got sick when I actually stopped and figured it out. I am still spending about $5 a day now, but that is mostly on soft drinks(my last addiction, sorta).

I just switched my health insurance from a regular insurance plan to an HDHP plan and am putting the amount I would of been paying in premiums into an HSA and this helps me save money for medical expenses and save for retirement at the same time. I was getting tired of feeling like I was just wasting the premiums since the only time I have gone to the doctor in the past six years was every year getting a physical which is free through my work anyways since I am on my companies emergency response team.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 03:20 am Post Subject:

I started chantix about 5 months ago, but my hubby was not ready to quit, we have the patch here, the gum and chantix, I just hope he is committed to quitting this time, I get really pee-d off because all that junk cost so much and when he is still smoking, I get even more irritated with it and continue to smoke myself, we feed off each other I guess, If I see that he is making an honest effort, I will put them down for good, but if he is just using the crap to slow down it makes no sense to me and that is just not good enough, I don't have much patience with it, because this has been going on for over two years, I realize it is hard to quit, but I think if you want to do it for real, you just have to do it.

I am seriously going to work on it though. I have to if he is going to quit, I have to put forth a serious effort too.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 04:31 am Post Subject:

I totally agree. I had been going back and forth saying I was going to quit for the last two years. Finally I just said I was going to quit on such and such date and I am sticking to it still. Sometimes i just takes setting a date and meaning it.