Financial Fitness for the New Year!

Well, 2012 is here, now what? I saw a lot of tweets saying if you said 2009, 2010, and 2011 were going to be your year and nothing happened in those years what makes you think it is going to happen in 2012?

It won’t happen just because you say so and positive thinking will not make it happen either although a positive attitude is a great start. How so you ask, say you are on a sinking ship and you think positive thoughts, the ship is still sinking! You need to say something and do something to ensure that you don’t go down with the ship, get my point? I hope so….

So one of your goals/resolutions is hopefully to be in a better financial position at the end of 2012 then you were at the end of 2011. As I would hope everyone’s goal is to do better and improve each year.

The first and most important thing to have is a budget. You must have a clear understanding of how much money you bring in and how much money you shell out. That means a written budget by the way, keeping track in your mind and having a round-about idea does not count! Now that you have your budget, stick to it to the best of your abilities.

Savings, I read a great snippet about saving in Black Enterprise. The article was directed toward women. So ladies, think about the purse you are carrying right now, how much did it cost? Now consider the contents of your purse, your cell phone, make-up, gadgets, etc. that you carry around daily. How much did they cost? Add it all up, once you add it up ask yourself did you save that much money last month? Hell did you save that much money last year?, if the answer is no, you are hustling backwards!

It is so easy for people to say, I can’t save I don’t make enough money, I am barely making ends meet. Everyone, I repeat, everyone can save. My grandmother is on an extremely fixed income and manages to save money regularly. It is all about budget, moderation, and right now denial for later gain thinking. I don’t care if you save a penny a day, save something.

Now for those of you that save and invest already, keep up the good work, continue to review your investment portfolios and make changes where needed, think long term investing and don’t be moved by the current changes in the market.

Most importantly above all else, enjoy your life. Don’t get so caught up on saving, investing, and pinching pennies that you are trapped in the house for fear of spending too much money. Simply, be wise, for “a fool and his money are soon parted.”

By the way, I am a huge believer in Upromise www.upromise.com initially they allowed people to register their credit cards, grocery/gas cards etc and earn money from qualifying purchases on-line, in restaurants, and grocery stores to save toward their children’s college tuition. Now the program is open to anyone you can save for yourself or use the money to pay down your student loans. Whatever it is, if you enjoy shopping on-line, dining out, and you go to the grocery store regularly the program has something for you.

So let’s all become and/or maintain our financial fitness for 2012 and beyond!


Great Articles to read:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/19vkZU/www.blackenterprise.com/2012/01/04/7-signs-that-you-are-a-woman-behaving-wealthy/

http://www.blackenterprise.com/2011/12/23/3-ways-to-achieve-your-financial-new-years-resolution-in-just-30-days/

Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials