The key to keeping any goals for any time of the year is keeping your goals realistic. Following are a few ways you can ensure your financial goals for 2016 are actually attainable.
1. Review your spending history. Identify two or three purchases from 2015 which you feel good about. Ask yourself which purchases you regret. This exercise helps you identify where you want to spend your money in 2016 and lays the foundation work for creating an effective 2016 budget.
If you can’t remember what you’ve purchased, you can keep better track this year with these free resources from Compass.
2. Set smaller milestones. If your goal is to save $10k this year, resolve to save $833 this month. It’s easier to plan for one month ahead than an entire year.
3. Keep your spending plan detailed, but flexible. You never know what your life will hold. Keep your plan flexible enough to accommodate for unexpected changes.
4. Trust God for His provision and guidance. It’s easy to think it’s all up to us to make our finances work, which can result in feeling overwhelmed and even discouraged with our financial responsibilities — a surefire way to lose track of our financial goals/vision.
Understanding God’s role as Sovereign in our finances relieves us from the burden of doing it all in our own strength and helps keep us on track.
