Oh man!! Today didn’t come fast enough for me. I was a little antsy to say the least but the day has come. FINALLY!
Last year, J Money and I decided to bring Enemy of Debt and Budgets Are Sexy together for something truly awesome! The economy was broken, unemployment was high, and we wanted to help. Brad & J’s 1st Annual Christmas Stimulus 2009 was born!
Last year was awesome! We gave away $150 each and had a great time doing it! Two blogs, two giveaways, two winners, $300!
We are extremely happy to announce the second coming. The most personal giveaway ever, because it’s from us to you, not from some advertising partner with a new gadget to sell!
Brad & J’s 2010 Christmas Stimulus has arrived!!
I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news! The bad news is that we’re not giving away $150 this year. Nope, can’t do it.
The good news is that we’ll be giving away $200 a piece instead! That’s right, we are giving away $400 this year!
We are going to be doing it a little bit different this year because we want to spread the love a little further. We’ve decided to break the stimulus up into $50 gifts. Between us both, eight of you have a chance to win $50 each!! All you have to do is follow the directions below to enter into TOTAL AWESOMENESS and be eligible to win!
You can buy presents, pay a bill, eliminate some debt, or even save it. It’s up to you!
You don’t have to be down on your luck to enter either, this is for everybody! And noooo — this isn’t “stimulus for the rich” either — I have an idea. 😉
If you are doing well for yourself right now, help someone else out with this gift. If you’re doing really well, you probably aren’t reading this blog but if you are, take this gift and match it, double it, quadruple it if you want. There’s no limit!
This is about giving or as I like to call “paying it forward.” Have you ever watched that movie? I absolutely love that movie. I believe it is possible. It’s also why I am stoked about Love Drop! (J Money and Nate St Pierre teamed up to make a difference and I’ll be hanging along for the ride. Go see what they’re doing!)
But this one is for you! Make sure you enter to win and we hope you all have a very Merry Christmas in 2010!!
Important: PLEASE READ!
You must visit and leave a comment on both articles to be eligible for both giveaways according to the rules for each blog below.
ENEMY OF DEBT
You just need to do two things to enter this giveaway. You must be a subscriber if you are not already and you must leave a comment on this article giving me at least 2 financial goals you wish to accomplish in 2011. Make your financial resolutions now and give yourself a head start in 2011! Four of you will win $50! I have decided to provide more payment options this year. Winners will receive instructions to claim their gift. 🙂
Do those two things and you will be in it to win it!
BUDGETS ARE SEXY
All you need to do to have a chance to win is leave a comment in the comment section of Brad & J’s 2010 Christmas Stimulus (J. Money’s post) giving a few things you are thankful for this holiday season.
THE DEADLINE
You MUST leave your comment by midnight on Saturday December 19th! No exceptions. Winners of the Christmas Stimulus money will be announced Monday. United States and Canadian residents only please.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!
Financial goals 2011 – I want to cut my Sallie Mae debt IN HALF. I would love to pay it all off…but being realistic I am going to settle for cutting it from $32k to $16 in the next 12 months!!
I ALSO would like to set up a more stable way of planning for NONmonthly, but required expenses like new tires, oil changes, tags, vet appts. etc etc.
I am SICK of those things cutting into my budget so much when I KNOW I they are going to be there!!
I just got done writing my 2011 finance goals yesterday.
1. Max out my Roth this year. I finally paid off all of my debt, and have saved up emergency and cash savings. Now it’s time to start maxing my accounts!
2. Save up at least 10k for a downpayment. I’m not planning on buying a house for a few years at least, but I want to have at least 30% down.
Hmmm, two financial goals for 2011…
1. To be able to entirely live off my husband’s income without touching savings (unless the roof falls in or something). We are very close to this goal as it is as I was a SAHM for many years. However, when I start bringing in income, we start to spend a little more.
2. Have everything fully automated. Have separate accounts for almost everything in my budget in Smarty Pig. (things like sports camps that hit it summer and such. Eliminate the surprises in the bills).
I am already a subscriber!
There are lots of financial goals I have this year, but the 2 major ones are:
1) Reduce my mortgage principle by $15K
2) Save between $600 and $700/month to establish an fund to use to pay non-monthly/irregular expenses (out of town trips, vet expenses, Christmas, new appliances when the old ones die, etc).
