Who doesn’t like a fresh start? We all like a clean slate and a chance to begin again and just go forward. That’s what these financial goals printables aim to do. You can’t go back in time and make different financial decisions, but you can going forward. Let us help!
The Financial Goals Printable set is broken up into Monthly and Yearly Goals which is part of a larger MEGA set called the Mini Financial Binder. I’ll provide the links to that below. Download and print them for your binder. It makes a huge difference! Doesn’t that sound fun?!?!
How to Set Financial Goals
This is a big question. You’ll need to start small, get a handle on your expenses and income first, and then use these printables to set goals. So let’s get started!
To get a full understanding of your current financial health, work on all of the sheets in the binder. They all tie together. You can’t say “I”m going to set a goal of saving $200 a month” if you literally don’t have $200 a month extra to save. This is not a super quick process. It will take time and I will almost guarantee you that you will have to update these sheets several times over the next few months.
Other Free Finance Printables
- Printable Monthly Bill Worksheet – Start here. List ALL of your current bills and start tracking them. This sheet helps you pay each one and not miss a payment. We’ve all done it by accident – I get it – but this little tool helps you minimize those silly mistakes.
- Budget Planner – This helps you record your household income and subtract the items from the bill worksheet above to figure out your financial standing. As your income or expenses change, you should update the sheet.
- Printable Debt Payoff – Next up is look at your debt. It won’t be fun, I am sure. But, you need to start tracking it and the speed in which you pay it off. Again, you can’t save that $200 mentioned above if you have a load of credit card debt that you can’t eliminate. Write it down and you stand a much better chance to make a difference.
- Printable Daily Spending Log – This one is probably the least favorite among readers, but it is one of the most crucial. It is the little spends you do each and every day that add up to the big cost at the end of the month. Track the coffees, muffins, drive thru visits and office donations. They all add up and you will quickly realize where you need to cut. It doesn’t take long, I promise.
- Printable Expense Worksheet- Another one that you need to print off and start working on! This one is quick to point out where your expenses are going that you might be missing otherwise! Don’t think you know where everything goes-this one shows you! Important tool for your budgeting!
- $1000 Emergency Fund Savings Challenge-this is so much fun if you are a challenge freak like I am! I love to watch the money grow and as it gets to be a larger sum, it gives me more incentive to find ways to cut back. The first few dollars are hard but then the brain kicks in and has fun with this one!
Now that you have tracked all of your finances, look over where you stand and NOW we can make those Monthly and Yearly Goals. Think about what is important to you and start there.
Set SMART Goals
Let’s start out by using SMART Goals. Too many times we set these crazy high expectations like “I’m going to lose 20 pounds by summer” and then we don’t. Then we blame goal setting and not really look at WHY we didn’t achieve our goals.
What are SMART GOALS? It is an acronym meaning:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timely
Examples for these are:
Specific – I will stop drinking coffee at the coffee house on my way to work.
Measurable – I can see that I no longer have that $4.00 cost on my Daily Spend Log.
Attainable – Start small. What can you reasonably accomplish this week? Maybe it is to skip the restaurant on Friday and eat a frugal meal at home? Maybe it is to bring a cup of coffee from home instead of buying one.
Relevant – If I stop at a coffee shop everyday on my way to work, that is costing me $4.00 per day. At the end of a five day workweek, that is a $20.00 impact. It is highly relevant to your goal.
Timely – It can happen right now. I don’t have to rely on anyone else to make it happen besides myself. So the timeliness is all dependent on doing it myself.
Set Monthly Goals
Think about what you want to accomplish THIS MONTH. Write them down and put this on the refrigerator so you can see it EVERYDAY! Don’t hide it and think “oh I’ll remember it.” Nope, it doesn’t work like that. Think about all the work you have done in the Daily Spending Log or the Debt Payoff.
- Do you want to stop drinking take out coffees?
- Maybe you want to cut back on cable TV?
- Do you want to cut back on entertainment costs and start finding frugal things to do?
All of these thoughts are going to go onto your Monthly Goals sheet as ACTIONABLE STEPS towards meeting your goals. Go back to the SMART GOALS above. Think about it through that lens.
Set Yearly Goals
Once you have the Monthly Goals down, you can do the same steps to building out your Yearly Goals knowing you have 12 months to work towards the goal rather than just 30 days.
Have the Free Printable Goal Sheet Emailed to You
I’ll deliver these goal sheets to your email inbox. They match all the other financial binder printables are designed to help you take control of the year and your finances!
If you’re in the groove and want to do a bit more deep dive into your finances, here are a few more ideas to keep the juices flowing!
20 Budget Printables – 20 Free Budget Printables in various forms to help you take charge of your finances this year. Whether you are just starting out and want baby steps or if you are going to knock it all out of the park this year, this one’s for you. It’s a great collection of freebies!
25 Cheap Date Night Ideas – If you are looking for a SMART goal to start out with, here is a great collection of cheap, yet fun ideas for date nights. Don’t let being frugal stop you from having fun!
10 Ways to Win the Penny Challenge – This is one of my favorite ones to recommend to newbies. You can save so much with just a little effort and it gives you the energy to keep going! Give this one a try!
My Shocking Grocery Comparison Chart – This one is a love/hate with readers. They want to do it, but sometimes hate the results when they find out their favorite store is so expensive. This one doesn’t lie so it’s a great one to add to your monthly goals.
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