New year, new goals. Isn’t it great to have a fresh start?
This year will be the year I get my finances where I want them to be, save up the money that I want, and achieve all of my goals.
I know, I know – I say that every year. But this year? I am making a plan, and I am going to act on that plan because I want my goals achieved, more than I want to be distracted by Netflix or spending binges on Amazon.
I hope that you can do these with me so that we can achieve huge financial success together. Here’s to making this year the best one yet!
1. Open a high-yield savings account.
Banks are smart. They know how easy it is to leave money in an account and not really think about the impact that the interest rate is having – in fact, they bet on it.
The time has come to put my money in a savings account which is going to give me a good interest rate, which means that I will be making money from the money that I have in the bank.
There are some high-yield savings accounts out there, such as the Savings Builder with CIT Bank.
They offer some good interest rates – if you open an account with under $25,000 you can get 1.14%, and if you are able to open an account with more than $25,000, you will be able to get the higher interest rate of 2.15%.
To do: Sign up for a high-yield savings account today.
2. Start a side hustle.
A side hustle is a term that is being used more and more frequently – you have probably come across it by now, but if you haven’t, a side hustle is essentially something that you do on the side of your regular job to bring in some more money.
I know that the thought of more work isn’t something we are all going to jump at.
The fact of the matter is though, I want to reach my goals now. More money means more money to throw at my goals, so I’m all for it.
Some side hustle ideas you can start today:
- Blogging
- Facebook Ad manager
- Teaching English online
- Freelance work (writing, social media management, graphic design etc)
- Running a Shopify store
To do: Start a new side hustle today.
3. Start investing.
Investing is something that I need to concentrate more on, because how many millionaires do you know of, that don’t make money from investing? Exactly.
The problem with investing is that there is no sure-fire system out there that will tell you exactly what you have to do, and there are so many options that it’s easy to be overwhelmed.
I’ve thought of a solution though – robo-advisors. They do the work for you, so you are investing, but you don’t personally need to invest a lot of time into doing it.
A lot of the time, it’s a lack of knowledge and the worry of starting something new that holds me back, but I’m over it. I’m stepping out of my comfort zones this year, and it’s going to be great.
To do: Sign up to an investment platform, such as a robo-advisor like Betterment.
4. Maintain (and improve) my credit score by paying off my credit card.
This is a no-brainer, but credit cards and debt, in general, are becoming more and more ‘normal’ in society, and it’s about time it all stopped.
Debt is something that holds us back from our much bigger, much more important goals.
Not only that, but credit scores are important for doing things such as getting a mortgage for a house, which is high on the list of priorities!
Credit cards are too big a temptation, and they need to go. The best way to do that is to pay it off, which means no debt, and a better credit score as well.
To do: Grab Your Free Credit Score and Pay Off Your Debt.
5. Start a budget and stick to it.
Budgeting is not something that equals a fun night in, but it does mean that fun things can be sorted out and paid for, without worrying about how the bills are going to be paid.
This year is the year of the budget, I’m sure of it.
Writing up income, expenses and allocating the leftover money to savings and fun stuff, sounds like a no-brainer to me.
Learning the ways of how to save money is high up on the priority list for achieving this one.
To do: Create a budget, download a budget binder, and get to work filling it all in.
6. Use every rebate and cash back app possible
When it comes to spending, I want to get as much money back from the things that I am buying as possible.
How am I planning on doing this? By using every rebate and cash back app that I can get on my phone.
Some that I definitely need to download are:
It’s such little effort, but money can be made back from every purchase, and money saved too. These apps are set up with the intention of saving money, so it’s about time that I put it all to use.
After all, a little becomes a little more, and then becomes a lot.
To do: Download all of the best rebates and cash back apps, and start using them.
Be sure to check out our Facebook group, The Savvy Couple Community, to connect with money-savvy people like you, who are pushing hard to get their money right and live their best life!
What other smart money moves will you be making this year? What are your financial goals for 2019? We’d love to hear them!
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