How to actually get your sh*t together money-wise this year
Getting your money right is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, and it’s gotta be the hardest one. There are just so many things in this world that you can blow wads of cash on — why save up for Creme de La Mer when you could drop your cash now on boujee CVS beauty products?
We tapped our favorite financial guru, Nicole Reyes, to find out the secret behind saving cash. Nicole is the co-founder and head of product at Grand, a startup that lets you win their cash just by saving your own cash. We got her to answer our most burning (and kinda embarrassing) money questions. Here it goes.
The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions are tossed aside by February. This is because the vast majority of resolutions are set up to fail from the beginning.
This is particularly true for any resolutions having to do with money. Better planning and structuring of your New Year’s money resolutions can help you avoid this February drop-off and put you on a path to success in 2018.
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Here’s how.
Make sure you’re accountable
Nobody likes to go at difficult tasks alone. Getting better about your money can be especially tough when you are surrounded by people that don’t have good money habits.
Find like-minded people to keep you motivated and hold you accountable. They’ll be the people you depend on when things get tough and may even be able to help you out when money is tight.
If you can’t get this from your current group of friends and family, the internet is a great place to turn. There are tons of frugal living and personal finance-related online communities where real people connect and share money experiences and tips.
Take Control
In other words, make sure that the success of your goal is based solely on your actions, not the actions of others.
For example, many people make getting promoted at work a resolution of theirs, however, this can be difficult because you’re putting the success and failure of that goal into someone else’s hands.
Instead, take control of the goal by scheduling a meeting with your boss and coming up with a list of things you can do to put yourself in line for that promotion. When you’ve got your list, make it your New Year’s resolution to check off everything on that list.
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Make it actionable
Many money goals are focus on the end product, such as saving enough money for a vacation.
This might not be the best idea if you want to set yourself up for success. Instead, your resolutions should be the actions you would need to take in order to make that end product happen.
For example, if you save $50 a week then you may be able to afford that vacation by the end of the year. Saving $50 a week should be your resolution. If you break the goals into smaller, actionable items you get the added benefit of small wins that hep you gain momentum and get you to the amount you want to save.
Break it down
Once you have your resolution in mind, break it down into things you can do today to make that happen.
Let’s take our “Save $50 per week” example from above. What can you do today to make that goal happen? Maybe you can illuminate some unnecessary expense from your daily budget.
If you bring your lunch to work rather than buy something when your there you could save $10 per day. If you make your coffee in the morning at home you’ll save yourself the midday temptation of running out for a $5 cup. Do these two things every weekday and Ta-da!! You have your $75 per week.
Good luck starting the year off right! We’ll be here to help along the way.
