Pondering Financial (and Personal) Goals for 2009

Ok, my Christmas shopping is done!

And I did not fall prey to any of the promotions in my inbox.

I've been thinking a lot about what my financial goals for 2009 will be (as well as personal goals).

We're hoping to move out of this studio apartment into something larger.
I'd like to buy a home by the middle of 2010 or the start of 2011.
I plan to take a trip for my 2009 birthday.
We might get a pet!
I may start my job search, or at least seek opportunities to expand on my skills and increase my income.
I am interested in teaching.

So, all of those will be factors in my financial planning.

Also, some other observations:
I'm getting tired of tracking every last receipt. It's become second-nature, but I am thinking about using one of the online cashflow programs. The software may also alert me to budget shortfalls, spending patterns and ways to save more money that I am missing just keeping my rudimentary spreadsheet.

I never stick to my budget categories, so I may chuck them. Ok, so you know from my monthly reports that I always go over my food budget and usually over my clothing budget. But, most months, I don't spend more that I have left over after saving money in my e-fund and 401k and paying bills, so maybe I'll allow the money allocations to be more fluid. So long as I don't spend more than I have left over, it shouldn't matter what I spent it on.

I have some BIG items that I want to save for. That means maximizing income, because there's just nowhere to reasonable slash spending. That means I have to stop being lazy about pursuing those opportunities.

Sorry, this is more me thinking out loud than anything, but, as we approach 2009, now is a great time to think about how you'd like to hit the ground running financially in 2009.

What are you planning for or what would you like to do that you aren't doing now?

DH

Comments

[undercovervixen]

2009 is the year for me to tackle my debt. I spent this last month going through a couple of debt blogs from start to finish and i am inspired and READY! lol

It's also the year for me to tackle my weight which i plan to blog about (if I can get into the swing of blogging i'll probably start blogging about my debt too).

I have 1.5 years till I'm 25 so i'd like to be on track by then

[jerry]

I hope 2009 leads to a pay off of all my consumer debt. I'll still have student loans and my mortgage but that's ok for now. I also need to get paperwork like my insurance policies and wills in order.
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com

[steve]

My own perspective, learned from experience, suggests that you don't really want to chuck tracking your expenses and entering them as budget categories. You can't really perceive changes in your spending and plan for your spending without budget categories, so chucking them is like chucking your glasses while piloting the Titanic. (In my own experience).

If you don't have strong Excel skills (know how to use array formulas,the sumif() command, and know how to use named variables (the insert>names>define menu) to upgrade the functionality of your spreadsheet) , then I would suggest using YNAB to budget with. It's a very good program that is designed around has forward-looking (prescriptive) budgeting and has a very effective budgeting philosophy behind it. It also has a money back guarantee, so it can't hurt to try.

Never sticking to your budget categories is alright, because they can be be used as guidelines, not strictly, unless you later decide you have a need to be stricter. I wouldn't chuck the habit, as I have a feeling they will come in useful for you later.

I happen to use my own excel sheets, but I can make them do everything that YNAB can do and exactly how I would like to have it done, so I returned it to them and got a refund. But I would definitely recommend it to others. I even learned some really good tips for effective budgeting from the ebook you get with it.

[Angie]

I love http://www.mint.com to track all my expenses without having to enter receipts myself--and it is free!