This year I am making three New Year's resolutions that are important to me, and that I will make progress on by setting smaller goals that I want to accomplish each month.
1. Make conscious money decisions.
I have been trying for a full year to create, then stick to a budget plan. And at the beginning of each month I start anew, but then forget and give up. Not a good cycle to go through to say the least. Before my loan repayment kicked in I would spend most of my money on crafty items, on special food items, and (random) at the Dollar Tree.
When I am strapped for cash I make good decisions, and don't dig myself into a hole, but when I have an extra hundred or two I buy whatever I want without really questioning myself. So this year I hope to make a dent on my student loans and that will only happen if I work on my budgeting skills and learn to control my spending impulses. There are a lot of great resources out there to help with budgets and living frugally, so I won't reinvent the wheel and tell you what you already know. If and when I make progress I'll shout my experience from the rooftops!This goal is not only about repaying my student loan quickly. Its about learning to control my budget and my impulses, and to build good habits so that as I hit my late 20's and early 30's I will be able to employ good financial habits to help myself in the future.
2. Be BOLD
I am very much a home-body, and quite the introvert. My friend described my perfectly the other week - she said, "If is very hard to get her to come out once she gets home." And let me tell you that is totally true. Some days I am bothered by people so I don't want to go out, sometimes the traffic really irritates me, sometimes I am exhausted from interacting with people at work that I just want to lay and home and be alone.
So, now that you know a bit about my habits, let me tell you what I mean by "being bold" this new year. I think being bold is telling people how I feel when I have an intense emotion. Like if I have a crush I should say something to indicate that - I don't think I will ever come out and say "hey I have a crush on you," but I can be creative. I also want to travel to visit my friends who live in different areas. I have been feeling a big restless, having lived in the same place my whole life, so I think to easy myself into traveling I will go to see friends, where they can show me the town.
As the year goes on I hope to figure out more ways to practice this BOLD muscle that I am trying to build.
3. Make more time for hobbies
Within the last year, and when I don't have any goals for myself, I can be lazy. I am capable of watching my favorite TV shows and new movies for the majority of the day and loving it. So my goal this year includes turning off the TV and getting to some of these cool crafts I have been pinning for the last few years... I also have projects which I have started, then I get to the hard part and leave it for another day. Yeah well that 'another day' became weeks, then I put the project away and forgot about it.
I also an focused on filling some of my 'down' time with activities that make me feel fulfilled. Having the sense of fulfillment in what I do helps me get up in the morning, it gets me going. Doing the same thing everyday get boring, and if it gets too tedious I forget about the good things in life. (Although raising guinea pigs has been keeping me very happy) So this year I need to go back to completing tasks that I feel good about, like making a friends birthday gift or sending a surprise to someone across the country.
I am happy that it is a new year. I know its a cliche by I do feel like this is a new beginning and with my plans I think I will be growing and becoming a better version of myself this year.
Lets celebrate the success's of last year, and toast to the future!
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