7 Tips For A Financially Sound 2009

So, maybe 2008 wasn’t the best year for you financially. That doesn’t mean that 2009 needs to be more of the same. The Being Frugal blog has a bunch of tips for making 2009 a good financial year:

• Get an accurate picture of your current financial position - calculate your balances in terms of debts, savings, loans and investments. You have to know where you’re starting from.
• Always pay yourself first. That is, put a portion of every pay check into savings or investments.
• Decide on your financial priorities. You can achieve a lot if you put your mind to it but not everything at once, so figure out what financial goals are the most important to you.
• Learn about finances. If you are ready to do some investment, read up online and in the library to learn the best way to do it. You don’t always have to spend money on fancy courses to learn how to make money.
• Create less waste by only buying what you really need and will use - food is a good example of this.
• Focus on what you have (not what you don’t have) by also doing some giving. This doesn’t have to be financial contributions to charity - you can also give your time as a volunteer to help other people.
• Give up trying to “keep up with the Joneses” - just learn to be satisfied with what you can afford.