My financial goals for 2011 are to be able to start the snowball on my 50k in debts. I already dropped my credit card debt but I have student loans, a car loan, and two personal loans. I would like to get the personal loans paid off this next year so I can really focus on my other debt. I think I will also start a savings account for my 2012 wedding, so I can help my mom pay for it, even though she will resist. I am also going to get a second job, hopefully babysitting, so I can add more to the snowball.
My ultimate goal is to be free of debt by time I am 30, which gives me 5 years, so I need to get going!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!
My two financial goals for 2011 are:
1) Get all of my husband’s debt paid off by December 31, 2011 (sooner would be even better!) He has close to $20K in loans and cc debt, but with our super strict budget for 2011 and my new job, I know we can do it!
2) Get 6 months of an emergency fund established. Right now we have about a month’s worth ($1200) that would cover our mortgage and bills if anything happened, but I would love to get it to 6 months, and I think we can really do it.
goals for 2011 are:
1) Start saving money for my sisters marriage. She has a long way to go, but hey…….Every Penny Counts!!!!!!!!! I already started saving from Oct 2010….
2) Do lot of Charity….
Two of my goals for 2011 are: 1) get my non-mortgage debt from $10,000 to $2-3,000 by Dec. 2011; and 2) open and fund ING Orange savings accounts for emergency, Christmas, and vacation. Merry Christmas!!!
1. I would like to get caught up on my student loan payments.
2. I would like to save up for a small weekend vacation for myself and husband.
I have a lot of financial goals, but here are two:
1. Get back to using CASH! We did really well for two years, and have sort of gotten off track.
2. Pay off all of our smaller debt, including medical bills so we can really get our snowball going again.
(I just subscribed to the email updates today even though I usually pop over here a few times a week).
Thanks for the giveaway!!
I will give you two financial resolutions that I will stick to in the new year:
1. I wish to pay off 10K of my student loans. The last debt I have. Whoo Hoo.
2. I would like to save up for a down payment to buy a House. Around 20K needed.
Do not know how I will do this, but I am hoping to get some new side hustles. Thanks. ANy Ideas for me. I am open to any ideas.
How do you suscribe to your website?
Here you go Uncle El – Subscribe RSS or Email
I subscribed several weeks ago and my plan for 2011 is to strictly follow a budget. I made a feeble attempt last year, when I found myself having to handle all my “stuff” alone (marriage ended), but, eventually “fell off the wagon”. I am determined that 2011 will be the year I will pay off all my credit cards and live on what I have.
Two financial goals I have for the coming year are as follows:
1. I want to create another $10,000-20,000 in income for my family now that my wife is a stay at home mom. I hope to do that through new sites that I’m launching, increasing revenue on old sites, and by adding value to the internet! 🙂
2. I want to start investing and giving more than I have been. The past few years we’ve been treading water with health crisis after health crisis, and now that we’ve paid off all of our medical bills and saved up a 1 year emergency fund, it’s time to go crazy in stocking up for retirement, as well as in giving more to others around us including our church and other local charities.
Thanks for the great contest guys!
1. Save more!! More specifically, want to build up my emergency fund.
2. Pay off my biggest, baddest credit card. I know this will be accomplished in 2011 😀
First goal is easy. 2011 will be the first year in a long, long, long time where all of my kids will be in school every day. My plan is to start subbing at a few local schools. My goal is to put any money that I make into savings for things that we haven’t been able to save for much while I was not bringing in any income. Basically continue to live off hubby’s pay check.
Second goal is to stay on top of how much money we’ve got where. When we were really struggling I became very good at keeping things up to date daily. As we paid off somethings and money hasn’t been as tight, I’ve become lazy and then when I sit down I can’t remember half of what we’ve spent. When I don’t keep up daily little things start to add up quickly.
I meant the first goal is easy to think of. I’m pretty sure its going to take a lot of will power to actually follow through.
Two financial goals for 2011
1. Reduce my cc debt by $10,000 bringing it to $22,000. This won’t be easy. I’m not sure if it is possible but if I don’t put out the intention I’ll never do it! It will mean finishing my ebook and getting income from it as well as more affiliate income. I’ve sold almost everything but there may be more I can find. This is on top of my regular salary. There is no hope of getting any more income from that. I just hope it lasts!
2. Bring my emergency/”independence fund” to $3,000.
Thanks Brad for helping us focus on 2011 goals!
