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Keeping on track with your financial goals can be hard, let these 10 Tips For Keeping Your Financial Goals help you into the New Year and beyond. While this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

10 Tips For Keeping Your Financial Goals

Whether you made financial New Year’s resolution or it’s May and you are trying to be reach your financial goals, it can be hard. Money is something that is always on our minds, but it’s not something that we always know to manage. And things that are hard to manage or understand, are usually the things that we avoid.

Your money is not something you want to avoid. Money, your money, is something you want to understand and manage.

Did you know that only 8% of people who make resolutions keep them? In fact, most us have already given up by January 17, a date that’s unofficially known as “Ditch Your Resolution Day.”

Why aren’t we keeping our resolutions? We need realistic goals with a plan. A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Being better with money is the most common goal set, especially around New Year’s, but you need a plan in place to make that happen.

Here are 10 Tips To Help You Keep Your Financial Goals:

1. Write Your Goals Down – Be as specific as possible and set short-term and long-term goals.
2. Be Realistic – If owning 3 homes isn’t a realistic goal for 2018, don’t write it down 😉
3. Get Support – If you are married, you and your spouse should be on the same financial road. If you aren’t married you can still find support with friends and family.
4. Set Up Automatic Savings – No matter the amount, setting up an automatic savings deposit monthly is an easy way to save without having to think about it.
5. Use Technology – There are so many ways that companies have tried to simplify our lives with technology. For example, AxiomGO can be a financial game-changer.
6. Little Things Add Up to Big Things – Saving $5 a week may not sound like a lot (what is that, one latte?) but that quickly adds up to over $250 a year.
7. Take Control of Your Credit – Pay off those credit cards, one at a time. No payment is too small. Remember little things (payments) add up to big things (like paying off a credit card!).
8. Keep Planning – Your goals may change throughout the year(s), keep on keeping on.
9. Stay focused – AxiomGO can help with that too.
10. Don’t Give Up – On you or your goals.

I mentioned AxiomGO, a couple times in my tips to help you stay on track with your financial goals because it is a fantastic financial tool.

What is AxiomGO?

AxiomGO is the perfect tool to help you finally achieve your financial goals. AxiomGO is the new mobile-banking app that will help you become a better money manager.

Here’s why you need to check out AxiomGO:

1. It’s easy to use.

• That’s probably the most important reason in my book. If it’s not easy to use, I won’t use it. Our time is valuable, and so is our money. You can open an account without ever visiting a brick-and-mortar bank. All you need to get started is a smartphone or tablet.
• Need to deposit a check? You can do that right from AxiomGO, as well as pay your bills and transfer money to and from accounts at other banks.
• Telephone customer service is also available with AxiomGO, so you can always talk to a real person when you need personal service.
• About 10 million Americans don’t have a checking account – and they may be spending extra money on check-cashing fees and dealing with the inconveniences of paying bills with cash or money orders. If you are one of those 10 million people, AxiomGO is an easy way to start saving some money on fees and saving your valuable time.

2. AxiomGO can help you make a budget and stick to it.

• The B word. BUDGET. I hate that word. I immediately think of hours of time spent in front of spreadsheet after spreadsheet. I am probably not the only one that thinks that way as two-thirds of Americans have no budget. And not having a budget means you may not have a good handle on where all your money is going.
• Want to take a cruise or hike in Norway? Maybe you’re hoping to buy a house or a car but need to build up a down payment. This is where budgeting isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary.
• Use AxiomGO’s personal financial manager (PFM) to factor-in your income, and then set spending limits for various categories. The app’s spending alerts ping you when you’ve almost reached your limits, so you’ll know to slow down on non-essential spending.
• Even better, your budget will help you stop worrying so much about having enough money to cover all your needs.

3. You’ll never overdraft again.

• With checkless checking, AxiomGO makes overdrafts a thing of the past.
• Not only can you do all your banking online, but when there’s no money in your account to cover a transaction, the bank will simply decline the transaction.

Download AxiomGO now

Make this year the year you finally take charge of your money and reach your financial goals.

