Smart Spending Resolutions 2011

The New Year is here and it’s time to make 2011 your smartest year of spending yet. You’re reading a personal finance blog, so I’m pretty sure you want to improve where you’re at with money or learn some tips to fine-tune what you’re doing.

With a little bit of planning and (totally minimal) effort, you can make 2011 your smartest and most successful financial year ever.

Think of it like this: if you’re not doing anything to save or think about your cash, small efforts will mean big an improvement. Even if you’re only saving a few dollars a month, it could be much more than you were doing last year. These smart spending and saving habits are good to acquire. Like any habit, once you get into it, it’s tough to break.

Be Realistic

Setting a goal like “I want to save a million dollars this year” just might not be realistic for you – I know it’s not for me. But saving $20/paycheque might be exactly what you need to get started with your savings. It could be as simple as being more conscious of where your money is going, or setting up a savings account that’s tougher to access than your chequing account.

Take a quick look at your situation, and identify some places to save more or spend less.

Take Action

The most important part of your cash-smart 2011 is taking action. I’m not talking about doing it next week or next month, but actually starting now. If you’ve got a $10 bill in your pocket, make that your first savings opportunity of the new financial year.

If you want to get better with your money, go and do at least one thing today to make it better. Sure, reading blog posts is a great start, but you need to jump right in. Set up a savings account, and put something in there – it might start small, but that’s a great habit to get into.