Every year, we try it again.  We create our goals.  Some people write them on paper, some people post them to their facebook pages, and some of us just sort of mentally think of a new goal but we’re too afraid to share it with others because we know that we probably won’t keep it.
Lose weight, save money, go to Hawaii, work more, work less, be nicer to others, read more, etc.

So here’s the question:  what’s your financial goal?

Without a goal why would you spend time trying to be thrifty, to read blogs, to join coupon groups, to get a good deal? Being thrifty takes time and effort so if you don’t have a goal in mind then eventually you will tire of the effort and give up being Thrifty. People who start a diet to be “healthier” rarely keep up with the sacrifice because their goal is too omnibus, too broad, too general.  People who make a specific goal, “I will go to the gym three times a week and run/walk five miles each time”, will have a specific, easy to follow, set goal that they usually can accomplish.

When you set a financial goal you should be specific as well.  I want to pay off the car ($500/month by this July), I want to take my child out of a bad school next school year and I’ll save $200/month to do it, I want to have food money left over to go out to eat, etc.

Setting a goal makes the sacrifice and effort understandable. The Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” meaning that if you see the finish line in sight you can find the energy to finish strong, but if you have no goals or hope for a better future why would you sacrifice today? If you have small goals that are easy to quantify, your Thriftiness will get you to where you want to go.

This year, my thrifty goal is to only pay $50/month for household supplies and to pay $300/month for my family of 4 for healthy (non-carb, fresh, some organic) food.  This will save us $100/month which will hopefully give us $1200 extra by the end of the year.   I plan to do this by using coupons, buying products on sale, and not buying on impulse. I’ll let you know month to month if we do it.  If for some reason one month we go over my goal, it doesn’t mean I’ll be done for the year of trying, or that I’ll somehow be defeated, it just means I’ll try again the next month and then the next month.

So, what is your thrifty goal this year?  Leave a comment and make a commitment.