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I’m leaving this space.

In a couple of days I will be making this blog private.  Eventually, I will let go of it completely.  There is no specific reason except for the fact that I really don’t have much to write about any more on the topic of money.  We save. We spend.  Repeat.

Seriously though, I’ve been more and more discouraged by social media in general, and feel it’s time to do other things.. in real life.

Thank you for reading and commenting.

close up of tree against sky
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
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Late to the party, but finally here.

photo of cup near flat screen television
Photo by John-Mark Smith on Pexels.com

I’ve finally cut the cable and couldn’t be happier.

For years I’ve been considering cutting our cable.  Our provider made it nearly impossible, though, as contracts or bundled services made our internet the same price.  So why cancel?  Over the weekend, our provider started a new program where you did not need to sign a contract.   I had already released my home phone, and really wanted to ‘release’ the cable as well but had signed a contract in August.  It just so happened that I had to call our provider to challenge our bill (they overcharged for equipment we didn’t have).  I lucked out and got a manager on the phone.  He was more than helpful, so I thought I would check to see if I could get in on the ‘new plan’ without a cancellation fee of my other contract.

To my surprise and delight, I was able to get out of my contract (no fee), get the fastest internet, shed the cable and save $100 a month in the process. Oh my gosh, I am SO happy.  We rarely watched television, and mostly used the Roku for Netflix.  I did watch Hallmark, but can easily get the Hallmark app.  My husband will be getting the Hockey app. as that is his enjoyment.  We still will come out WAY ahead.

Saving almost $1,200 a year is exhilarating, to say the least.  I’m so glad I made the call. 🙂

Insurance is next….stay tuned….

 

 

 

 

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3 Steps to Achieving Your Goals

double downYearly goals can be overwhelming.  You know it’s all about ‘action’ and following through, but how do you do that?  Here are three simple steps to turn your large goals into bite size ones.

Step 1.  Break it down.

Break down your yearly goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily action steps.

To illustrate, I’ll take my personal goal of reading 12 books and show you how I’ve done this.

1. Quarterly – Jan/Feb/Mar – Read 3 books (12 divided by 4)

My 1st quarter picks:

  • The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
  • Getting Things Done – David Allen
  • The Year of Less – Cait Flanders (a re-read)

I’ve chosen these three books specifically to jump start all of my goals for the year by working on changing bad habits to better ones, actually completing things, and “spending less” inspiration.

2. Monthly:  January – Pick 1 book

I’ll be starting with the book – The Power of Habit.  It is approximately 300 pages.

3. Weekly

There are 4 1/2 weeks in January, so I’d have to read about 66 pages a week.

4. Daily

There are 7 days in a week, so I’d have to complete at least 10 pages a day to stay on track to finish for the month.

10 pages a day not only seems doable, but I’m sure I can surpass this.

Step 2.  Keep track.

Write a ‘to do’ list of each action step that will bring you closer to your goals and keep track of your accomplishments.

I’m a planner girl, so this step is actually fun for me.  I use a planning system with a personal size ring Filofax and a daily habit tracker.  At the end of each day, I review what I’ve accomplished and which areas I’ve been slacking on.

Daily Planning Tracker.png

Step 3.  Do the things. 

This, of course, is the most important step of them all.  You have to actually do the action steps to achieve the goal.

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Of course, try to make it an enjoyable process.  A cozy chair, throw and a hot cup of my favorite beverage makes reading much more enjoyable. 🙂

By following these simple steps you should be well on your way to achieving all of your goals for 2019.