I think we all know that setting concrete goals and writing them down goes a long way towards actually achieving our goals, so with that in mind, I thought I'd prompt you all to think about your finances and what you want to achieve in the coming year.

For me, if DH gets a raise I'd like to see us increase our 401K contribution and pay extra on our car payments.  If I end up working more hours next fall and get any sort of tuition reduction for DD in the process, I'm going to take the difference and split it between paying off the car and saving for a vacation.

Another, smaller goal that I'd like to see happen this year is to have our grocery spending average under $300 per month.  To do this means more cooking and few convenience foods, and not letting food go to waste.  But I know it can be done!

I'm pleased to report that for the first year in quite a while, my goals do not have to include 'reduce credit card debt'!     With my most recent refinance I was able to get all that down to 7.25% as part of my 2nd mortgage, and all of my cards are at a $0 balance!

My big financial goal for 2007 is:
To pay off my student loans from my master's degree (just under $15k and less than 7.25% interest rate).

Other financial things for me to consider in 2007 include:
My car has just over 197,000 miles on it and may need either more work or to be replaced this year.

If I can pay 1 extra mortgage payment and 1 extra 2nd mortgage payment each year I'll be done much faster paying for my home.

Long term goal- be able to afford to retire in 10 years.  This will be a combination of controlling my spending, focusing on debt elimination (loans, mortgages), and learning more about investing.

Good luck! 

Well my financial goals are to be able to stay at home with my kids while still making a decent income.  I just started the Dollar Store and think its good for stay at home moms.

Kimie

[link removed per link/signature rules ~Jen]

January's been good so far on the grocery and dining out budget!  Another week to go, but so far I'm happy with how we're doing.   There have been many times when I've had to overcome laziness to actually go make dinner, but I'm prevailing! 

It's wonderful to see so many women giving voice to their financial goals. My goal for 2007 is to learn more about my money and where it goes, since it doesn't seem to be going where I want it to. Once I've figured that out, I want to come up with a realistic spending plan. To help me in this, I started a money club with some of my girlfriends, so that we can support each other and help each other learn. And have the occasional glass of wine. 

That's a cool idea!