Texas Living

Five New Year’s Resolutions You Can Keep

By James Mayfield 1.1.14

The new year is coming. Are you ready? If making (and breaking) resolutions is part of your annual tradition, maybe your first resolution should be a different approach to resolutions. Here are a few of the more popular promises made every year and how to keep them.

Finances. Getting a handle on one’s finances tops the list every year. For many, the resolution is to save some money. To meet this challenge, remember two words — direct deposit. Set up a bank account that withdraws money from your paycheck every time you get paid, before you take any out for yourself. Even if it’s as little as $25 per check, if you get paid biweekly, at the end of 2014 you’ll have $600.

Lose weight. You can make progress on dropping some pounds by cutting out the bookends of a meal. That is the starches and desserts that often come before and after a meal, respectively. Skip the breadbasket and cheesecake and you’ll feel better (and possibly slimmer) as a result.

Organization. Getting organized can take on many forms, like letting go of that shirt in your closet you haven’t worn since the 1980s. But it can apply to insurance as well. Whether for house, auto, or life insurance, a quick call to your Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent can confirm if you have all you need in case of an emergency and will give you peace of mind going into 2014.

Education. People often say they want to learn something new. It doesn’t get much newer than the things going on in social media. Maybe it’s something as simple as creating a Twitter account and sending your first tweet.

Get a new job. Now that the economy has picked up, the job market has improved. If you’re looking for a new place to work, one of the main sites that’s taken off is LinkedIn. It’s a tool HR managers are utilizing more and more to find their next employees. Put some time into your profile to get your next gig.