Mustard Seed Money

Mustard Seed Money

17 Things To Do In 2017

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.  PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

1. Be grateful for what you have.  

While it’s easy to focus on the future and on the things you want to accomplish, take time today and reflect upon all the wonderful blessings you have in your life.

 

resources 2017 things to do2. Set up a Personal Capital account.  

This is by far the best free financial tool on the web.  Personal Capital quickly aggregates all of your accounts so that you can view and analyze your net worth, budget, and investments.  

 

3. Put together a plan to pay off debt.  

I hate debt with a passion.  Getting rid of my mortgage was by far the best financial thing that I ever did.  I couldn’t recommend it more.

 

4. Conduct a time audit.  

Ensure that you are making the most of your time.  Take a look over a week and see what your top time-spending categories are.  Are you happy with your findings, or do you see an opportunity to readjust?

 

5. Maximize your retirement account contributions.  

The government allows you to contribute up to $18,000 towards your 401k and contribute up to $5,500 towards your Traditional or Roth IRA.  Look for ways to increase your savings rate until you are able to fully fund these accounts.

 

2017 things to do6. Figure out when you can retire.  

Most people think that they’ll be able to retire when they are 65 and can receive social security.  Wouldn’t it be nice to retire 5, 10, 20 or even 30 years earlier?  Take the steps to figure out when you can truly retire.

 

7. Set attainable goals for 2017.  

With a new year here, set up good habits and break the bad ones.  Find an accountability partner to help hold you accountable for your 2017 goals.

 

2017 things to do8. Determine long-term goals.  

It’s too easy to get bogged down in the minutia of everyday life.  Set some big, long-term dreams and take steps towards them.

 

9. Take a vacation.  

In the go-go pace of life, it’s easy to get burned out from work and life in general.  Studies have shown that workers that take time off end up earning more money than those who don’t.

 

2017 things to do10. Learn something new.  

Take time to stretch yourself and learn something new.  One of my stretch goals this year will be to learn Spanish with my wife.

 

11. Continue learning.  

I am a huge fan of reading books to learn as much as I can.  I try to read a wide variety of books to expand my horizons.  Ever since I started using the Amazon Kindle, I read multiple books at a time.  The best part is being able to download books from the library for free.  Plus, if one of the books that I’m reading is terrible, I can quickly return it and move on to the next great read.

 

12. Check your insurance.  

Did your insurance bill go up?  Are you underinsured? This is the time to review your coverages across auto, life and home insurance to make sure your coverages are adequate.

 

2017 things to do financial checkup13. Conduct a financial checkup.  

Most doctors recommend that you get a yearly checkup.  So, shouldn’t you also conduct a financial checkup at least once a year as well?  This is a great time to look at your bills and finances to see if you should make any adjustments.  Is now the time to cut the cord in certain areas?  Take a look at your finances and see if some surgery may be necessary.

 

14. Think about giving back.  

Find organizations that line up with your passions and beliefs.  Donate your time and money throughout the year.  Pay it forward.

 

15. Adjust your W-4 form, to get a smaller refund.  

If you get a big refund from Uncle Sam every year, why?  You are giving the government an interest-free loan for no reason.  Aren’t there better ways to use that money?  Take time to work with your HR rep to adjust your W-4 form.

 

16. Exercise.  

I recently got back into the exercise routine through a local boot camp.  It’s made a tremendous difference in the quality of my life.  I feel less tired during the day even though I’m not getting more sleep.  Plus there is data backing that there is a correlation between exercising and your paycheck.

 

beach 2017 things to do17. Treat Yo Self.  

Make sure you budget some fun money for yourself throughout the year.  There is a fine balance between saving for the future and living in the now.  Enjoy your financial journey.

Comments

    • Wow that’s awesome Liz!!! Sounds you play an awesome game with the IRS to see how close you can get. Smart!!! I don’t know of anyone that has come closer than $11. I guess this will be a challenge in the future 🙂

      Thanks for sharing!!!

      Reply

    • That’s great that you were able to do a time audit and figure out how much time could be used to accomplish things.

