This is the first time I have really sat down and put my goals for the year on paper. If you have never done it before, I HIGHLY encourage you do to it. It is very encouraging to be working towards a goal, especially when you can evaluate it each month and see how you are doing.
I do a monthly budget (which I also encourage you to do!) and each month my husband and I try to sit down and review where we are and where we need to be. We are going to use this time to also take a quick peek at our progress each month towards our year-end goals. It is encouraging because we are completely debt free except for our mortgage!
I have broken my goals into two categories: personal and financial
I am going to assume that over the course of the year I will find things to add and things I can cross off, but the important thing to remember is not to put TOO MANY goals down. If you have never done this before, pick out 2 or 3 things. My husband gave me this great tool to use while I was trying to figure out my goals. S-M-A-R-T
S – Specific: Don’t make it too broad.
M – Measurable: Make your goal something that you can measure your success by. ie.) I will read 10 books this year.
A – Accountable: Let others know you are striving to hit your goal, put it on your mirror to see each day and encourage you.
R – Realistic: Your goal should be something that is attainable. a bad example: I will be a millionaire by the end of this year!
T – Time: Give yourself a time frame to complete the goal, some things need to be done by a certain month. ie.) I will go on a vacation with family by
Financial Goals:
- Tithe 10% on our gross income, by end of 2009.
- Have a partially funded emergency fund in place by end of year. (3 months worth of expenses)
- Contribute $50 per month per child into their college funds.
- Contribute to 401K at 15%.
- Our big Wish List items:
- Twin Daybed (Ainsley)
- Outdoor Playset
- Laptop
- Family Beach Vacation in April/March
- Fall Overnight (September)
Personal Goals:
- Meal Plan – Create a meal plan every week and be accountable on my blog! (so far so good!)
- Faith – Commit to starting our days with a bible story each morning at breakfast with Ainsley.
- Exercise – To commit to working out at least 3 times per week.
- Hospitality – Entertain in our home 2 times per month with a list of families we would like to get to know better this year.
- TV – reduce my tv time ( I know I am supposed to quantify this, but I am a little embarrassed by how much I watch, I will keep this goal to myself!)
- Faithful Provisions –
- Teach 10 “Grocery Classes” in 2009
- Blog my meal plan each week
- Strictly stick to my $40/week budget + formula and post my progress
If you would like some additional information on goal setting I would encourage you to check out these posts here and here.
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What are your goals for 2009? Whether or not you posted financial goals for 2009, please take a moment to post about your financial goals for this year. Then, come back here and leave your link below. If you don’t have a blog or would rather share anonymously, feel free to leave your update in a comment. Let’s all keep each other accountable to be better stewards of our resources!
