Financial New Years Resolutions (or how I learned to love to plan my life)

My New Years Resolutions! (financially)

1) Save $2000 dollars in a separate fund in my ING direct account. This is roughly one third of my yearly income from my job (what can I say, I'm a poor college student!), not including windfalls or money made from GPT sites and Pinecone. It's entirely doable, but I will have to be disciplined.

2) Save $500 in the "buy stuff for my apartment fund" also in ING before the end of August. Also very doable, probably actually very easy. This money will be earmarked for new sheets (my dorm bed is an extra long twin, and the apartment I'm moving into has a double bed), shower curtains and rings, pots and pans, etc.

3) Pay off all credit card debt. Get to the point where I can use my CC and pay it off at the end of every month.

4) Track my spending for one month, then make a budget and stick to it. This will cut down on spending and help with 1,2, and 3. Perhaps go under the One Month Challenge that the Simple Dollar challenges us to go through?

5) Fill out my taxes earlier than I did last year, and use my refund to pay off my CC debt. Oh, and to not forget to sign my tax return. Last year I spent my tax refund on... new clothes I think, and junk food. I don't need either.

I think that's it for now. I'd like to do a monthly update on how I am doing in keeping these resolutions, but we shall see how that goes.