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SETTING YOUR GOALS

Betsey Perra
Cooperative Extension Agent, Home Economics and Family Living
Cooperative Extension
University of Rhode Island

Copyright/Access Information


YOU WILL LEARN:

- the difference between long-term and short-term goals.

- to set your own goals.


GOALS

Goals can be short-term or long--term. Short-term goals can be met tomorrow, this week, next week, or this month. Long-term goals may take six months (for example, to save for a new coat), two years (to save for a
bedroom set), five years (to save for a house down payment), or longer (to pay off the mortgage).

One of your goals might be to have enough money to cover your list of needs. Once you have made your income cover your needs, your values are what make you choose what else to afford. Your list of wants becomes your list of goals. You need to put your list of wants (your goals) in order. Decide how long it will take you to save enough money to reach each goal, and put that time on the list.

Remember you want to succeed in reaching your goals, so make them as hard to reach as you are willing to work for them. How much do you want to make your dream come true?

A short-term goal might be to buy a new pair of shoes. Something may become more important between the time you make the decision to save for the shoes and the time it takes to save the money to purchase them. Your values are what allow you to change your mind about the shoes. You value the new
choice above buying the shoes and must be willing to accept not having the shoes.

Changing your goals is fine if you take time to think about it very carefully. Have some goals that are short-term and easily reached. Other goals may take six months, a year, or even five years to accomplish.

Write your goals on the back of this page to help you remember them. You are more likely to reach your goals if you take the time to think about them and write them than if you just hope that your life will get better.

It's okay to have many goals at one time. Remembering those goals will help you direct your spending. How much you want to reach your goals will determine how easily you can take charge of your money.


ACTIVITY TO DO

Keep an accurate record of all the money you spend for one month. List your expenses in categories such as the following:

- food

- paper goods

- washing & cleaning supplies

- eating out

- tobacco & alcohol

- video rental

- rent or mortgage payments

- transportation

- heat & lights

- other

This record will help you create your own spending plan, which in turn will help you accomplish your goals.

Tell your money where to go instead of asking where it went.

DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC.
Perra, B. (1991). *Setting your goals*. (Family Day Care Facts series).
Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts.

Any additions or changes to these materials must be preapproved by the author .
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Available only on the Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW:: Level 2 - Cooperative Extension Systems: Universities of
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut
ENTRY DATE:: July 1995

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