It’s going to be a big year for us on the finance side (as in “big changes”, not “big money” unfortunately), so here goes:
1. We’re expecting our first child in April, and we’ve decided that I’ll quit my job to be a SAHM. First goal for 2010 – Get our budget in order now to be living off of my husband’s salary alone, and save my entire salary for baby expenses.
2. Emergency fund. We have a little bit of savings, but not nearly enough to make me comfortable knowing that we have a baby on the way, along with a mortgage and car payment, and I won’t be working. I will super-coupon, bargain shop, and do without to the max to throw every possible extra penny into an emergency fund.
I subscribe!
Buy less stuff this year. I’ve been working on this goal for quite some time, but I like to remind myself of it as often as possible. The less I spend, the more I can save and really what more could I want when I seem to have everything in life I need.
Begin planning and saving for a new beach home. My husband and I purchased a lot in NC last year and I’d really like to set a new goal to build in ten years.
Since my wife will become a stay-at-home mom in a few weeks, our 2011 financial goals are centered around making it work!
1. Limit our spending so that my current income covers all our needs, including retirement and at least a little savings each month.
2. Increase my income from online pursuits to an average of $1,000 per month so we have a nice cushion and a better ability to give and invest.
Thanks guys!
Dustin
My two financial goals for 2011 are:
1. Pay off my credit card. I don’t have a large balance by any means but I do understand the importance of paying it.
2. Become more financially independent by getting a job. Also my parents are going through a tough time financially so maybe I can help them a little by paying some bills.
I am a new subscriber. My goals are 1. to pay down my last debt (my car) and 2. begin to tackle my mortgage by paying off about 10% of it in 2011.
Goal 1. Make and stick to a budget. My wife and I are really bad at this, but we just need to do it if we are ever going to be debt free.
Goal 2. Save enough for a car that my down payment is more than 50% of the price. I’m not sure this one will actaully happen in 2011 or if it will be 2012, but that is where I want to get before I buy a car.
1) max out my ira to the fullest
2) start an emergency fund
One financial goal I have is to pay back family members the personal loans they gave us in the past.
My second goal is to save a $1000 emergency fund, so that unexpected expenses don’t keep derailing our budget.
Thanks for the giveaway.
1. Pay off $1000 in credit card debt;
2. Continue active participation in a 52 week Financial Challenge saving the
amount of dollars for the week you are in, totally $1374 for 52 weeks I
believe…;
3. Began an aggressive plan to cure a student loan debt of around $62-63K;
Sorry it got good for a minute there but I am doing a strategic planning session today so I am knee deep into goals. It’s going to be another focused year!
I remember subscribing a while back so that should be no problem.
only 2 goals?
First is to get total, net worth positive, down to only being 7k in the hole (thanks to what was 87k in student loans a few years ago)
Second is to max out the ole Roth, I can’t be working until I’m 80.
You guys are awesome. My financial goals for 2011 is to pay off our student loan completely which will make us debt free! I want to get radical on that chunk of debt and get rid of it. The other goal is to have $5,000 in our emergency fund.
I’m already debt free (other than mortgage) and have been tracking expenses using Your Money or Your Life program for a while, so I’m happy that my spending is minimal and in line with my values. My youngest just started school, so now’s the time for me to get my income back up to snuff. So my two goals for 2011 are:
1) increase my tax season revenue by at least 25% – anybody need a return done? (shameless plug: It’s better to have a financial advisor you are philosophically aligned with than one you’re not, just cause he’s down the street! I can do returns for anybody anywhere – visit chrishaviaris.com )
2) to get my revenue for the year up to equal my expenses and stop living off savings
Thanks for the chance to put this out there (the goals and the plug)!
subscribed
I’m just setting one financial goal for 2011, but it’s a huge difficult one.
– Get a 4-plex (triplex for duplex will do in a pinch.)
I have lots of goals for 2011 but here are two:
1. Have two PAID FOR cars. We have one that’s paid for now and plan to have the second paid for by the end of February.
2. Max out our ROTH IRAs.
Here’s to a fruitful 2011!
My financial goals:
1. Save up for my wedding in 2012- I’m going to pay all cash!
2. Reduce my payments to Sallie Mae each month by adding extra to the minimum payments
3. Increase my retirement savings
We have so many financial goals – it’s been a rough year for us. With my husband finally finding a job in long haul trucking, I hope to:
1. Set up a budget that allows us to tackle the debt that we’ve accummulated over the last year more effectively.
2. Pay off DH’s truck when his bonus from the Army Reserve FINALLY shows up. Take that monthly payment and snowball it into another loan of ours.
