Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Resolutions for 2008 (Finally!)

I've been mulling over what my goals would be for 2008. It took me two weeks into this year to figure out what I wanted to accomplish. I'm actually happy that it took me this much time; I came up with goals that are realistic and plausible.

Create, tweak and come up with a functioning budget. This is by far the most important thing on the list. Hence, it's number one. Budgeting is a new thing for me. By the end of 2008, I want to have developed a flexible budget that will take into consideration all the facets of working, going to school and attempting to thrive.

Keep all receipts. Obviously this ties in with the first goal; I want to track my finances immacutely. I find that I tend to overlook certain expenses because I never hold on to receipts. Furthermore, next year, I want to take deductions on my taxes and I'll need to have saved my receipts for that.

Have two thousand dollars invested in a high-interest savings account. This is a multi-part goal. First, I need to save up some money. Second, I need to research which type of high-interest savings account will be best for me. Third will be to open an account. Last, reach my savings goal!

Credit Cards paid off. I need to dedicate a significant portion of my income to paying off my cards... quickly. I feel guilty that that debt exists.

Invest 500 into wardrobe. This is at the bottom of my list of resolutions, yet still here. I have a horrid habit of never buying clothes. Ever. It's partly because of my body image and partly because I never feel the need to spend money on it. I tend to buy a couple pieces of clothing once every like four or five months and then wear them out before buying a couple more. I spend MAYBE 200 on clothes each year. Well-Heeled is having the opposite problem that I'm having, ironically.

Not related to my fiscal well-being, but very important: Develop dietary and exercise plan that fits my schedule. I have a really hard time sticking to diets because I feel like I just don't have the time for them. I need to find something that works for me. I'm not setting a weight goal to lose during the year. Physical well-being and satisfaction with my body is what I'm looking for.

4 comments:

SavingDiva said...

Good luck with the budget!

I wish I had the same not wanting to purchase clothes problem you have...

Canadian Saver said...

Best of luck!!! 2008 is going to be great :-)

Julie the Graduate said...

The savings account is a great goal! Personally, I really like E*Trade because you can also add a free checking account and an investment account for if you ever choose to invest in the stock market. More accounts in one place = wayyyy easier for you! It works really well with Mint, if you use it, and pays 5.05% interest - the highest I've seen.
If you find any great tips for saving receipts, I'd love to hear about them!

VixenOnABudget said...

Hmm. I'll keep E*Trade in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of Emigrant or ING Orange.