New year, new home?

Well, my little aspiring home owners, it's a New Year whether you like it or not.

 

Has your New Years resolution been to get your finances in shape or to move out of rented digs and into a home of your own?

 

In the interest of sharing, mutual-support, and all that stuff I'll tell you what my resolutions are:

 

1. First and foremost I am going to count my blessings and reflect on the things I have done this past year. There's loads of stuff I still want to achieve, but I've decided it's also important to focus on the good things I've got. Yes, many of us want to move and/or redecorate our homes, but we are fortunate to actually HAVE a roof over our heads and enough food to eat every day. It's important as well to pat yourself on the back for the things you've managed to do this past year, and not to beat yourself up for the things you didn't get finished quite yet. So, every day, I am going to take a minute (on the bus or whatever) and remember all the things that are great in my life. Already this is making it easier for me to be happy, at least for a while, every day and get a grip on the things that are really important (Hint: acquiring a new Gucci handbag is not one of them, my family and friends are). 
2. Secondly, I'm going to act on the things I can influence and stop fretting about the things I can't. It sounds simple and obvious, but too often we get overwhelmed by all the things we want to do, and convinced that we can't achieve any of them because there are a few elements that are out of our control, so we give up on everything! Alternatively (or even additionally) we might not know where to start. I thought this would probably apply to lots of you too, so here's a quick list of where to begin for a few of the things that I think are important and that you CAN change:

 

Want to help other people but are short of cash?

• Go and volunteer. You might not have spare money, but you probably have spare time. 2005 was the Year of the Volunteer in the UK, so giving your time has been made easier than ever. Go to www.yearofthevolunteer.org to find out about opportunities in your area. Just an hour a week can make a huge difference to people and organisations near you.
• If you don't feel able or ready to commit to volunteering, but still want to do something, you can make a difference with just a click of your mouse. Go to www.thehungersite.com and click. For free, they will donate food through their sponsors for every mouse click received. There's also sites for Rainforests, Breast Cancer, Literacy, Child Health and Animal Rescue. You can even get them to email a reminder to you every week, so you don't have to remember to click on the site or feel guilty when you forget.

Want to get your finances organised?

• Go to www.moneysavingexpert.com. This is Martin Lewis's site, but which is also contributed to by hundreds of people all over the UK. The purpose of this site is to help people get out of financial difficulty if necessary, and to make more of the money they have. This guy is my financial hero. Martin is all about achieving a better quality of life, not about cutting back (although that is needed in some people's cases). The site is free to use, his weekly tips emails are free to receive, and he even has a great budget planner you can download for nothing.

Want to get your home and yourself organised?

• Whether you're in rented accommodation, living with your parents or in your own home already, you could be tired of coming home to a mess every night. You might be wanting to move house but dreading the process, and it's associated costs, because you have so much stuff. Unless you're 'Born Organised' it's likely that you don't really know where to start. If so, www.flylady.net can help you. Marla Cilley, The FLYlady, has a free email group that will take you through every day, step by step. Before you know it, you'll have slowly and easily de-cluttered and have more time for you and the things you want to be doing (like house-hunting!).

Want to buy your own home, but don't know how?

• Visit our site www.jointequity.co.uk. We help people into their first homes, by finding an investor to help them co-buy the property of their choice. I'm not going to go into details here - go to the site to see what we do and how we work instead.

Want to get fit?

• This is easy. You just need to do more. Even a few more steps a day will help, and you don't need to spend your hard earned cash to take them. You can:
• Walk up the stairs instead of taking the escalator (or walk up the escalator if you're in a hurry!).
• Go to the next bus-stop along, instead of the one nearest your house.
• Take a stroll at lunch time, instead of munching your sandwich at your desk.
• Leave the car (if you have one) at home for short journeys. You'll save money on petrol at the same time!
• Get out of your chair when you want something, instead of asking your Mum, partner, friend, flatmate or dog to fetch it for you.
• You can, of course, start a new exercise regime either at home or with a gym. If you decide to do this, it's often most effective to find an exercise buddy to work with you. It's more difficult to miss a running session/swim/hike/stroll if you know that Janet/Steve/Robin from next door/IT/your bustop is expecting you. Again, this doesn't need to cost you anything at all.
• If the 'E word' just sets you off on a cold sweat, you can be sneaky about getting your body into shape. To do this you should take up a new hobby that just happens to be quite active (cunning, huh?). Something like: football, swimming, dance classes or dog-walking for your local animal shelter will all get you out and about, but in the name of fun rather than... ....exercise.
• Remember though, however skinny or muscle-bound you become, unless you love yourself anyway as the wonderful person that you are, it's not going to make you any happier. So, be nice to yourself - I'm sure you deserve it. :)

 

Want to start planning for the future?

• Don't have a pension, but think this is the year to do something about your long-term future? Not sure what options are the best for you? Join the club! I have decided that property is going to be the cornerstone of my retirement fund (that way I get somewhere to live when I'm old AND an investment income). You can use Joint Equity to achieve this end www.jointequity.co.uk, whether you are an aspiring home-owner wanting to get on the property ladder, or already a home owner seeking to take on an investment property, we can help.
• You should, of course, think about balancing your investment portfolio, and a good IFA (Independent Financial Advisor) can help identify where you should put your money. Think about savings, investments, insurance and pensions all as different things. www.moneysavingexpert.com is a great resource for financial planning as well as saving cash on a day to day basis. They certainly have the clearest explanation of ISA's that I've ever come across.

Personally, I'm proud of what I achieved in 2005, but I've still got a good list of things to work on for 2006. I want to lose a bit of weight, get a bit fitter, and manage my spending just that little bit better. So, I'm wishing you fortitude for your resolutions (you'll need it more than luck!).

 

 

Tam @ Joint Equity Owner Team

Joint Equity Blogger

www.jointequity.co.uk