These Financial Resolutions Will Help You Start 2019 Off Right

Let’s get real for a second: Money is stressful.

We live in a world where things keep getting more expensive, where minimum wages are stagnant and below the poverty line in most major cities, where houses — and even rentals — seem like an unaffordable luxury, and where the specter of student loan debt lingers in the lives of millions of Americans. (Oh, and since personal finance isn’t taught in schools, a lot of us are pretty much just winging it).

It can be hard to stay objective and positive when saving money feels like an uphill battle. It can be even harder to learn how to improve your finances when it’s so much easier to just ignore that checking account or ballooning credit card bills and just watch Netflix instead. But, an important key in getting control of your financial situation is to face it head on — the sooner the better (for your own sake).

Yes, money can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. By chipping away at your money anxieties and coming up with small, reachable goals, you can build up your financial morale (even if you’re in a deficit now) and start your next year off on the right foot.

Ahead, we’ve put together a list of simple financial goals that can help you get to a much better place, money-wise, in 2019. The idea of making money moves sounds great — but just remember: At some point, you have to actually make them.