What is one of your tips for keeping your financial goals?

Axiom Bank N.A, a nationally chartered community bank headquartered in Central Florida, provides retail banking services, including checking, deposit, and money market accounts. It also offers commercial banking services, treasury management services and commercial loans for real estate and business purposes.

Learn more about Axiom Banking by following on Facebook, Twitter, and by following their blog.

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Looking to start the new year off on the right foot? Here are 10 attainable New Year’s Resolution Ideas to hopefully help. This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.

10 New Year’s Resolution Ideas

The holidays are here and that means yet another year is coming to a close. Soon we will be celebrating the end of year and looking forward to a new one. New Year’s gives us all a blank slate and the opportunity to learn, grow, and try new things. Do you believe in New Year’s Resolutions? I do, but to a certain degree. I don’t believe in making resolutions that are really hard to achieve or easily broken. Let’s be honest, while me saying that I would like to lose 10 pounds sounds great and maybe attainable, I probably won’t be able to do it…I have been trying for like 10 years now 😉 So, I like to make goals that won’t disappoint me and I can believe in. And that is exactly what I am sharing with you all today, simple New Year’s Resolutions Ideas that will hopefully give you some hope and extra direction this upcoming year too.

1. Watch What You Eat – Don’t promise yourself that you will never eat chocolate again, because who can do that?! BUT, do watch what you eat and try to make better choices.
2. Be More Financially Responsible – Set goals for yourself. Pay off bills, plan for the future, watch what you spend. While you are planning for your future, don’t forget to plan for your kid’s future too. If you are a Florida resident, the best thing (in my opinion!) you can do is check out Florida Prepaid College Plans. Florida Prepaid College Plans takes all the “scary” out of planning for the future of your child’s college education.
3. Play More – Work hard, play hard right? Well, it seems as though we are all working non-stop to get to some magical point. And when we do that we are missing out on what is right in front of us. LIFE. Make time to play more, whether it’s with your kids, or playing cards with your friends, or just going to the movies by yourself.
4. Take Technology Breaks – I say that as I type at my computer with my cell phone within 6 inches of my hand. EEK, what if someone texts me?! I MUST check it. NO, we don’t! Try to schedule some technology breaks for you and your family. We all don’t live inside a screen.
5. Family Time – Get more of it. End of story. Time goes by too fast.
6. Exercise More – More than what? You decide. Do what is right for you, just move more this year than you did last year.
7. Read More – Remember books? They still exist! Give yourself a mental break and read a book now and then.
8. Be Thankful – Stop and be thankful for what you have. Right now.
9. Appreciate the Little Things – The flowers, the smiles, the sunshine. One day those little things will be big things.
10. Travel – It doesn’t have to be far, just try to visit some place new.  We all say that we do it “some day”, well, some day never comes if you don’t make it.

A New Year is like a blank slate, use these ideas for inspiration and live your best life ever.

At a time when so much in the world is uncertain (just plain CRAZY as times!), saving for college through Florida Prepaid College Plans is guaranteed and secure. It is a certain way to ensure a child’s financial security. We have purchased plans for both our children, they both have the 4-Year Florida University Plan. This Plan will start our kids off at one of Florida’s 12 prestigious state universities and see them through their four-year journey.

We chose this plan because even if our kids decide to start at a college (typically less expensive), the unused funds from this Plan can be applied to a post-secondary degree or you can get the remaining money back. Like all of the Florida Prepaid plans, use isn’t restricted to Florida schools; the amount covered by our Prepaid Plan can be used at schools nationwide.

Learn more about Florida Prepaid College Plans – You can also call their amazing customer service team at 1-800-552-4723.

Use Florida Prepaid College Plan Promo Code SAVING20 to save on the application fee during open enrollment

Follow Florida Prepaid College Plans on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to stay up to date with information on open enrollment but get tips on college and more.

Be sure to follow Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more helpful tips, things to do in Florida, and family fun.

What is one of your New Year’s Resolutions Ideas?