      Time sucks really do suck and I have to admit there are days where I think where did the time go and what did I do.

      Anyway…I’ll definitely have to catch your post!!!

      Reply

  8. Great to do list!

    One thing I would add would be to be on top of your check-ups, whether it is health, dental, auto, etc. It’s always great to know the status and to improve on it when possible.

    Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by and sharing Smart Provisions!!! I definitely agree that if there are opportunities to improve your situation you definitely should. A financial check up in all areas makes a lot of sense.

      Thanks for sharing!!!

      Reply

  10. I like your list. One thing I would add to the list is Monitor Your Goals. Setting up short term and long term goals is great, but if you don’t stay on track, then the goals become useless. I try to check my net worth, income/expenses, and retirement goal achievement at least once a month. (I use an Excel spreadsheet.)
    Fred recently posted…The Latest Business & Investment BooksMy Profile

    Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by and sharing Fred!!!

      Monitoring your goals is a terrific thing to add. I definitely check at least monthly using Personal Capital to see how things are going on.

      Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply

  13. “Plus, if one of the books that I’m reading is terrible, I can quickly return it and move on to the next great read.”

    I love that you pointed this out. For some strange reason I have a hard time giving up on a book I’ve started reading. Most of my “reading” comes in the form of an audio book, and I usually want to give the book at least an hour or two. But, once I’ve given a book some time I feel like I have to see it through to completion.

    I’m working on my weird habit and I hope to be able to give up on books I’m not enjoying a lot sooner. With so many good books in the world, there is no reason to ever settle for a less enjoyable book.

    Hopefully I get better at it. Even as I write this, it makes no sense why I do what I do.
    NinjaPiggy recently posted…How to Crush Your Retirement Savings GoalsMy Profile

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing NinjaPiggy!!! I did the same thing as you. But then I started to think about the sunk costs and how I couldn’t get it back and decided life is to short to throw good time after a bad book. So not having any money invested made it much easier 🙂

      Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by SRGO!!! With a little one I know how easy it is so wonder where the time goes. I definitely have thought ok bath time will only take 15 minutes. An hour later and we’re still having fun together. But it’s definitely worth it 🙂

      Reply

  15. Short and sweet post here! I particularly like #7 about the goals there..
    Keep up the momentum you’ve got on the blog here MSM, love your work!

    Reply

  16. Solid list. In terms of #11, Continue Learning, I am trying out something new. I bought a few online courses (Udemy was having a sale), and I’m going to try learning a bunch of new things a completely new way. I’ve never tried online courses before so this should be interesting.
    Mrs. BITA recently posted…The BackStory of Mrs. BITA: Part 1My Profile

    Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by Mrs. BITA!!! That’s awesome that you are doing some online courses. During my MBA we had a mixture of online/in class sessions so I got a small flavor of it. You’ll have to share your experience with online vs. your experience in the classroom.

      Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by Mrs. COD!!! I’m glad that you enjoyed the list. I have to admit that languages do not come easy for me while they come super easy to my wife. So since she speaks spanish and farsi, I figure she can help me with my spanish 🙂

      Reply

  18. Feeling gratefull is an absolute key to opening the doors of wealth. It’s amazing how quickly we can feel entitled and greedy when we sop being grateful. And an entitled and greedy attitude is the path to unhappiness. Be grateful for everything you have. You’re right, that will change your life and put your mind on the path to wealth. It’s your mind that ultimately creates wealth.

    Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by Bill!!! I was reading the other day that those that continue to consume, need to consume more and more and are never satisfied. I thought that was really interesting but it makes sense.

      Anyway thanks for sharing!!!

      Reply

  20. This is by far, the best list I’ve seen. It’s really inspiring and will give you a little bit of everything. I love that insurance is included in your list. It’s important to review your coverage and make sure that you’re still fully covered. Nobody wants to pay out-of-the-pocket costs.

    Those affected by premium hikes should explore their options well and make the necessary adjustments in order to keep the policy. Dropping it is not an option.

    Those with Medicare insurance should have reviewed their policy earlier because switching of plans only happen during the open enrollment period, which runs from October 15 to December 7.

    Reply

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