How To Achieve Your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions On A Budget

Did you know that you don’t have to be wealthy in order to reach all your goals? People usually think that only the rich can afford a lifestyle change, but the truth is, pretty much everyone does – with the right mindset, of course.

Here’s how to achieve your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions on a budget!

Resolution #1: Fitness

Fitness goals are among some of the most popular goals for anyone nowadays, as well as some of the least successful goals out there. And that’s not surprising, considering that while many are interested in becoming more fit, not everyone is willing to put in the effort required to achieve those results.

Sadly, for a lot of people, instead of losing weight where it matters, they instead lose the weight from their wallets. This year, you should aim to be more fit without having to spend lots of money on fitness lessons, gym memberships, and all kinds of lose-weight-quick snake oils.

Instead of a gym, why not check out your local fitness centers? Most cities nowadays offer free exercise sessions for its residents, such as free Zumba, pilates, or yoga sessions. And instead of subscribing to diet sodas, diet coffee, diet anything, why not just cut a couple of calories? There are so many free apps out there that count calories for you, all you have to do is input what food or beverage you’re having.

Resolution #2: Healthy living

Speaking of cutting calories, another popular New Year’s Resolution is healthy living. Similar to fitness goals, plenty of people would love to live healthier.

Oftentimes though, there are various reasons given why they “can’t”. “Oh, healthy food is expensive.” “Healthy food is time-consuming.” “I’m so busy, I don’t have time to exercise.”

Reasons will never get you anywhere. For example, healthy food isn’t as expensive as you may think. Vegetable stew and rice are literally cheaper and healthier than a double cheeseburger from your favorite fast food place. And instead of taking the elevator at work, why not just take the stairs? It’s healthier for you too. And did you say you’ve got no time to exercise? There are plenty of effective 7-minute-workouts available online. If you can squeeze in 7 minutes to scroll mindlessly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media, you can definitely squeeze in 7 minutes for your exercise.

Resolution #3: Social life

Most people want to spend more time with their loved ones, but they always think that it’s too expensive to do so. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be the case.

Gone are the days that you have to spend a lot just to see your family and friends. Why not host a picnic or a potluck? You can even host a cook-out if your family is a fan of those. You won’t just see your friends and family, you’ll also get to have fun and bond with them in the process.

And if your loved ones live in another country, so what? You don’t have to fly out just to see them. We live in a world where everything is connected, even from the other side of the world. What’s your phone and high-speed internet for?

Resolution #4: Education

Is it your goal this year to learn something new? Good news, you don’t have to spend a lot, if any, money on classes. You’ve got the internet now, where you can find plenty of free options for anything that you want to learn.

If you’re looking forward to learning a new language, there’s Duolingo, a site that will teach you a dozen and more languages for free. You can even download its free app on your phone so that you can use it while on the go. Interested in learning more about math? Science? Law? History? Computer programming? All this and more can be found on free online schools like Coursera and Udemy, among others. You don’t even need to spend a single cent.

Resolution #5: Finances

Is saving more money one of your New Year’s Resolutions for 2020? If that’s the case, then it would seem counterproductive to spend money in order to save money, wouldn’t it?

In fact, one of the best ways to reach your financial goals this year is simply to stick to your budget. And you certainly don’t have to shell out any money to create a budget and learn how to stick to it. With all the free money-tracking apps out there, doing this is literally as easy as inputting an amount on your phone. Just make sure to stay disciplined while you’re at it!