Goal Setting Archives - Page 2 of 2

What is it and why should you join the Teal Pumpkin Project?

What is the Teal Pumpkin Project & Why Should You Join? 4 simple steps to join the Teal Pumpkin Project and make someone's Halloween memorable. #bigpicturebudget

The Teal Pumpkin Project was created by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) and seeks to create an inclusive Halloween for everyone regardless of food allergies. The purpose is really quite simple and you can help very easily by offering non-food options at your house on Halloween as a treat. Now you might think that Halloween without candy is just absurd, but why make it either or? Why not have candy and a non-food treat? Examples of non-food treats include: spider rings, Halloween pencils, bubbles, or what I offer at my house: Halloween activity books. I typically answer the door with both a bucket of candy and a bucket of the Halloween activity books and let kids chose (or give one of each). Read more to find out why you should join the Teal Pumpkin Project.

Organize your morning as a night owl

The key to organize your morning is planning. If you're a night owl, you should plan the night before for successful and organized morning.

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There are so many ideas about how to increase your productivity by getting up early, but here’s the thing… if you aren’t a morning person, those tactics just won’t work for you. Now even if you’re a night owl, you probably still have to get up and get going in the morning either to get the kids or yourself to school or to get to work. These eight tips will help you, night owl, so you can have an organize your morning routine.

Celebrate success… no matter how small

I reached a big financial goal this month and I want to celebrate success. I now have under $50,000 left in student loan debt. Now some of you may be thinking “oh my gosh, why would she possibly be celebrating having just under $50k left in debt?”. Well here’s why. I have been working my butt off trying to kick this debt to the curb for six years now and I am going to keep working towards it until it is gone. I think it’s important to celebrate your success no matter how small. Acknowledging your progress will let you see how far you’ve truly come and it will help you stay motivated to keep working to achieve your goal. Read more about big picture budget goals.

Budget Vacation Tips

Want to budget and make progress towards your big picture budget goals, but also think that the thought of not having a vacation for a few years sounds terrible? Thankfully it doesn’t have to be all one or the other. It just has to be in moderation and planned so that you can still reach your big picture budget goal. Here are ten budget vacation tips to save money while on vacation.

A budget partnership

Most relationships have it- one person who’s a budgeter or saver and the other who just isn’t. Here's how to have a monthly budget meeting with your partner.

Most relationships have it- one person who’s a budgeter or saver and the other who just isn’t. And while that balances a lot of couples, it can also be very frustrating for the budgeter to try to get the other partner on board. And let’s face it, if you aren’t on the same page and working towards the same money goals, then everything is twice as hard. While you’re running uphill attached to a rope, the other end is your partner driving away in the other direction and pulling you backwards. It just feels like you can’t win. Here’s how to plan a monthly budget meeting that will help you feel better about your budget and work to get your partner on board so you can both achieve your financial goals.

Overcoming Goal Challenges

You've set your goal and then, all of a sudden, something gets you off track. Here are 6 ways to overcome the obstacle and get back on the path to your goal.

You’ve set your goal, you’re so excited about it, you picture yourself achieving it, you’re making progress towards it and then, all of a sudden, something gets you off track and suddenly you’re going sideways off the path instead of towards the goal. You hit a goal challenge. We’ve all been there and will probably all be there again at some point. Whether you went sideways because you lost motivation like when you start a super restrictive diet or if it was due to something outside your control like a popped car tire when you just started saving money. The path to achieving your goals isn’t always a straight path and it definitely isn’t always easy, but the important thing is what you do when you encounter the obstacles. Things don’t always go as planned and when life gets in the way of your goals do you give up or keep going? Think back on your goal, why it was important to you in the first place, and why you still want to achieve it. Then realize that if you don’t keep going, restart, or get back on the path, you won’t achieve it. Here’s 6 ways to regroup and keep working towards your goal when life gets in the way.

Goal setting power

Aren’t goals just ideal things you want, but that never really happen? There’s a reason goals haven’t worked out for you in the past and, even more importantly, there’s a way to make them work for you now. HUGE big picture goals with no specifics on how you're going to accomplish them are nearly impossible.

Should I even bother setting goals? Aren’t goals just ideal things you want, but that never really happen? If this sounds like you, keep reading, there’s a reason goals haven’t worked out for you in the past and, even more importantly, there’s a way to make them work for you now. When I think about goals, I think about the things that you talk about on New Years Eve and you’ve forgotten about by January 3rd. Think about some common New Year resolutions: I want to lose weight and get in shape. I want to make more money. Have you ever made one of these resolutions? Can you really say you’re surprised that you didn’t follow through?

For starters, those are HUGE big picture goals with no specifics on how you’re going to accomplish them. When you think about how to achieve the goal, is it clear what your first step should be? Do you have smaller goals that will help you achieve your big picture goal? Did you write them down? Have you found an accountability partner such as a friend or family member who will help encourage you to succeed? Do you know why you even want to achieve the goal? So how do you change your goals so you succeed?

Life versus debt freedom

A lot of experts will tell you to live as poorly as possible to pay off debt as quickly as possible. I’m here to tell you that they are definitely right, but that isn’t the path I took. Sure, I cut out a lot of indulgences and monitor my spending very carefully, but I also want to enjoy life and be in a good mental and emotional place. I definitely could have saved money by living with my parents (or any relatives) after college graduation, but I had been dreaming of moving to North Carolina and honestly the thought of another Boston winter sounded absolutely miserable. I made the choice to follow the path I thought was right for me and am so unbelievably glad I did. Will it take me a bit longer to get out of debt? Yes, but it’s a trade off. As long as you are caught up on minimum debt payments, I think it’s important to listen to expert opinions (after all, there’s a reason they’re the experts), but also to really reflect on your own personal situation and make sure you choose the path that is right for you.

Actionable advice towards big picture budget goals

You have to keep your big picture goals in mind. Break goals into actionable pieces to help you achieve your big picture goals.

You have to keep your big picture goals in mind. Popular personal finance experts will give advice that includes things similar to: sell your house and your car and move into a studio apartment walking distance to work with 6 roommates or quit your rewarding non-profit job that you love and go get a better paying job. While this advice will definitely get you out of debt quickly, a lot of people just aren’t going to follow it. The extreme advice will make people shut down and just keep doing what they’re doing. I’d rather have more realistic recommendations that are actionable and help you achieve the big picture goals. It’s also important to mention that suggestions may work perfectly for some people and be just completely unrealistic for others and that’s ok. That’s what makes it PERSONAL finance. You have to evaluate any advice based on your situation and determine if it’s a fit for you.