I really just want to get back to where we were earlier in the year, before things started getting really bad.
I’m on track to meet my money goal for 2010 – saving 6 months of living expenses!
For 2011, two of my goals are:
1. To max out my Roth IRA
2. To start bringing in regular income from my side business (www.shopsavvycinderella.com)
Fabulous idea, and bless you for your generosity! I see a lot of people who are reflecting on goals because of this, which is a great thing
As for me, my biggest goals of next year:
1) Finish funding my e-fund
2) Pay off at least 80% of my credit card/medical debt
My list goes on to about 10-12 things, in total, but all-in-all, I’m still going towards financial serenity 🙂
I’m an RSS subscriber – is there another subscriber I need to be? (I feel slow for asking – sorry!)
1. This is an odd resolution – but I want to use the money I have saved for a vacation to actually take a vacation. I need to reconnect with why I have financial goals, to remember that it’s great to up the numbers but if you’ve saved it for a goal then it’s okay (good!) to use it for the goal.
2. I say it every year, but I need to get better with tracking, and for me maybe that is going to mean committing to sitting down at the end of the month and just checking in to see what I spent and how and if I have some gaps to close up.
3. I want to be better about paying it forward on a regular basis, with money as well as time. I get such joy from sharing, and I want to keep it up.
Financial Goal 1: Stick with the budget to be on track to pay off the mortgage by 2014.
Financial Goal 2: Learn how to make stuff from scratch to help save money and remove unnecessary chemicals from our lives. (ex: lip gloss, shampoo, house cleaner)
1. To knock out my student loan (Sallie Mae and what I borrowed from my parents) ~$13,000
2. Put another $3,000 into savings/emergency fund from my side jobs.
1. Finally pay off the last couple credit card bills that seem to keep hanging on
and
2. Finally start a true savings account. I’ve had a very small one in the past, but it kept getting raided for unexpected but not always real emergency expenses. I want to put a decent amount of money in it and let it sit there a while and earn some real interest!
My 2 financial goals for 2011:
1 – Save an emergency fund of $10K
2 – Publish the book my usband and I have been writing which will hopefully become a source of income one day.
Thanks for the contest!
Thanks for this chance to win! I subscribe via RSS.
Goals?
1.) Eliminate at least 18,000 of our 35,000 in debt (pending husband finds a job soon).
2.) Start up side hustle job on etsy that I’ve been rolling around in my head for several weeks.
I’m a subscriber
1) I would like a $5,000 cushion.
2) I would like to save enough to renew my passport.
1 – Actually stay within my budget the majority of the year. (I’ve set it pretty low on Mint, but I think it’s do-able with a little more work!)
2 – Get my savings account up to $10k.
Goals for 2011:
Bring more income into the house. We will have 2 children in college in 2012. I am already looking to make that change.
Keep to the budget, try not to overspend..Save what we can..and put a little extra to the principal on the mortgage every chance we get. It pays off…literally! 🙂
I subscribe through Google Reader… hopefully that counts!
Goal #1 – Pay off my last credit card and my car loan by July 1st. This is totally doable if I stick to my plan and then my student loan ($9,000) will be my only debt!
Goal#2 – Save $10,000+ by the end of the year to put towards a down payment for a house sometime in the near future.
Two financial goals for 2011– Increase our net worth by $100k and double our emergency fund! Woohoo! Would be great to do both of those!
Hey Brad I love your giving spirit. If possible I’d like to add another $200 to the pot.
Please contact me!
Two of my financial goals for 2011:
1. Rebuild the Emergency Fund (I’m still so bummed it’s gone, but it was eaten by a real emergency…. That’s good at least?)
2. Pay off at least 75% of the loan on our Subaru Legacy GT. She wasn’t brand new, but she cost enough… Haha. I’d rather go back to life with no car loans. (Insurance on four is bad enough by itself, let alone payments. At least she’s the only one with a loan!)
I just subscribed by email. 🙂 (Different email address, though. Hope that still counts since I direct all subscriptions to another email.)
In 2011 I would like to full fund a Roth IRA for my wife and I and also put $1,500 into an education fund for my 7 month old son for his college tuition.
