Let’s Start the New Year With Some Small Wins

This year I will not pretend that I don’t have to make student loan payments. I will budget, and I will read @TheBillfold.

— Sean A. Higgins (@luckycloud) January 5, 2014

Perhaps you made a money-related resolution this year, or if you don’t believe in making resolutions, perhaps you’re simply thinking about money and how you want it to work for you in 2014.

Save more money, pay off debt — it’s stuff we all want to do regardless of the time of year, but it can be daunting if the goal is to pay off tens of thousand dollars worth of student loans or credit card debt. As we’ve seen from our monthly check-in (we haven’t forgotten — we’re doing one at the end of the day!), it’s a gradual process, and that’s okay, because the point is that you’re making a concerted effort to pay down debt or save up money, and you’re doing it regularly.

In any case, one thing I like to do at the beginning of every year is set a small money-related goal to hit by February that’s small and attainable. This allows me to start the year off on a good note. So what’s one small money-related thing you’d like to accomplish by Feb. 1? Mine will be to set aside enough money to double the payment I usually make on the one private student loan I have. Feel free to hold yourself accountable in the comments, and we’ll check back here on Feb. 1!

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.