NASBA Center For Public Trust 
With the New Year right around the corner, now is a great time to reflect on accomplishments and milestones. Simultaneously, this time of year creates an opportunity to develop new goals and benchmarks.
A goal is something you would like to achieve, and a benchmark measures your progress.
The most common goals include eating better, exercising more, spending less and prioritizing self-care. For the New Year, I challenge you to make financial health your goal in 2019. Check out my suggestions below:
Track. Write down where you spend your dollars.
Zero. Develop a zero-based budget. Each expense is justified and remaining funds are given a purpose, such as investments or savings.
Purge. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Pandora…the list goes on. Eliminate a subscription from your entertainment expenses.
24 Hours. Follow the 24-hour rule to decrease impulsive buys. If Coach or Nike are not in the budget, sleep on it and decide the next day.
Unsubscribe. Promotional emails fill our inboxes hourly. Hit unsubscribe and save on online splurges.
Brown bag. Simple but important, bring your lunch to work. A Subway combo meal is $10.17 and by skipping the line twice a week, you can save $1,000 a year on lunches alone.
BYOC. Bring your own coffee. By investing in a coffee pot and travel mug, you can save nearly $500 a year on your morning boost.
Meatless. Participate in meatless Monday and save your money at the butcher.
Garden. Gardening is not only good for your physical health, but also your financial health. Start with tomatoes or peppers and watch your savings grow.
How do you measure your financial health? We would love to hear from you. Email [email protected] to share.
Sara Irving
Development and Student Programs Specialist
NASBA Center for the Public Trust