When it comes to money, setting New Year’s resolutions for yourself is easy, but committing to and following through with those resolutions is a completely different story. This is why it is important to set realistic and achievable financial goals for yourself. There is hardly a quicker way to shove those New Year’s resolutions aside than to realize that they are unattainable or that you have set the bar so high that only Warren Buffett himself could achieve them. That being said, here are a few ideas for money-saving New Year’s resolutions that are set to reasonable levels and thus promote continued progress throughout the year.
1. Become debt-free
Let’s start with the big one first – freeing yourself from debt. Whether this is a realistic and attainable goal is really dependant upon your financial and debt situation. How heavily you are in debt, what type of debt you hold (credit, car loan, mortgage, etc.), your income level, and the interest rates pertaining to your debt can all play into how quickly or how successful you are in becoming debt free.
It is often important to start with reducing credit card debt first since it will likely have the highest interest rate. Smaller debts amounts are also good spots to begin so that you build a little confidence by crossing them off your debt list, leaving you to focus on more problematic debt issues.
2. Make extra mortgage payments
Resolving to make an extra payment or two toward your mortgage can be a great way to start the year. By making an extra payment each year, not only are you reducing the time and amount it will take you to pay off your home, but you will be reducing the amount of interest those greedy banks receive. Since most mortgage interest rates are well below those of credit cards, it is important that you review any other debt with higher interest rates that may need to be dealt with first, …
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