I just got finished writing my 2011 finance goals this week.
I got married this past year, and my husband is new at this idea of establishing financial goals and saving for retirement. So this is a learning experience for him. I plan to:
1. Automate both of our contributions to our Roth accounts each month. Long term goal would be to increase the amount each year till we finally max them out!
2. Save up at least 10k in an emergency fund. I have about one month saved so we are on our way.
Thanks for the motivation! Great blog!
1. pay off two credit cards to get my debt snowball rolling, about $12,000.
2. set up a budget with my daughter who is getting married in October and stick to it!
My financial goals for the year are to increase the amount I’m saving by eating out less often and to to spend more time choosing what to invest in.
I just subscriber through RSS.
My goals:
1. To pay off my credit card. It is a thorn in my side and I am ready to be rid of it.
2. Re-establish my emergency fund and continue to add to it. When I lost my job it got wiped out, so now that my business is started to do better, I need to start saving again.
Lindsay’s 2011 Financial Goals:
1. Pay off my car, $2000 left, and continue to pay off college debt.
2. Increase savings to $25,000 by saving $1200/month for a house.
All subscribed 🙂
My financial goals for 2011 are:
1. Eliminate my credit card debt
2. Decrease my loan debt by at least $3000
3. Be a first time home buyer
4. Have a frugal wedding
5. Start earning money through my side business
Hey you did say AT LEAST 2, but I had more 🙂
Financial goals: 1. I want to continue living frugually as we are now, but I want to have a better attitude about it 🙂 2. I think I can help out on the first goal with this next one. I want to give money to those who could really use it. For example, I’m going to eat at our local pizza joint next week and leave my favorite waitress a $50 tip. She is always so nice and works so hard. I want to do more of that.
My two financial goals for 2011 is to 1. pay back my home improvement loan ($8K) and pay off the rest of my student loans ($14K) by the end of the year. I’ve already worked out a RDIICULOUS budget and I just have to do my best to stick to it. But I’m tired of these debts hanging over my head. I’m ready to come to work and when I get paid at the end of the week KNOW that that money isn’t owed to anyone! 2. I’d like to accomplish this while still saving for a rainy day.
Two financial goals for 2011:
1) pay off lowest credit card balance
2) add $100 more a month into savings acount
I am thankful for my family and friends. They fully accept and love me. With the true friends, I don’t have to do anything to deserve the frienship. Love just is. I’m so blessed/lucky/whatever you want to call it to have so much of it in my life.
To be eligible for the giveaway on Enemy of Debt you need to list two financial resolutions you have for 2011.
Get better at cooking and packing leftovers to save money.
Save up for a fun vacation
Spend less money at the grocery store/Costco.
My two main financial goals for 2011 are:
1) Pay off Discover Card. Current balance $1264. This one is pretty much automatic on happening, unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong. Anticipated completion date: December 21, 2011.
2) Get a job! Anticipated completion date: Soon, dear Lord! Please, soon! (kidding aside, I do have a seasonal position lined up for Mar-Jun if nothing better comes along.
Only need 2, I know, but I’ll share the others:
3) start contributing to my IRA again
4) re-build emergency fund
5) put at least $10,000 in the “Buy a house” fund
I want to organize all of my finances into one spreadsheet… and actually track where my money is 🙂 Secondly I want to investigate where I should be putting some of my savings other then savings accounts.
Goal 1 -pay for my first car in cash.
Goal 2 -beat my investing goals from 2010.
First time reader and new subscriber here! I love making financial goals and following them through – what a thrill. Next year, I will be paying off my credit card for good, as well as a personal loan from family. I will also be going to Europe debt-free! Saving it all up ahead of time so I can really enjoy myself. Thanks for the opportunity to save even more towards the trip!
Two Financial Goals for 2011
1) Take advantage of economic conditions as far as purchases, where prices are significantly reduced, in order to increase savings. Delay or eliminate purchases that are not a good value, for even greater savings.
2) When we upgrade our living quarters, either by purchasing or renting another home, learn how to save money under entirely different living expense conditions. We know the tricks for how we live now, but have no experience with the additional perks and expenses that go along with home ownership. Knowing what they are and living with them are two different things.
Financial Goals for 2011
Pay more toward mortgage principal
Add more to savings account
Goal 1: Pay off my Chase card by the end of May.
Goal 2: Pay down enough debt to roll my 18% loan into a lower-priced LC loan.
