When Hubby and I started planning to move in with family this year, it was not so we could spend our money on exploring exotic countries or tasting our way through all of the incredibly fabulous Chicago restaurants {although this is VERY tempting}. We wanted to focus on something far more important to us: our financial fitness.
Since the beginning of time {rather, since the beginning of our marriage} we’ve had an extremely difficult time being disciplined with our finances. Up until recently, the word “budget” would send me into a full-blown tantrum {no, really – just ask Hubby}. In May of 2011, we decided we were fed up with feeling like all of our money was spent before it reached our bank account. Suddenly, we were motivated to change things. And change them, we did.
Moving in with family offered an opportunity for us to hit the re-set button on our finances. We read articles, books, and blogs about living a debt-free lifestyle. We read about the importance of setting up an emergency savings fund to prevent future credit card purchases. Then, we read about accelerated student loan payments. Sounds like a lot of reading, no? It was. It’s just what we needed to propel us to make changes.
On May 31, 2011, our goals* were born:
- Goal One: Set up Emergency Savings Fund // Completed
- Goal Two: Payoff Consumer Debt // In Progress
- Goal Three: Decrease Student Loan Debt // In Progress
*We wanted our goals to be attainable within our timeframe, but challenging; so these were what we decided to focus on.
Do you {or you and your partner} have personal finance goals? How often do you set them? I think it's a great way to prioritizing needs and keep things in perspective.
xoxo,
PJ
Note: This is a new series on the blog to share our path to financial fitness. We are no experts in personal finance. We are, however, on our way to becoming smart{er} consumers.
