Three Steps for Achievable 2011 Postconsumer New Year’s Resolutions

Of course you didn’t think that we wouldn’t eventually post a blog entry about setting good postconsumer resolutions for budgeting your spending, reducing your dependence on “stuff” and breaking the consumer habit this year, did you? Well, we are! However, we felt that the best way that we could help you is to take you through a process of setting, tracking and achieving your New Year’s goals. After all, the joke about New Year’s resolutions is always that people abandon them after just a few weeks. We hope that by using our process, you won’t find yourself in that bind!

This is as far as most people get, usually! And that part of the thinking can be the problem. How many times have you said, “My New Year’s resolution is to stay in budget each month!” or “My New Year’s resolution is to buy less junk!” Then, three weeks into the year, you’ve fallen off the wagon and you give up. Those goals are great, and they’re important to set. But just as important is emphasizing that they’re the goal for the year, not for the first month.

Now, take a look at your “big” goal and break it down into smaller goals. Let’s take “spending less on junk” as an example. The first step would be to figure out how much money you’re willing to spend on “junk” each month. Let’s say it’s $100 and you currently waste about $400 a month. You’re not going to make that transition in one month. So set goals. In January, you only want to spend $300, and then maintain that for a couple of months. Then take it down to $200 and keep the goal there for a couple of months. You see the plan. Whatever your “big” goal is, break it down into smaller goals and focus on those for a couple of months at a time.

No matter what your New Year’s goals are, you won’t know if you’re achieving them or how much more aggressively you’ll need to pursue them unless you track them. Set up a notebook, spreadsheet or even just a set of post-it-notes to help you track your success. Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up if you start off slow or struggle later. It’s slow and steady that wins the race to making changes, so if you don’t meet your first month goal, just try harder in the second month rather than giving up.

Like anything else in life, changing your habits is hard. The trick is to stick with it and to set realistic goals that can be broken down into manageable ones. Whatever it is that you hope to accomplish in 2011, we wish you luck with it! And we’d like to hear about them! Like us on Facebook and let’s talk about New Year’s resolutions!

Looking for ways to spend less and celebrate more this holiday season? Download our free holiday guide, A Very Postconsumer Holiday, for a complimentary how-to on doing just that!