2 financial goals for 2011?? I have more than 2, but i really just want to pay off a couple family members that were nice enough to let me borrow some money for an unexpected home expense…. septic tank! ugh…
and the other thing i would want to do, is be able to save up my emergency money. i dont want to run into that problem again, and so far i saved a little, but i really would like to get at least 3 months were of salary up and saved in case something else decides to break! haha
Thanks for the question! Got it on my mind now! 😉
#1 Max out RRSP contribution
#2 Get certified as a financial planner.
Reduce my debt to just student loans.
Maintain emergency account at $1,000.
Adding to emergency account.
I am subscribed through RSS
I’m extremely thankful for the continued good health of my daughter, age 5, adopted at age 3 from East Africa, and HIV+. She’s doing great and continues to make forward strides with her health!
Ooops–I misunderstood from Jay’s post–this one is financial goals.
1. Fund my IRA this year (two years off beating debt).
2. Pay off the remaining $6k debt by March.
No problem Jessica, glad you stopped by to enter! Good Luck! 😀
Thanks for the giveaway as it helps create focus.
2011 Goals:
*pay off one student loan
*receive steady income from my business (computer training)
*restart investment acct
kristin
Financial goals:
(1) Pay off my car loan
(2) Don’t touch money in my savings account
I subscribe through RSS!
My financial goals for 2011 include:
1) paying off the smaller of my student loans
2) getting a job (after I have the baby and get the okay to work again)
I am an email subscriber.
Goals:
1. Try to limit medical bills (may not be able to control this one very well but, I’ll try).
2. Reduce our eekly grocery budget from $30 to $25. It’s fun to see how low it can go!
Thanks for the blog and the giveaway!
Two of our goals for 2011:
1. Make a will for hubby and I
2. Pay off another $10,000 on our debt snowball!!
Thanks and Merry Christmas!!
My husband and I experienced a financial tidal wave this year, so my two goals for next year are:
1. Bite the bullet and get the bankruptcy. No amount of wishing things will suddenly be all better is going to help us reach a point where all that debt is manageable.
2. Move into an affordable, one-story home.
3. Forgive myself, LEARN, and move on.
Financial Goals for 2011:
1) Eliminate car payment (interest is INSANE!)
2) Adjust savings/retirement plan to meet current goals for future
Goals for 2011:
1)Save money for emergency fund
2)Pay off all debt
3)Save money for school
4)Go back and finish school debt free 🙂
two goals for 2011: cut down my cc debt by $6k ($500 extra per month) and get rid of half the junk in storage either by giving away, selling, or donating. thanks for the contest and chance to win!
2011 Financial Goals:
1. No more debt!
2. Kick Sallie Mae to the curb (See ya witch!)
3. Call Dave Ramsey and scream ‘I’m debt free!’ (I get chills listening to this.)
4. Start saving for a house
Financial goals for 2011, now that I am once again employeed:
1) pay off remaining credit card debt
2) use teh money that’s not going to debt repayment to increase funding in 529’s for kids and 401k’s for us
My two goals are:
– Pay off one of my student loans in full.
– Increase my 401K to 10% of my salary
I also had a question. I subscribe by downloading your feed. Does that count?
Yep! Thanks for subscribing Josh!! 🙂
Two of my financial goals for 2011:
(1) Get my emergency savings to a minimum of 3 months of expenses
(2) Open a Roth IRA and fund it to the maximum contribution allowed
I’ve at least got a good start on (1). I’ve been thinking of (2) for years, but not made the first step!
Actually I have 5 goals for 2011
Goal #1: Create a budget and stick to it.
Goal #2: Complete DR Baby Step 1 ($1000 Emergency Fund) by April 1st
Goal #3: Pay off my Capital One VISA and TARGET Red card
Goal #4: Get my interest rates lowered
Goal #5: Decrease credit card debt load by 30%
1. Become completely financially independent :/
2. Allocate my assets- Namely, find a high yield savings account or money market fund and start contributing to a Roth IRA.
Two of the many financial goals I set for myself in 2011:
1. Pay off the last of my credit card debt… the end is in sight!
2. Build up an emergency fund… the online savings account is open… now I just need to fill it up!
Having no debt, my goals are a bit easier than others.
