Spring clean your finances
Spring has finally arrived and while some of you may be thinking about giving your home a spring clean and the garden an overhaul, it’s also the perfect time to review how well you’re tracking against any goals you set at the start of the year.
10 September 2011
Knowing what you want to achieve in life and having your money in order so your finances don’t get in the way of achieving those goals is vital. So, how are you doing? Have you stuck to the budget you set? Have you paid off your debt as much as you’d hoped? And if you’re able to save, are your savings growing as much as you’d planned?
If you’ve stuck to your plan, congratulations – it takes discipline to make a plan work.
If you’ve already achieved some of the goals you set, are there new ones you would like to set? Or perhaps you’d like to achieve some of the other goals faster.
If you haven’t managed to stay on track, examine the reasons why and make any necessary adjustments. Was your budget too tight? Perhaps it didn’t cover all your expenses.
Perhaps you need to allow for expenses and income that that have changed during the year. Were some of the goals unrealistic? Use your experience to adjust your plan and make one that’s more likely to work.
If you didn’t set a plan, it’s not too late to make one. Saving up for Christmas may be one of your short-term goals – if you get organised now, it’s going to be more achievable. By giving your finances a spring clean, you’ll be more likely to start 2012 in a better position financially.
Sorted.org.nz is a free independent money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. As well as providing a range of information and tools to help you plan your finances, their debt and saving calculators can help you to get your money sorted.
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