Defining Goals

If you don't define your goals, how do you know what you are working for and when you achieve them.

Here is a list of our goals as a family:

Follow Dave Ramsey' plan set up in Financial Peace University (http://www.daveramsey.com/specials/welcome).
We are on step one - build a $1000 emergency fund as fast as you can. Now what Nolen I working, we should be able to do this.
After that we move onto debt repayment. We will have posts outlining our adventure in the world of becoming financially fit.

Become Physically fit. My personal goal is to lose at least the 70 lbs I have gained this past year. Nolen hasn't told me his personal goal. He will post about his physical goals. For one thing I know we would both like to tie our shoes without feeling like we are doing advanced yoga.

Be better members of our extended family. We have missed out on seeing our family due to lace of finances to do so. It is our goal to not just stay connected with Facebook, but going for visits. Calling them once a week. Staying in touch with these very important members of our lives.

Go on vacations to enjoy the life we work so hard for. We will be using the jar method to save for yearly vacations. We love to go to Great Wolf Lodge for Sarah's birthday. I want to be able to have the cash saved so we can have a great, stress free time. I don't want to worry about borrowing from the rent money to finish paying off a trip we only paid half for when we reserved it. I want to pay the whole thing in cash and have the money already set aside for the fun part.

Get into a house. I don't mind renting a house for awhile. I do not want to buy a house until we have our debt paid off and a good savings account. I want a great down payment and to be able to handle the things that come with owning a house. If we own a house and the roof needs to be replaced, I want to know we can replace it without going into debt. It may take awhile, but we will get there the right way. For now, we look to move into a rental house later this summer. Our current rent in our apartment is $1300 plus garbage and water, so usually about $1400 a month. We can get into a three bedroom house for about $1050 a month and have a yard for the kids.

Save for our future! I do not want to end up in retirement having to work. I don't want to end up in retirement having no money to enjoy my time off. So once we have our debt paid off all will go toward having a good life when we retire.

Finally, be healthy, happy, live within our means, give back, raise our children the best we can.