Happy 2013 YWMers! At the birth of each New Year, people tend to think on the things in their lives they want to fix– weight, jobs, love. As I sat with my friends the minutes before midnight on 12/31, we each went around the table and said what our resolutions were. No one said anything about trying to become more financially secure, I noticed. Once person said they “wanted to get their shit together,” which may or may not include finances. A couple people said they wanted to have careers they really loved, which may or may not include having the kind of financial security they need.
And while creating a budget or living within your means isn’t more important than striving to be more kind, less stressed or trying to appreciate life on the daily, it can certainly be a beneficial improvement. Right up there with losing 15 pounds.
So here are some suggestions for resolving to be stronger financially in 2013.
1. Resolve to be debt free by the end of the year! (Or at least have a goal, if your student loans make it impossible to be debt free by the end of this year.)
2. Resolve to make a budget!
3. Resolve to start saving!
4. Resolve to start your retirement plan! And I resolve to actually write the post on retirement plans.
5. Resolve to not let money rule you.
Young Without Money 
I’m surprised no one mentioned student loans! They pretty much affect everything financially at this point. And finances affect everything that we want to do. If your resolution is to exercise, then you’ll probably need to join a gym, which is part of your finances. If you want to eat healthier, then you’ll need to buy different groceries that may cost more, which is part of your finances. It’s incredible how we don’t think of things in that way, and we shouldn’t all of the time because then money would rule us! But we should at least be aware of it and have a plan.
My thoughts exactly!!