Resolutions for 2007?

JoeCommodore asks: "It's that time of year where many of us review our last year and look at ourselves in the mirror, checkbook balance, and/or social schedule (EPs, stats, and skills, for those who relate to RPGs) and make resolutions to improve ourselves. One of my resolutions is to stop my increasing diversionary tactics when working on my many projects at home. You know, instead of working on some problem problem I turn to the internet (Slashdot), games, snacks, and so on. Either I need to get better at controlling my diversion habits or turn them them into something positive. So what have you thought of doing for yourself in 2007?"

Comments

1280x720

[Junta]

Was last years resolution too (if I would have waited, maybe my 2007 resolution would have been 1920x1080...

Get your financial house in order!

[antifoidulus]

I cannot stress that enough. While money does not buy happiness, a certain amount does go a long way to giving you independence. 18 months ago I was a recent grad who through circumstance and stupidity(credit card debt SUCKS ASS!) found myself with a new job and $37,500 in debt. This month I will finally have a 0 net worth, and it is the best feeling ever. I have had to work a job I hate in a place I loathe simply because my debt dictated I take the best paying job I could find. I have been miserable, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and *fingers crossed* I will be entering grad school next year with a stipend and a positive net worth. I never, ever want to have to work a job simply because I desperately need the money.

Save like hell, invest wisely, and keep an emergency fund of at least 6 months handy at all time. And stay out of all debt besides a mortgage(and pay that off as soon as you can). It feels so good to be able to say "no" to a boss and not have to worry about whether or not you can make next months rent. Beats the hell out of a new plasma screen or any consumer item for that matter. I loathe Wal-Mart because I have come to despise everything it stands for. To quote Tyler Derden, "We work jobs we hate to buy shit we don't need."

Re:Get your financial house in order!

[locokamil]

Man oh man... this is the best post I've come across on Slashdot today. I graduated last June with $100 in my pocket, $8000 in student loans, and (after being unable to find a job for a long while), $7000 in credit card debt. Anyhow-- I managed to get a job in October, and my only aim for the last couple of months has been to pay off my debt. The credit card debt should be gone by the beginning of February, and my "zero net worth" day will come on April 7th, 2007-- the day after I get paid, and the three days before the student loans start charging interest. It shall be awesome. I'm planning on celebrating by depositing the rest of my pay for that fortnight in the 401(K) account that has been lying unused since I started my job.

I got lucky: I found a job that I like, and a boss who understands that I've got more in my life going on than work. Even so, the debt's been a huge burden over the last couple of months, and I never, ever want to have any again. I've started planning to buy a car-- but I'm going to pay for it in cash. Same goes for a house when I decide to get one. Save, and then buy. Debt is simply not the way to go, and I have explained it to the newly acquired fiancee. She seems sceptical, but I'm positive it's for the best.

I've also been logging my expenses in this little spreadsheet I made, and pruning off crap that I don't need. I actually decided to stop getting a soda with lunch for a month to see how much money I would save. $100, would you believe it? I cut out the "morning coffee" stop at starbucks, and saved another $100. The guy who said that you can live on 10% less than you do now wasn't kidding: I've found that I can live on half of what I was spending before logging and monitoring my finances.

So yes, getting out of debt and knowing _exactly_ where you stand with regards to money is one hell of a New Year's resolution. If you're only going to keep one in your life, this is the one I would suggest.

Re:Get your financial house in order!

[bergeron76]

Well said. I have a significantly positive net worth, and I did so by being financially responsible (moreso than making a lot of money).

If you can learn to live on HALF of your income (not easy to do), and invest the rest, you'll be a millionaire in your lifetime.

Most people live up to their means. Even before I had a mortgage, I fell into this trap. With each higher paying job, I'd get a nicer car, bigger apartment, etc. I didn't start making financial inroads, until I started saving for my first house (4 bedroom, 3600 sq. ft with basement in Atlanta). AVOID CREDIT CARDS. You will pay 3x the cost of something just for the privilege of being able to buy it today rather than earn it. CREDIT CARDS are a PENALTY for people that don't have PATIENCE.

So the bottom line: Avoid debt (except for student loans and a home mortgage).

Here's the quiz:
a) Nothing tells a woman you are a savy investor better than spending $2000 on rims/wheels for your Honda Civic.
b) Nothing tells a woman you are a savy investor better than driving a brand-new car every 4 years just off the interest you've earned by investing your money wisely in the stock market (while still having the money that earned you that interest).

Re:Get your financial house in order!

[ethanms]

AVOID CREDIT CARDS. You will pay 3x the cost of something just for the privilege of being able to buy it today rather than earn it. CREDIT CARDS are a PENALTY for people that don't have PATIENCE Another way to look at this--It's not that you want to avoid credit cards... it's that you want to avoid paying interest and fees.

I use my credit cards for everything. As a result I'm able to get the benefit of using different types of "rewards" cards available. In particular I split between an airline card and an amex-cash card. Over the course of last year I "earned" about 10k miles for doing nothing but paying bills I would have paid anyway, and on Jan 1st I received a $210 credit from american express as part of their tiered cash back reward from my spending last year.

I don't pay attention to interest rates because I never carry a balance, so it doesn't phase me that my amex may have a high double digit rate, because it never comes into play.

Similarly having a car that is completely paid off isn't necessarily the most wonderful thing either. I bought a certified used car a couple of years ago and took advantage of the then available 1.9% APR for 48 months, the price was right and the financing was attractive... as a result even though I am making payments on the car, and will be for another year or so, I'm happy and better off because I earn approx. 5% (so that's 3% net to me) on the savings that I might otherwise have used to pay for the car (or pay it off early). /hasn't paid CC interest in several years, but still wears the stripes off the cards ^_^

I resolve to stop trying Linux!

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems that every few months, I'm swayed by all of the Slashdot Linux hype. Every few months, I download the latest versions of Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, etc. Every few months, I take a day to install all of them, play with them, and ultimately decide to just go back to Windows 2000 because invariably, something ends up not working and being a royal PITA. In 2007, I'm resolving to ignore the hype, and not waste any more of my precious time dicking around with Linux, only to be disappointed.

Get laid

[Money for Nothin']

This is one most of us /.'ers (including me) should do...

Re:100 dpi.

[networkBoy]

I make one's I know I can keep. Last year was: be fat and happy.
you know what? I am not too much heavier than last year 243 vs 235 and sure as hell I'm actually happy :-)
This year it's enjoy caffine and my kids, while attempting to smuggle in a handful of Cuban Cigars. If I get caught I'll raise a constitutional discrimination issue out of it. (our congress critters can import up to 100 at a time at-will, without the prerequisite of having traveled to Cuba, mearly leaving the country is sufficent).

See easy to keep resolutions are good for you.
-nB

Re:-1 million "Troll"

[masterzora]

No, but that's only because the meaning of the word "comedy" has changed over time, but titles don't change.

From Wikipedia:

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.