The months are just flying on by. It’s July, and 2017 is halfway over.
If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t given a second thought to those New Year’s resolutions you set way back in January. The U.S. News and World Report says 80% of those idealistic goals are usually forgotten by February.
I know you had all the best intentions in getting things accomplished, making this year your year and finally getting your life in order. So, what if things haven’t gotten off to a smooth start? I’m here to tell you not to give up.
You still have six months to make it happen. Half the year may be over but that means you still have half a year to work with.
Think glass half full, not half empty.
You can do it. Go into 2018 feeling happy about all your accomplishments.
Here’s some help to tackle some of those commonly set resolutions without spending a fortune to do so.
1. Get in Shape
Is your gym membership gathering dust? Have you already given up and canceled it?
Don’t fret. You’re already on the internet. After you finish reading all your favorite content from The Penny Hoarder, bring up YouTube and check out these five YouTube channels that offer great workouts you can do from the comfort of home.
Running is also a super-cheap form of exercise. Just lace up your jogging shoes and go!
But if running happens to be the bane of your existence, here are several other low-cost alternatives to the gym. You could turn an area of your home into your personal gym with just a few pieces of equipment and still end up paying less than six months of gym memberships.
Another incentive to working out — you can get paid to lose weight! With Healthy Wage, you can bet on yourself to drop the pounds and get money, if you are successful.
Getting healthier is totally doable by the end of this year. Let this 92-year-old serve as your motivation to getting and staying fit.
2. Get Organized
You may have shirked your plans to get organized by telling yourself you know where everything is within your jumble of stuff. But there are so many good reasons to get things in order. Here are eight ways getting organized will help you save money.
You can even turn your quest to get organized into a money-making opportunity by selling items you don’t need or use. Decluttr will give you money for those old DVDs and video games you’re no longer interested in and are just taking up space.
You could take your organization to the extreme and embrace minimalism. Less stuff means less clutter to go through next January, if your New Year’s resolutions tend to be the same every year (like mine are). A minimalist lifestyle helped this couple pay off $95,000 in debt!
3. Revamp Your Career
Perhaps you dread going into work every day but have gotten so used to it that you don’t even think about the light at the end of the tunnel. Well, 2017 is your year to find a new job.
Use the upcoming months to make yourself stand out as an amazing job candidate. Get your resume and cover letter in order and think about how you’ll answer all those intimidating interview questions (and avoid these interview deal breakers).
And start applying! Here at The Penny Hoarder we regularly post about available jobs in various industries, especially work-from-home opportunities where it doesn’t necessarily matter where you live. Check our Jobs section or like The Penny Hoarder Jobs on Facebook to learn about the most recent jobs available.
4. Get Your Finances in Order
Just because you haven’t budgeted beyond January doesn’t mean you can’t start now. Here’s a seven-step plan to creating an effective budget. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking these budgeting myths are real.
This post will help you save a little each month and stop the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. You can put those savings in an emergency fund, stack it up to go toward a big purchase or use it to pay down debt.
Tackle debt by using either the snowball or avalanche method. Or use these creative ways to bring down your debt and raise your credit score.
5. Travel and Make Good Memories
If your plans for this year included going out of town and experiencing something new, low gas prices have made this summer a great time to take a road trip.
Camping is another affordable getaway option. If a beach destination is more your thing, check out this post on how much it’ll cost to visit the top-ranked beaches in America.
Snag some tips from this woman who saved $10,000 in seven months to travel internationally. While we don’t have seven months before 2017 is over, you could potentially save a few thousand in half that time and take a less-expensive vacation in November or December.
If that trip includes flying, make sure you factor in your baggage fees while booking a ticket.
And if you’re traveling with kids, make sure to check this post on ways to save money and your sanity.
Disclosure: A toast to savings! Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She didn’t set New Year’s resolutions for 2017, but it’s shaping up to be a great year for her so far.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2tqt0FG
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق