We’re two days into July; is summer fleeting to anyone else out there? The start of a new month is exciting, don’t you think? It’s a fresh notebook waiting for the pen to bleed through its pages. It offers the opportunity to try something new, to regroup after last month’s failures, to stay vigilant or get psyched up. The next 30 days are yours, what will you fill your book with?

 

Today I’d like to encourage you to make a to-do list for the month ahead. Maybe you are the opposite of me, perhaps you hate the idea of making such lists, but if you are like me, the check marks dancing down your list give you an unparalleled satisfaction. There’s nothing like scribbles through tasks that needed to be dealt with.

 

You get a new month and a fresh to-do list. If the term “to-do list” sounds obligatory and daunting, then we’ll name it something like July Itinerary. “Itinerary” because the items listed are there because you want to accomplish them and you need a schedule to do it. Basically what I’m saying is to create a plan for the month ahead in several areas of your life. Here are some areas you might want to sketch out before the month begins, or two days in!

Budget:

Creating a budget and talking it through with your spouse or accountability partner is so important! It’s like having a map and you’re five hours deep into a road trip to a destination you’ve yet to find. I guess it’s like your GPS. It’s essential. Without knowing what you can spend for the month, you risk sending money everywhere and feeling empty pockets in August.

Ideally you want to work on this before the first of the month. Here are some items you might want to include in your July budget.

Vacations

Upped Electric Bill

Fishing License

Festival Food

Tickets (Waterparks/Theme-park/Concerts)

Beefed Up Gas/Transportation 

Wedding Gifts

Party Essentials (Independence Day for U.S. Folks)

 

 

Personal Goals:

Check out other areas of your life; what are some personal goals you want to cross off your to-do list this month? Here are some examples:

Read (#) of Books

Workout (#)/week

Visit an Old Friend 

Write in a Journal Everyday

Learn Something New

This to-do list/ itinerary is constructed to help you reach your goals. Short-term money goals, like your budget, get you closer to goals years out, and it never hurts to make personal goals to enrich the other areas of your life.

 

What are some things you always include in your monthly budgets? Anything specific for July? And about personal goals, what do you like to plan for and check off your list?

 

Let me know in the comments!

 

Cheers and Happy July!