Frugal Intuition

Sorry I didn’t get around to posting yesterday.  I was taking a much needed day off from–well, everything.  I posted my resolutions in various places where they were relevant.  It’s a popular thing to do–make resolutions…even though most of us don’t keep them.  I don’t want you to make resolutions this year.  Why?  Well, resolutions are these grand things that are often difficult to measure and attain.  I’m more interested in seeing you set goals.  What’s the difference?  Well, a goal is something that is specific and measurable.  A goal is something you can build a plan around, and I’m really big on plans.  If 2008 was a Year of Debt for you, then go ahead and mentally think of 2009 as the Year of Change.  Because getting out of debt calls for changing behaviors and changing attitudes.

One of the number one reasons that most of America is in debt is that we have this massive sense of entitlement.  We’re brainwashed by advertising and peer pressure and keeping up with the Joneses (who the heck are the Joneses anyway?) that we all have a God-given right to the American dream and everything that goes along with it–whether we can afford it or not.  Instead of focusing on the things that we have to be grateful for, we focus on what we lack, what we want.  And sooner or later, we give in to those wants (notice I said wants, not needs) and go into debt to get them.  This is not the way to live, people.

So here we are at the beginning of a brand new year.  Think of this as your clean slate.  Whatever crappy money habits you’ve had in the past, this is the year you are going to change them.  This is the time to think about what your financial goals are for 2009.  Here are mine:

• Pay off the last of DH’s stupid debt. One card left.
• Continue to put away $25 per paycheck into savings, plus 10% of any bonuses or windfalls.
• Revise and stick to a new budget.
• On a weekly basis, use my money management program to track expenses (this helps with that whole budget thing).  Quicken and Microsoft Money are good, but of course they cost money.  On a freeware side, I like AceMoney Lite .  It’s just a basic, straightforward accounting program that allows you to enter stuff just like you do in your check ledger (you’re keeping one of those, right?), as well as categorizing expenses to track where your money is going.
• Put $5 a check away toward the 2009 Christmas budget.

See?  All of these are very measurable goals.

What are your financial goals for 2009?  If budgeting is on your horizon, check back here.  I’m going to continue my Build a Better Budget series next week.

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