1. Finally finish off saving up for that emergency fund (almost there!)
2. Track my net worth for 2010.
3. Save up for a vacation trip somewhere. Open to suggestions still.
Two financial goals:
1. Get my emergency fund up to $10,000
2. Pay off credit cards and one of my smaller student loans
This is doable on what I make and my monthly expenses, but it will require discipline.
I subscribed to your emails. My goals are to grow our rainy day fund to $30,000 and to add to our children’s savings accounts.
2 financial goals I wish to accomplish in 2011:
I plan to pay off my outstanding credit card debt…been chipping away at it already.
I plan to refinance my interest only mortgage loan once my debt/income ratio is at an acceptable level.
Hi – I subscribe via google reader. In 2011, despite being in law school, I hope to have at least $3,000 in my savings for emergencies, and I would like to pay off my smallest undergraduate loan to ease my monthly bill burden.
I’m a subscriber!
1. Find a side hustle – figure out what it is and get it started. At least one.
2. Become comfortable enough with investing to really explore it, and commit to actually doing it. But not too much!
1. Open a 403B
2. $3,000 in emergency savings
My main financial goal is to become non-mortgage debt-free by the end of 2011. That means $24K to pay off in 12 months.
Another goal is to double my baby emergency fund to $2000. Oh, and of course I subscribe via reader to make sure I don’t miss a single article.
My goals are: 1) Cut my medical debt in half. I finally had it paid off, and then had to add to it again. 2) Start saving money. I used to do this, but then things got tight and I sucked every last penny out of savings and have not put anything in since. I’d like to have at least a grand sitting there at any point in time.
My financial goals this year is to
1. Pay 30% of my student loans. I moved back home so that should not be too difficult considering rent was costing me way too much.
2. Get my emergency savings to at least 4 months worth.
I know now that I don’t have rent to worry about and have gotten a better job that’s closer to home that I will be able to save better as long as I create a great budget for 2010- 2011
Our financial goals:
1) Pay off our debt – We began our debt-free journey three years ago and have so far paid off $36,000. We’re hoping to knock out the last $12,000 in 2011!
2) Begin saving for a house. We promised each other that we would not even think about buying a house until our debt is paid off. It’s exciting to be close to that goal and I’m hoping to start saving before 2011 is over!
Our two financial goals in 2010:
1) Pay off our medical bills from our son’s surgery in June and our daughter’s c-section delivery in July (total of $6,000).
2) STICK TO MY GROCERY BUDGET – this one is huge for us!
If I “win,” I would like the stimulus to go to this woman instead of our family. Though we could “use” the money, she could use it much, much more. We have everything we need, and she needs some assistance. Veronica King lost her husband to a heart attack at the age of 31 just a few weeks ago. She is pregnant with their third child. Every tiny bit helps, including the fact that a stranger is thinking of her and her family. Contact information is in her blog profile.
http://veronking2003.blogspot.com/
Katie that is so very nice of you!! The spirit of giving at its BEST!! 😀
Merry Christmas to you and your family! 😀
1) I want to double my current emergency fund (from 5,000 to 10,000)
2) Accomplish 1 month of not eating out (I’m shooting to try in either January or March)
My financial goals for 2011 are:
1. Have my entire student load paid off. I only owe a little over $9,000 so it shouldn’t be too hard.
2. Have my savings account have a balance of $5,000 by the end of the year.
ps. i also subscribed to email updates.
My two goals are
1: Increase our net worth to 250k (It’s possible – but will take some stretching!)
2: Pay off 10k of our house
If I were to win this money, I’d use it to do something fun with the kids. We have been pinching pennies around here, and I haven’t been enjoying fun things with them often enough.
In 2011, I hope to cut what I owe on my car in half. And I hope to rebuild my emergency fund to at least 3 month’s living expenses.
Two goals for 2011 would be to increase our emergency fund (my husband & I just started one so it’s nowhere near where I’d like it to be but hey, you’ve gotta start somewhere!) and the second would be to pay off our car loan. Here’s to hoping I can achieve both!
Goal No. 1: I will contribute the max amount to my IRA during the first quarter of the year.
Goal No. 2: I will put $10K in savings for emergencies.
2011 is going to be a big year for me! I am planning to change jobs and probably move to a new city. My first goal is to save up money for moving expenses so I do not have to use my credit cards and/or borrow money from my family. I have been working on Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step #2 (Debt Snow-ball), so my second goal is to really get rolling on paying off my debt. My goal is to pay off my highest-interest rate card by the end of the year.
