Happy New Year! If you are like millions of others, you are planning on setting a few New Year’s resolutions today. Maybe you just settle on one or two in your head. Perhaps you actually write them down. And just possibly you also make neat little spreadsheets and other aids to help you reach them. But if you’re also anything like me, within a week or two you slip up, forget, or just give up on the resolutions.

It’s pretty hard to resolve to do anything for a year and not mess up once in awhile. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, make a single New Year’s resolution that you can keep.

Resolve to make monthly goals for yourself.

On or around the first of each month, sit down and think of what you want to accomplish over the next 30 days. Loose 5 pounds? Save $100? Organize two closets? These are goals that are easy to accomplish, and because of the short goal period of 30 days, you get to feel the flush of success much sooner which helps you stick to your goal.

Next month up the ante a bit. Resolve to loose another 5 pounds and start strength training. Resolve to save $150 or finish the rest of the closets. Don’t make impossible goals, just challenge yourself a bit more.

What financial resolutions do I have for January? I want to save an additional $200 in excess of our usual savings amount and keep my grocery bill under $175. Check back February first to see how I did and find out that month’s resolutions!