Financial Peace Planner Accountability Check-In Chapter 1

 

Last week, I posted about Chapter 1 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Planner (read about it HERE). Well, today I thought I should check in.

Last week, I wrote out my top five money fears and then some goals for the week. The money fears were not really a problem, but the goals? Um, yeah, I didn't do so great at two of them--two out of four isn't terrible is it???

My top five money fears as laid out last week:
ONE: I won't be able to fix my financial situation. 
TWO: There will never be enough money. 
THREE: My son will be stuck taking care of my financial needs later in life. 
FOUR: I'll lose my home due to lack of money to pay the rent. 
FIVE: My debt will grow instead of shrink.

Well, I know I can avoid these money fears turning into reality if I am proactive EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. One way I'm doing this is by publicly posting some stats on a daily basis. I started on January 1st and you can see the stats in the sidebar to the right. But, here's a little screenshot as of January 3, 2016:

I am actually feeling incredibly proud of the days without soda and without unplanned spending! I even went to the grocery store and walked right past two of the spots where I would normally grab a soda and a cheap loaf of garlic bread--two of my grocery store temptations.

By tracking my goals and being focused on my desired end results, I'm at a much higher likelihood of success. I even earned an unexpected $20 on Sunday for a rush editing job! That little bit of extra income helped to bolster my determination to meet my goals.

The goals I set for last week: 
SPIRITUAL: Do yoga Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and focus on my breathing and clearing my mind. 
PHYSICAL: Exercise daily beyond yoga -- a walk or bicycling. 
MENTAL: Read a business, personal development, and social or political article every day. 
RELATIONAL: More hugs for my son and putting down whatever is in my hands and focusing on him when he has something that he wants to talk about.

I basically didn't do any yoga or bicycling, although I did get in a two mile walk. I also managed to read every single day, though not necessarily articles. Instead, I read books (you can read about my reading HERE).

This week:
My money fears haven't changed, but the grip they have over me has eased up a lot. My goals, however, are in flux. As I discussed in my reading post, reading more is a top priority. Reading is both spiritual and mental for me. And, connecting with my son is something that will always be essential. Physically, I probably won't get a lot of bicycling in this week, but I will be doing a lot of walking as we are house sitting a puppy and she needs LOTS of exercise. Walking is ideal and we have a great two mile loop. I also joined a walking and running club that meets three days per week. I plan to start with them next week.

I anticipate a good week. How about you?