With the incoming new year, that means out with the old and in with the new. We all make a resolution each year the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. But let's be honest, who keeps those resolutions. A big part of life is goals, dreams and resolutions. Sticking with goals can be a challenge. We tend to dream big but get very overwhelmed by the sheer thought of achieving that goal and what it will take to get there. We especially do this with our finances. We shoot for the stars and it last for 2 months then it is quitting time. But how do we combat that overwhelming sensation of achieving huge goals. The best way to achieve your financial goals is to start with small achievable goals and work your way to the bigger goals. Work on a budget and see what you can save each month. If that is only $10 then start with that. If you find that in 6 months you pay off a debt or get a pay raise, utilize those funds to add to your goal. Now go with $50 for savings instead of $10. Goals should be a part of your annual "checkup" with yourself and your family. It is more a mind over matter situation that anything else. We tend to stress ourselves with goals and it then adds a negative connotation to it. We all want to save money, but we end up doing more than we can handle and it ends up putting us further behind. This year set a lofty big goal, then work backwards and determine how to achieve that goal. For example, if you want to have $10,000 by the end of the year in your savings account then you would take your pay and divide it out. First do the number of pay periods you have (we will use 24 for our example) which is $10,000/24= $416.66 every two weeks. Next you want to divide that out by 14 and that would give you a daily amount that you would need to save. This means you would need to save approximately $29.76 each day to get to your goal. Seeing the smaller amount makes the goal a little more manageable than a big number. 2020 should be a new, fresh start. Set some goals for yourself and see how you can achieve those in small doses. It is okay to think big but make sure to back into smaller goals, so it is easier for you to attain. Let 2020 not only be the year you focus on yourself but be the year you set your goals and achieve them! Written By: Erin Watkins