Thanks for the give-away!
My financial goals for 2011 are:
1. Find a good paying job, whether it is by freelancing more or finding another fulltime gig;
2. Start paying into my retirement fund again – I stopped doing this when I got laid off from my previous job.
2011 Financial Goals-
Stick to my grocery budget and increase our emergency fund to at least two months living expenses.
1. Save enough for (half of) wedding in October.
2. Save enough for (half of)honeymoon after wedding plus a trip with both our families!
2 Financial Goals for 2011:
1. Pay off all credit card debt
AND
2. Save $5,000 for travel
Financial Goals 2011:
1) Emergency Fund up to $2000
2) Pay off our vacation up-front instead of scrambling to get the last bit of money from savings and that months budget
3) Start a ROTH IRA
1. To pay off 2 credit cards.
2. To get a new washer.
My financial goals for 2011 are to 1.) Pay off those stupid personal loans that hold us back so far. 2.) Fund my Roth IRA to the max. and 3.) Go after those credit cards!
My financial goals for 2011:
– Achieve my year-end goal for my half of our first house down payment…already half of the way there!
– Stay out of debt! All of my consumer credit card debt is paid off and I just finished paying the last of my medical debts off as well, but the trick is keeping it off…this was the second time climbing out of debt!
My financial goals for 2011 are:
1. I want to apply for kind of an Roth IRA thingy from my company (I live in Germany, so we have other options). Saving pretax money is always best!
2. I want to stay debt free. This year I had some issues with my power company and payments (not from my side) and I payed twice. Now they owe me a lot of money which I have to claim back!
I think that most people’s financial goals are to get out of debt, but this isn’t the core problem….
My first goal: I want to learn more about the psychology of spending money. Why do I feel like going to buy a new outfit when I’m sad or mad? How can I stop myself from doing this? The psychology of spending money is a topic that fascinates me, and I feel it would benefit me a great deal to learn about this so that I can prevent future debt once I have paid off my other debt. I don’t want to pay everything off and then get back to the same, sad, slump!
My second goal: Since I am going to school for 2 careers that probably will not make much money (Anthropology and early childhood education), I want to be able to do what I love and still be able to afford the lifestyle I have come to know. I have recently fallen in love with stocks. I would love to not only research stocks and investing more, but finally BUY MY FIRST STOCK!!
I feel as though if I can accomplish these 2 goals, I can eliminate stress and debt from my life, as well as actually do the things I love, especially traveling and enjoying fine food, coffee, and wine. =]
La Rae,
I, too, am fascinated by the psychology of spending money. I think it amounts to the psychology of the individual. Long ago, I noticed among personal acquaintances that those who spent money freely also spent themselves freely. It’s a matter of how one thinks of money, values it and defines it. We’ve heard it said, “Money is power”. How is it power to the individual? By expressing it (spending) or by having it? I don’t enjoy spending money for the sake of itself. I have to have a reason. And sometimes I make up reasons – like I don’t feel right about buying a thing, so I have to designate it as something – like an anniversary gift. Then it’s okay 😉
The thing about buying something when you’re mad or sad must have something to do with your understanding of money. And it reminds me of people who eat for reasons like that. I’m weird that way, because I don’t spend money for those reasons, and while I hear so many people say they eat too much out of unhappiness, my response to stress is to not eat at all. If I am unhappy, I lose weight. For me, eating is for happy times. It isn’t a comfort; it’s a joy.
La Rae & Yana – You may have already seen this series but I thought I would share it with you in case you haven’t. 🙂 I am way more interested in the psychology of money as well. In fact I am considering a psychology degree instead of finance.
Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 1
Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 2
Your Interview With Local Psychologist Dr. Matthew Bowen Part 3
Well since my car is not doing so hot, I am planning to buy one in the spring. My financial resolution is to be able to pay at least 50% down and not empty my savings.
My two goals this year are to pay off my credit cards (only 1 left with a 9k balance) and is to save enough money to replace all the windows in my home by paying cash.
Thanks,
Barb
Subscribed!
2 Financial Goals:
1) Pay off debts by April 2011 ($8,000 to go!)
2) Save up $10,000 for the Emergency Fund
I’m now following your blog & glad to be doing so.
Financial goals…make some money as I’m unemployed & start paying on my debt as I’m unemployed 🙂
Pretty simple there.