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Now sharpen the focus a bit. Goals = specific + quantifiable + time-bounded. I'll bet the people on this forum know a lot about the skill of goal-setting.
ACK! my inner corporate trainer is rearing it's ugly head!!!
Set SMART goals
Specifc
Measureable
Agreed upon
Realistic
Time Specific
i.e. "Since my work doesn't offer a 401k plan, DH & I have agreed that we are going to save $333 each month of 2007 in a Roth IRA for me."
My goal is to continue the $20 challenge. I like the idea that everytime I save a dollar or two at the grocery store, I put it in my cash box and then deposit the money every few weeks or so. It is really addding up.
Bookie and Tina, I enjoy my vague, hand-waving ungoals! It's a relief after setting target dates all day at work.
Actually, I am trying to come up with a 101/1001 list, which would be chock full of quantifiable goals to make both of you proud. I may break out in hives though!
I would like to live within my means....right now, the only reason I'm able to pay my debt is the $20 challenge!(I'm "missing" about $354/month!)...slowly but steadily I'm bringing that monster under control ...In August 2007 I would be rid of 2 debts, totalling almost $100 monthly payment... In reality, I'd have to wait until mid-December to set my goals, as I still don't know how much money we'd get out of the toy sales...also, I have to pressure my cousin into paying back the money for the phone bill THIS YEAR, otherwise, I know that I will have to wait another full year! (Dec-Jan is the only time when she has "spare" money)...
My goal for this year is to survive my company's new health care package, wherein I must pay $2200 apiece on me and husband before they pay anything. This includes perscriptions. Therefore I have taken the option of putting $102 bucks a week into a Flexplan for health care. If i don't spend the resulting $5000 by the end of the year, I lose it, so my hedge is I have $2000 in dental work pending that I'm putting off. If i don't spend the money, I'll have one tooth done. However, with my husband's congestive heart failure and back problems I doubt that I'm going to lose any money from the Flex plan - instead I fear that the insurance company will start saying, "Oh that bill isn't properly documented, so we're not counting it on your deductible," or "oh that's not a true medical cost," etc.
My other goals are: exercise more, organize the freezer for greater intelligence and no more finding mystery containers and mystery meats, saving more in my emergency fund, saving more in my house/car maintenance fund, and starting to take better care of the house. Once I have the house organized and cleaned, I want to paint the interior myself without destroying said house. I am working on building up an intelligent pantry system.
I would also like to start a garden and get some kind of lawn or landscaping in.
I am seriously considering putting all my checking information on an excel spreadsheet. Its a lot easier looking up old records on a spreadsheet and you have the option of giving them categories and then saying, "we spent 50% on this, and 22% on that and NO MORE Fraccichinos!!!"
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