YOUR BEST. SHAPE. EVER.
So we surveyed a bunch of 18–35s because we were just that curious about the top new year’s resolutions for millennials... and the top two answers were actually really close:
• 26% of you want to pay off your debt
• 27% of you want to lose weight
In light of these two super popular resolutions, I’ve put together the four must-do things that’ll help you achieve both — well they’re key to any regime, really. New year, new you, right?
Set goals
To make sure that you have a target to hit, you’ve got to set your sights on something — and we prefer our goals lofty. Whether you’re setting savings goals or a goal weight, try to aim just beyond what you know you can realistically do. Hey, if you shoot for the moon, you’ll land among the stars even if you fail. Or something like that.
Get edu-ma-cated
Now that you know what you want to shoot for, how are you going to get there? (Without getting suckered into fad diets that have no positive effect on your body AND make you feel like sh*t?) Same goes for your money. PSA: Our newsletter is good for getting your financial fitness on, with the latest news and tips to get out of debt delivered straight to your inbox.
Cut the junk
Let’s face it, junk food does nothing for your fitness goals. Well, same goes for the junk that you buy. The best way really is to just get rid of the temptation. Dump all the junk food in your house (or donate them to your office) and start cooking your own meals with fresh ingredients — it’s good for your waistline and your wallet. To cut your credit junk, pay off your credit card balance with a personal loan that doesn’t let you borrow what you’ve just paid back. Then, eliminate the temptation of racking up more debt by leaving your credit card at home and using oh, let’s say a prepaid Visa® card instead.
Exercise
Obviously working out will help you lose weight—but it can also help your spending. Getting a workout membership may cost money but exercising will get you into a more motivated mental state overall. This could encourage you to work harder (and maybe even make more money — 1 in 3 millennials have a side gig to make a little extra bank). Exercising also improves your mood, soooo that could help you avoid emotional overspending on clothes or whatever fix helps you feel better for a minute.
Don’t reward yourself
Okay, that’s not entirely true—we do want you to reward yourself. Just… not in the form of a splurge. Instead of pushing it really hard and not giving yourself any slack, set aside some Rick Ross money to reward yourself from time to time. Don’t go cold turkey, because one splurge at the ice-cream parlour (or at the mall) could ruin all your hard work.
Chantel Chapman Chantel Chapman is Mogo’s Financial Fitness Coach. She teaches you how to be an adult, and is also the host of our Adulting 101 events. With over a decade’s experience as a mortgage broker, Chantel recognized a need for financial education with many of her first-time homebuyers, so she began creating custom content to help guide them. Chantel is the founder of Holler For Your Dollar, a consulting firm that jump-starts anyone who’s ready to dive into the world of Adulting or entrepreneurship. Her role at Mogo puts her skills to use creating and teaching digestible, yet educational financial literacy content geared to millennials and daring entrepreneurs.