A plan turns a dream into a goal - Mary Hunt

I have been re-reading Mary Hunts book Debt-Proof Living. One of my failing I feel, is my goal planning and Mary has a very good chapter on that subject. Keeping focus on short term goals is a real help for people like myself. Having a DFD is all well and good but the distance between here and there can be the stumbling block to ever reaching the goal. "It is going to take forever", "can I really do it" and all the "what if...." questions fill you mind and it can be really disheartening.

Okay Mary doesn't really write much about short term goals but her chapter on goals go me thinking anyway. Currently my only short term goals are to clear my loans by the end of October and to end the year with a total debt balance below £7655 (which is the lowest my debt has been since 2006). The first goal is well underway and should be completed before the 31st of October and I still feel the second goal as almost a done deal too. So I really could do with a few more short term goals.

My zero interest rate is ending on one of my cards and another card's low interest rate is also ending, so I will need to see what is on offer to deal with those. The first I could add to my No. 2 card as the interest rate is a life time rate and it will be about half the normal interest rate that will be now changed. There is a balance transfer charge of 3% which will be an extra £30 - so will have to think about that one.

So with lots to do to keep my interest rates as low as possible, I also want to set a goal to end the month of September under £9k.

SHORT TERM GOALS

• End September under £9k
• Start a Freedom account for rates payments
• Clear all loans by the 31/10/08
• Clear Credit Card No. 3 by the end of the year
• End the year under £7k (new goal for this one)

Attacking debt with little bites!! After about 14 months blogging about getting out of debt I really can see the the balance creeping downwards and that is the way I want it to continue. Have you set some short term goals yet too??