I'm sure you'll agree that budgeting, saving money, and eliminating debt are very appealing ideas. If effectively tackled, these goals can secure your financial status for the future, and allow you to live a comfortable, debt-free life.
However for some unfortunate reason, these important financial goals hardly ever get accomplished, and most will continue to go through life consistently worried about their financial security, unprepared for what the future may hold.
I have been writing money saving articles and newsletters for http://www.SavingSecrets.com for over 5 years now. After being in contact with a number of readers over the years, I found that many who were interested in learning how to effectively save money simply lacked the foundation to accomplish this.
I am a firm believer that the ability to save and budget is dependant on the plan and approach one takes. Sure many proclaim they want to conserve and save more, but how many actually accomplish this? Saying one thing and actually doing are completely different from one another. Why do you think so many New Year's Resolutions are forgotten and never heard from again?
For example, think of the times you yourself started a new hobby or goal. Were you successful? If not, how long did you stay with this new undertaking? What was your reason for quitting or not following through with the intended plan?
From this short self reflection, you can probably guess the reality most would-be budgeteers are faced with. Even though these individuals have the desire to conquer their finances, for some reason the task never gets accomplished.
What is needed to help guarantee success is inspiration and a solid approach, or what I like to refer to as a "game plan".
Think about it.
If someone wants to learn how to play the piano, realistically, they are not going to just sit down and start banging away on the keys. They'll never learn to play the piano effectively that way!
In order to tackle the process of learning the piano, an eager student will take lessons, purchase "How To Play Piano" books, tapes, cd-roms, interactive software, browse the Internet for tips and related online forums, check local college for classes and instructors, etc..
Who do you think will have more success learning to play the piano? More than likely it will be the energetic individual with the planned agenda and goals, than the dreamer without a "game plan".
Designing Your Game Plan
Once you fully commit to accomplish a particular task, to help improve your chances for success it is imperative that you design and follow a regiment, a well thought out "game plan".
Every task, whether it's for work or pleasure, has some type of goal or objective. If your underlying task is to clean the house, then a specific goal may be to clean the kitchen or organize the cupboards by the end of the day. If your task is to learn how to play the piano, then a goal may be to learn how to play your favorite song within a month or two.
Take notice that the goals provided are very realistic and practical. You want to establish goals that are attainable in a reasonable amount of time.
Before you start planning how YOU are going to tackle the task of budgeting and saving money, take a moment to determine what goal(s) you want to accomplish and a specific time frame for each particular goal. This will give you something tangible to strive for and help keep you focused on task, thus increasing your chances for success.
Here's an example of a practical task along with the respective goals:
TASK: Spring Clean The Whole House
GOALS:
week 1 - kitchen; refrigerator, cupboards, monthly menu, coupons organized
week 2 - garage; organize boxes, Xmas decor, scrub/polish floor
week 3 - family room & bathrooms: cleaned, scrubbed, carpet & drapes
etc...
Putting Your Plan Into Action
Remember the piano playing example mentioned earlier? No matter how many books or tapes you buy to help teach you how to play, unless you devote serious time to practice, you will not improve and you will not accomplish your goal(s).
Your game plan MUST be put into ACTION! Don't let your wonderfully designed agenda get lost under a heap of papers or collect dust on some obscure counter top.
Put your plan into action!
Just like the piano player, you will need to devote focused time specifically to your task in hopes of accomplishing the predetermined goals. Keep in mind that only after serious time and effort is devoted to your cause will any real changes occur.
Best wishes accomplishing your tasks and goals to effectively save and eliminate that ever-present debt! Hopefully this has inspired and motivated you to accomplish your tasks and goals regardless of what they may be.
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This blog is dedicated to personal budgeting and creating a personal budget. I also cover various topics of money management, saving money, and financial education. Before you start check out this online personal budgeting system.
