Goals start NOW

I have been thinking through my goals for the upcoming year, and once I finally had them at a point that I felt I could actually achieve, I could not WAIT until January to get started on them. 

This. Was. Dumb. 

Why on earth would I wait a full month before starting to plan out how to achieve my goals? 

2016 promises to be an amazing year, and so long as I stay the course, I should be able to achieve each of these. 

1. I can do this within 6 months IF I can manage to stick to my budget. This obviously does not include the house. That will come later. 

2. Transition from soda to water. This is a big one for me. One that I have often tried and failed at. I drink a disproportionate amount of water in comparison to my Dr. Pepper. It's also MUCH more budget friendly to drink water. 

3. This would happen after (and if) goal number 1. Again, totally attainable so long as I stick to my budget. 

4. We are planning a trip to Brazil to see family next Christmas. We would need to purchase tickets next summer, and have agreed to set money aside to pay for those in cash. 

5. This one may be a bit trickier, but we have NOTHING in savings. I know, Dave would be so disappointed in us, but it's the truth of where we are and what we'd like to fix. 

6. My husband desperately needs a new car. I don't actually mean new, but rather 'another' car. We are coming up on 9 years with this already loved car, and it's getting expensive to fix it. 

7. This one is just a duh. Why don't I have one of these?? Or my husband who works in finance from crying out loud. 

8. I love books. I love them. I feel like I never have time for them though. I can manage at least one a month...I hope. I am really excited about this goal. 

9. I'm really not sure how I will know when I have hit this goal. I just know that it needs to happen. Like, we cannot park in our garage because (apparently) it's more important that our possessions stay warm :/. I live in a constant state of chaos and miss out on precious time with my family because I am always tidying/cleaning. 

10. Oh the side hustle. I have often wanted to start something on the side, but fear of failure always stops me. I don't know that I'll find one thing, but I may try multiple avenues of bringing in some extra money. 

11. Every single month I sit down to look at where our money has gone, and without fail, it goes toward eating out. It's 10 here, 20 there, and before I know it, I'm out nearly 500 dollars for the month. I need a bank of quick, family, and budget friendly recipes to pull from.  I can do this one throughout the year. 

I geek out a little about fresh starts, new journals, fresh planners, and goals :) here's to accomplishing what I set out to do! 

Debt Inspiration Roundup (Part 1)

Some days it's difficult to continue the course. 

This is especially true when the little and quick wins are things of the past. 

I am only 20ish-K away from being from of all debt except for the house. I know that this is a different baby step, but it's important to us that we remove our mortgage immediately. 

Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, and to know that our children will always have their home (no matter our circumstances) is of the utmost importance. 

I am such a visual person and seeing the success of others is often the only thing that keeps me moving forward with this. So I thought it might be fun to show you some of my go-to posts for inspiration. 

Please remember that these reads meet me where I currently am. Not all will be as applicable to where you are, but no less...

I hope that you too glean inspiration from their trials and triumphs! Click on the photo from their site to read the awesomeness for yourself.

AffordAnything

My all-time favorite go to is over at affordanything. Seriously. It's like motivation on speed. They have lined up multiple folks who killed their debt, why they did it, and how they did it. It does not dissapoint! 

Debt Free After Three

This next blogger is a big dose of reality for me. I always tell myself that when X happens, then my life will be perfect. She beautifully writes that money ( having it or not) does not bring joy in it of itself. I especially love when she writes that, 

"Spending money will not make me happy, it will not distract me from my anxieties and it will not make me feel whatever I want to feel."

On Tithing
 To tithe or not to tithe written by Molly over at Still Being Molly. She shares her personal story with making the decision to tithe. This is something that I too struggle with regularly. She acknowledges that she is in debt, but felt led to give anyway. It's a great read for when I want to give into that small voice that says, "Just keep it". I encourage you to head over if you too are fighting a similar battle. 

LoveBakeBread

This girl is keeping it real! She writes about how hard it was, but is writing from the perspective of being on the other side. 



TrueGoodandBeautiful

I am fairly certain I could spend all of my free time in this blog. The debt-free story is amazing, but don't stop there! Every article posted on all things money inspires me.  



Andrea Stewart
Just. Yes. These two did things right....that is, they are DOING things right. They paid off their mortgage! This is like the pentacle of achievements in my world. Read now. Thank me later. 




Money Peach
All things Money Peach. This family moved fast. Like....in my dreams fast. It's not just their story that I adore; it's their entire site. Inspiration overload.