New Year, New You!

It’s that time again… we’ve put on five pounds of holiday weight, spent a little more than we intended, and have a cluttered home from the holiday festivities. We’re starting to think of all of the things in our lives’ we are not satisfied with. The new year is a great time of year because we get to start over, start fresh, and set new intentions and goals. By the end of the year, we let our old resolutions slip and fall to the back burner of our priorities, but the important part is that we want to try again. We have grown, learned, and experienced events that make us into new people throughout the year, so let’s set new intentions and goals that will stick!

Did you know only around nine percent of us succeed at keeping and successfully conquering our New Year’s resolutions? We have good intentions, but sometimes life just gets in the way and we get too busy. Although it’s understandable why we can’t always execute our resolutions, is it possible we also may be setting our goals out of reach and being unrealistic? We often say we are cutting out all junk food, then by the end of the week there we are stuffing ourselves on the couch. Often our resolutions are complete opposite extremes of what we are doing now which is why it makes sense when they only last a short time. Instead of completely cutting out junk food we could make that goal more manageable by instead having one day where we allow for a good cheat meal.

Sticking to resolutions isn’t the easiest task, but it can be conquered. We just need to make resolutions that are more realistic for our individual lifestyle. We’re going to share some tips with you to have you excited for the New Year!

Think Smaller
As mentioned, a common theme I see between the people in my life is that our goals are too big! We get frustrated that we didn’t lose that 15 pounds in the first week, therefore, we don’t feel we are making progress and then we give up. Instead of big goals, we can set something called a big-picture goal, but to get to the big picture we need small, obtainable goals that are realistic in order to arrive at and meet our big picture. Starting January 1st, it wouldn’t be realistic to go to the gym two hours a day for seven days a week if you’ve never stepped into the gym before. Before you know it, you’ll be exhausted, tired, and defeated. Start small – go twice a week, then three times a week, then by the end of the month aim for four or five. Moderation is key.

Plans for Dealing with Obstacles
What’s keeping you from meeting your goals in the present moment? How can we get around those obstacles? Are we doing everything in our power to reach these goals? These are the most important questions we can ask ourselves because these are the things we have control over. Reaching our goals isn’t always about external issues such as finances, transportation, or lack of support that keeps us from reaching our goals. Many times, we can keep us from reaching our goals. Push yourself past your comfort levels and get out of your safe zone. Real growth comes when we are pushed passed our comfort level. Are you used to coming home and sitting on the couch? If so, challenge yourself to come home, get in gym clothes, and walk right back out the door and head to the gym. Give it a try. Mix up your daily routine to get out of your current rut.

Specific Goal Setting
How can we get to our results if we aren’t being specific? Being specific, but within reason is a huge key to success. Aim to lose one pound this week. If you set an obtainable goal and meet that goal by the end of the week, can you imagine how good and motivated you’ll feel when you step on the scale and see you have lost weight? The goals are to keep the ball rolling and keep the momentum up. It’s hard to do so when we set large goals and don’t meet them. The idea is to not get discouraged and to keep the positivity flowing. Is your goal to save to go on vacation this summer? Be specific with how much money you’ll need to save and every week towards that goal. Will you need to save $15 a week? Cut back on extra spending by bringing lunch to work one day a week.

Break down your goals into step by step actions that are obtainable. Is a goal of yours to be more social? This is a broad goal, but we can break it down further by making the goal “eat lunch with a friend once a week.” If your goal is to stop binge-watching Netflix, change that goal to only watching 3 episodes a week. Do you see how being specific makes our goals into tangible actions? Give it a try! Make 2020 the best year yet.

Get that gym membership, ease up on the binge-watching, and skip that drive-through dinner. Small steps throughout the year make it possible to meet your big-picture goal at the end of the year. We’re excited to watch you succeed!

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Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? The holiday season can be heavy on the wallet. Between travel, gifts, parties, and pot lucks we understand that sometimes your preconceived budget can expand throughout the month. We’re going to share with you some travel times to help you save money when planning a last-minute vacation, or if you want to get ahead of your 2020 travel plans. Spending less on travel gives you a great opportunity to budget in more of that fun stuff while on vacation. You don’t need to win the lottery to enjoy some exotic travel plans.

Let’s get started!

Planning:
Spontaneous traveling can be great, however, usually only if you have time and money readily available. When traveling on a tight budget our first tip is to come up with a plan and stick to it. You don’t need to break the bank to enjoy travel. You don’t need to have an hour-by-hour schedule that you stick to; however, you will need to have somewhat of a guideline to stick to avoid any unnecessary spending. For example, how many days do you want to spend in a certain location? What is the most cost-effective way of travel? Do I know which route I’m taking? You’d be surprised at how planning these questions out can save you money. Leave less to chance by avoiding as many last-minute adjustments and accommodations as possible.

Apps Are Your Friend:
With the rise of the internet, we no longer must flip through individual hotel and airline websites. Websites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, or Kayak make travel plans a breeze. These sites search hundreds upon hundreds of travel locations and give you the best deals and even bundles. You can even figure out your fuel costs for travel by using sites like Gasbuddy! Search Google, iTunes, or Google play for travel aids such as these.

Pack Snacks:
Long road trips mean packing enough snacks to hold you over. Fast-food can get expensive, especially with large families. I am a huge snack packer for all occasions not only for the price factor but for the health aspect as well. This trick also saves time on the road. Packing snacks means fewer pit stops. You’d be surprised how quickly food can cut through your travel budget. Give it a try and bring your own food along for the ride.

Flexibility:
When traveling on a budget, there is one thing you’ll need to be good at… flexibility. Being flexible is important because odds are if you are trying to travel on a budget you may not get the dates, times and locations you prefer. Traveling before, or after the holidays is much cheaper, but also reduces stress greatly. Holiday traffic? No, thank you. Living in a close region to L.A, I know not to even try to get on a freeway on or near a holiday. These are minor adjustments we need to make to make the most out of our tight budgets.

Buy in Advance:
Flights can be so pricey. I always cringe at check-out when all the fees and taxes are added to my already expensive plane ticket. You want to book well in advance, especially return tickets. Going on vacation with no guaranteed return flight can be terrifying. You can book well in advance, even up to a year with some airlines! The sooner the better.

Did you know that the cheapest midweek travel prices are the lowest on a Tuesday? Premiums are usually added to weekend flights and busy travel dates. Another bonus of weekday travel is that you’ll probably encounter much shorter TSA wait times, easy parking, and breeze through the check-in process. Also, the business class is nice, but saving money is even nicer. Opt for the economy; odds are the price increase isn’t worth the benefits, especially if it’s a shorter trip. If you do have to fly on a weekend, you can cut costs by traveling light and not paying for a checked bag.

Shipping Christmas Gifts:
This is a trick I’ve used many times. It’s often cheaper to mail gifts rather than using your baggage space or renting a vehicle to transport gifts. Typically, around the holidays shipping deals start popping up such as free shipping, expedited shipping, or discounted shipping. Consider paying for gift wrapping through a company and having gifts shipped directly to the receiver as opposed to having it shipped to your house, wrapping, then paying to ship or transport.

The holidays can be stressful enough. The cost of holidays alone is enough to make anyone nervous and anxious. Traveling doesn’t need to be made harder than it already is, so implementing cost-effective tips and budget-friendly ideas can save you money as well as the unnecessary holiday stress. We’ve created several other blog postings for our audience to make this holiday season a breeze. Our other topics include minimizing holiday stress, handling grief during the holidays, as well as the best Christmas tech gifts for your loved ones. Be sure to head over to these other topics to ensure your holiday season a great one.

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