On New Year’s Eve you swore that you would change your ways when it comes to money. Maybe you wanted to save money or pay off debt. Maybe you wanted to break a bad spending habit or save for retirement. Perhaps you wanted to just be more mindful of your spending.

You were pumped because the new year would bring a new you.

Do you remember how excited you were?

Yet, here we are more than a week into the new year and you’ve done nothing to reach your goals. You’re not alone, though, as most people who make Near Year’s Resolutions quickly abandon their dreams within a few days. Often this happens, not because a goal is too lofty, but because of a simple failure to plan.

Most folks find it easier to stick with a resolution if they break it into smaller goals which they write down and read frequently. But there are other things you can do to work toward a financial goal.

Organize your finances with Automatic Transfers and guarantee your bills are paid on time with Online Bill Pay at VCNB.

If your resolution is to save money for something like an emergency fund or retirement, the simplest approach is to set up automatic transfers from checking to savings. This is easily done with VCNB Online Banking.

To get started, login to your online account. Click the Transfers Tab at the middle of the screen. Choose the account you would like to transfer from and the account to transfer to. Then select the frequency of the transfer. Selecting On Demand will cause this transfer to occur once. Other options include Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly and more. You can choose the date on which you want the transfers to begin and the amount of the transfer.

Automation removes uncertainty, insuring you will save for your goal.

Automation is also helpful when trying to pay off debt. Using VCNB Online Bill Pay is an easy way to schedule payments in advance. Online Bill Pay is free if you use it at least one time per month and saves you time plus the cost of postage. The key is to decide in advance how much you can afford to pay and set it up to pay the bill on pay day or as soon as the money is available. After all, you can’t spend money you don’t have!

Ease into saving money this year with a savings challenge like this one. Click to view enlarged image.

If you search the internet for money saving tips, you will find a plethora of websites and blogs dedicated to this topic. From professional financial advisors to stay at home moms with hobby blogs, there is no shortage of people with tips and advice for stretching, managing, manipulating and growing your bucks.

Read carefully to find sites that suit your lifestyle and you may find good strategies for debt pay-off, games to help you save money and an abundance of tips for cutting daily expenses. Not only may you find good ideas from these resources, spending online time with like-minded people goes a long way toward changing your mindset.

If your goal is to curb recreational shopping, delete your card information from online accounts and avoid stores. Try grouping all your errands into one trip or even all your purchases to one store to remove temptations. Be mindful when you do purchase something, asking yourself questions like whether it’s made well enough to last, do you really need the item or how many hours you must work to pay for the item. Is it really worth the price?

Experts say it takes thirty days to form a habit. If you can’t automate your resolutions, try to study your goals as much as possible and gradually your mindset will adapt to one of goal achievement. It may take some time and you may face setbacks along the way but perseverance will pay off.

Do you have tips to share? Tell us in the comments section below!