Any financial or budget New Years resolutions?

eliza61

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Jun 2, 2003
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I have 2 big ones.

1) really look at my 401K plan. I totally admit that I've been one of those people who doesn't read perspectives and I have no real indication of how much those mutual funds cost. I want to tackle them.

2) Be a better consumer. I totally agree this one is more personal. I've simply had it with companies treating me with what I see as dirt. I'm really going to start analysizing my bills and if I dont like the fees you are imposing I will not support your business. I'm not buying the excuse "every one is doing it" or changing my behaviour to avoid them. They want my business in 2012, they will definitely have to earn it.


Any other resolutions.
 
We are going out today to talk to our Phone/Internet provider to see if they have any deals right now. We pay $99 per month for both. Qwest has a deal going that is $65 per month for phone and internet for 5 years with no contract. We are going to see if Mediacom can get us closer to that price.

I am a little leery of going from Cable internet to Qwest internet tho. We stream a lot of Netflix and Online gaming, so I worry about slower speeds.
 
We *gasp* may not be going to Disney in 2012! I am not sure yet. If DH's work has a conference down in Orlando again we will tag along, otherwise we may not even go this year.

We have some other items to fund this year besides a vacation.
 
As part of a whole - "get better organized in 2012" resolution, I want to have a better grasp of our spending plan (i.e., budget) so that we could actually do some of the bigger projects around the house that we've been putting off...

Plus, we plan on TTC #2 soon, and we have to do IVF, which isn't covered under our insurance, so we have to pay for it OoP. We've been working on saving up as much as possible so that we don't have to take out a loan (like we did to get pregnant with #1). (The only good part about IVF - other than the possibility of a baby - is that we can charge it to our CC, then pay it off, so that we earn QUITE A BIT for our vacation in 2013!!)
 

Plus, we plan on TTC #2 soon, and we have to do IVF, which isn't covered under our insurance, so we have to pay for it OoP. We've been working on saving up as much as possible so that we don't have to take out a loan (like we did to get pregnant with #1). (The only good part about IVF - other than the possibility of a baby - is that we can charge it to our CC, then pay it off, so that we earn QUITE A BIT for our vacation in 2013!!)

((HUGS)) and prayers!

We are going to have a budget meeting tonight. We need to tighten up a good bit. DH took a paycut to change companies. His old company was unstable and since we are a single income family it made us very nervous. He is doing well at his new company and soon he'll be eligible for bonuses. We just need to make a plan. :)

We may have to put off our Disney trip until late 2013 or maybe 2014. But I think it will be worth it.
 
Our biggest budget buster is eating out. We do it way too much. When I think about how much money we spend on eating out/take out it makes me sick. I love to cook, I just don't feel like I always have the time. A few weeks ago me and a friend spent a Saturday cooking meals and freezing them for later. I think we both took home six meals. I loved having those go-to-meals for when our schedule was hectic and preparing a meal wasn't in the cards. DH and I are both on board for eating out less and eating at home more. For Christmas I asked for and got the book Fix, Freeze, Feast. I've actually read the entire book already and am so excited to start preparing meals to freeze for later. If we can stick to this (which I know we can) we'll save tons of money a month. :banana:

My other "goal" is to put more money into savings. Other than the money I have "assigned" to go into our savings accounts each pay I seldom put any other money into savings. We have extra each month to put into savings, I just don't do it and then spend it on things (like eating out :mad:). I really want to build up our savings this year.
 
I need to get a better grasp on my spending. I got a little out of hand over the holidays, so now it is time to reign it in. I am trying to work on budgeting better. I am a stay at home mom, with 2 kids in preschool, trying to survive on a single income. We are doing fine, but we would like to start putting money back into savings. We are saving up for a Disney World trip this fall, so I would love to get into the habit of putting money aside each paycheck towards that and after tbr trip is done, out that money in a vacation fund, if possible or a rainy day fund. :goodvibes
 
Our goal is to get our 4-6 month of expenses emergency fund DONE. This was one of our goals in 2011, but stuff happened....unexpected vet bills and house repairs. (Emergencies, I guess!)
 
We just paid off ALL of our non-mortgage debt (not as bad as it sounds, but we now have no car payments!)...

So, my first 2012 financial goal is a three month emergency fund.

My second 2012 financial goal is to finally start college funds for the kids.
 
1). Get my husband's Jeep payed off ASAP. We're planning to use whatever tax return we get toward this BIG goal. Then both our vehicles will be payed for!!!

2). Spend less on unneccesary "stuff."

3). Get a better handle on grocery and household expenses. (We've already been doing better with this).
 
We're buying our first house this year so my goal is to learn as much as I can about VA loans while saving and paying off debt.
 
1) Move due date on all credit cards to the 10th of the month so I can pay the balances at once and not wonder about missing something.

2) Create a financial calendar that shows when big bills, like semi-annual insurance come due.

3) Make myself responsible to have cash to hand to DH and myself every Friday for our allowance. That might help eliminate the fuzzy "well, I'm charging my allowance" behavior.
 














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