How did you Fare with Money this Year?

The end of the year is near! It's a great time to make final contributions, finish up challenges, and reflect on your money journey.

• Did you save as much as you wanted to save?
• Did you spend more than intended?
• What challenges did you face? What unexpected expenses threw you off track? Were you able to get back on track?
• Did you pay off one or more debts?
• What stands out?

As we plan and set goals, we must be reasonable and flexible. Life happens, that's just a fact. Recognizing what went well and what did not allows us to plan for the future. If this year car troubles hit the budget hard, it may be time to budget more for future repairs and maintenance or even create a savings plan for a new car.

As mentioned in a previous post, I took part in the 52-Week Money Challenge for the second year in a row. I've made my final payment and have successfully reached this year's goal. It's so rewarding to set a goal, work towards reaching that goal, and finally reach it. It feels even better when whatever fund that money is dedicated to is now fully-funded.

For me, my challenge serves as a vacation fund as it did last year. Last year's fund paid for this year's trip to Paris. This year's fund pays for wherever next year's vacation takes me. Vacations are awesome, and even more so when you come home without the stress of still paying for it. It's either paid in full before leaving or paid upon return. Debt free travel...now that's managing money like a boss!

Think about your goals, and your plan moving forward. If you were successful, keep doing the things that helped you to reach your goals. If you were unsuccessful in reaching your goals, figure out why and how to improve for next year.

Take control of your money in 2020!