5 Ways To Follow Through on Your Goals: June Goals

I was right! Meeting my May goals would be a challenge... I didn't do so hot and I will come out and say it! While my water intake increased significantly, my DC consumption was still a culprit... However I finished another book tried out 2 new recipes and am hydrating right, so some progress is progress right?! Tracking your goals monthly is a great way to set small (or large) attainable milestones and I believe it also keeps you conscious of your actions day in and day out. Some of the goals I have been setting for myself recently will ideally become habit/second nature in the near future, but until that becomes the case I know it is important for me to continue setting them. As Aristotle is quoted saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit." Its always important to forgive yourself if you fail, and while I don't want to attach the thought of failure to my May goals there is certainly room for improvement in June! This month I have taken on the 21 Day Challenge that will in success change my eating habits moving forward. I am excited about creating weekly action plans that combine both fitness and nutrition and even more excited to share results down the line. So for the month of June I am doing something different with my goals and here are 5 ways I plan help myself follow through with my goals.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Divide your goals into a set of small achievable steps. Maybe this is weekly, maybe this is daily. Do what makes them digestible and what makes achieving them work for you! 

PUT  FEAR IN ITS PLACE

There will be scary moments when failure seems eminent and reaching your goals may seem impossible. In these cases Nike says Just Do It! So just do it anyway no matter how scary it may seem. 

EXPECT SETBACKS

Setback are a part of any process, but not the end of it. If you begin with the end in mind and know setbacks are inevitable you can plan to rededicate yourself to each goal after any setbacks that cross your path. 

LEARN Along the way... 

Do what works for you! If something isn't working try a new approach. Unexpected challenges are opportunities to learn new skills. 

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

With any goal accountability is key. Tell someone who matters to you, write about it, blog about it, tweet about it! Pledge to make your goals a reality!

Guide to Flea Market Shopping: Vintage Treasure Hunting

I wouldn't call myself a beginner when it comes to flea market shopping or vintage treasure hunting for that matter as bargain shopping of any kind is enough to get me up and out the door early on an otherwise sleepy Sunday morning well before the rest of the world has a chance to even hit the snooze button. Shopping someone else’s once loved items can be a bit scary (for many reason which I won’t get into)… but there is nothing I love more than a GREAT vintage find. Trust me, it takes work to find the right thing, but seeing your collected treasured come together to create or complete a look that didn’t break the bank is a wonderful feeling. There are few things I think you should know if you’re planning a vintage treasure hunt of your own in the near future and these little “insider” tips will set you down a path of enjoying the hunt just as much as I do!

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Get There Early: The Early Bird Gets the Worm or in our case gets the Antlers! If you get there when the doors open, earlier if possible you’ve got a head start over the rest of the vintage pickers and will get first dibs on the days treasures.  Remember, the early bird gets the worm!

Go Green: As in bring cash. While it’s more and more these days you will come across vendor with a means of accepting plastic but having cash can benefit you on many levels for example when striking a deal. And don’t forget to bring a variety of bills, lots of ones and fives.

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Don’t Hesitate: If you see something you love, buy it! If you don’t, chances are someone else will!

Prior Proper Planning: This applies to a lot of things, from bringing your own sturdy bag for potential finds to knowing what you plan to buy and driving a car that day if what you plan to buy might only fit in the flat bed of a truck. Its important to make a list so you don’t forget what you’re looking for, but don’t be afraid to stray from your list. You never know what you will come across at the flea market!

Take pride in breathing new life into forgotten treasures and done be afraid get creative!

Automatic Millionaire? Know Your Latte Factor!

Everyone has a Latte Factor whether they want to admit it or not. If you are unaware of what the Latte Factor actually is, while somewhat of a misnomer as it pertains to more than just lattes, it amounts to the small trivial things we spend on everyday that can add up to an extremely large amount over time. Recognizing your latte factor and how much its actually costing your future will ultimately help you see the importance of changing the very habits that we act on and maybe even become an automatic millionaire. Currently there isn't one thing in particular in my life that I can call my Latter Factor as I am actively working on changing my spending habits. However not to long ago (less than 2 months ago) I would admit to gel manicures being my vice... There is a reoccurring misconception which I have come to realize after reading The Automatic Millionaire and that is that people often think building wealth is a function of our income, when in reality it is more so directly correlated to our spending habits (Check out more about this here)!  Lets do the math as it relates to Gel Manicures. I will throw in the pedicure as well because who doesn't opt for the mani pedi combo!

The average Gel Manicure last 2 weeks which means you typically find yourself at the nail salon twice a month. The average cost of a gel mani is about $25 and with the gel mani pedi combo a trip to the salon will typically land you at $55 per visit plus tip, so lets say $65 per visit total.

Gel Mani/Pedi = $65
Gel Mani/Pedi Cost Per Month = $130 (approx pending 4 or 5 weeks in month) 
Gel Mani/Pedi Cost Per Year = $1,560 (approx number) 

$1,560 per year... and that is just around your mani/pedi combo. Un-chipped nails and pedicured toes are an important part of working girls life, I get it and I wont lie, I love a good mani pedi from time to time! Just think about what you may be over spending on and sit down and do the math. Maybe it is a latte a day, or eating lunch out Monday through Friday or frivolous spending online shopping... I challenge you to find out your latte factor and see how much you could be saving. 

It really comes down to what you're saving for and setting a goal to make it happen. I've talked about it in the past re a simple savings trick throughout the year in 52 Weeks of Saving!

While the tone of the book seems to be "Cut out the $4 latte and you will wind up rich" which is a bit far fetched if you ask me and has even caught some heat around the web, knowing what you're excessively spending on or what your spending habits are is helpful nonetheless. If you want to know more about the Latte Factor I'm talking about, I recommend you read The Automatic Millionaire you will learn all about how to pay yourself first and more!