Beyond Post-its: Keep financial goals in your line of sight
Posted
Jun 13 2008, 06:41 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Former super-spendthrift Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar once made a credit card sleeve out of a photo of his infant son. Each time he thought about using that card, he had an instant reminder of why he needed to knock off the spending.
"Mr. Imperfect" of Perfectly Imperfect Family and Finances is decidedly high-tech in his approach. He uses the start-up message on his cell phone -- and photos on his cell and desktop -- to keep him focused on his goals (although Bettsi McComb suggests you change the photos every so often so they don't become part of the background noise).
We all need mental aids -- even razor-sharp quarterbacks use armbands -- and "glblguy" (aka Gibble) at Gather Little By Little provides us with plenty in a post called "Surround yourself with constant reminders." His description of his memory-jolting personal-finance tools prompted other bloggers, like Mr. Imperfect and Bettsi, to describe theirs as well.
Gibble had three reminders in front of him as he wrote: A photo of a BMW 135i on his laptop (that's a long-range goal), a sticker with a spiritual message above his computer screen, and photos of his wife and six children all around.
A slip of paper kept with the cash in his wallet lists his family's financial goals. "Just seeing it in there is enough to remind me to really think through what I am purchasing. I often just open it up to read through it," he says. Another tip: Go over your family budget weekly.
"Frugal Dad" said he appreciates the idea of wrapping your credit card with a family photo. "You are basically hocking their financial future (and your own) each time you use the thing," he wrote.
Other bloggers have posted about their personal memory aids. Jim at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity suggests using a Sharpie to write a financial goal on the front of your credit cards. Jacob Cazzell of SuccessMinders applies a dry-erase marker to his bathroom mirror to write notes that keep him on track every day.
