Happy New Year!

A new year brings a time to reflect on what went well as well as adjustments to make. Some are starting the new year in a new job and others are awaiting calls to schedule interviews. To others, the new year means beginning with hope for a fresh start. There are people who are happy where they are, which is great.

As I write this I think of my personal goals for the new year. How can I be more strategic, organized, intentional and effective with my finances? How can I stretch my dollars? Do I need to shop around for better deals on services I already use? I recently learned a lesson about the importance of keeping your financial data up to date. Last year, several of my bank accounts were hacked. I tried to the best of my ability to update my payment information for several services after receiving the new card. Unfortunately, I missed one website and received an email from a merchant instructing me to update my card on file. I looked at the renewal price, which was triple of what I paid the previous year. This new fee made this service completely out of my budget. So I searched online for alternative providers and found a company providing the same service for a significantly cheaper price.

The lesson for me was not to be afraid to do my research by comparing and contrasting companies. The same can be done with internet service, car insurance, cell phone providers, just to name a few. I have also been able to leverage my customer loyalty to get better pricing. For many years I was afraid to do this, but now I've learned that the worst a company can say is no. You never know if you don't ask. I challenge you this year to do one thing that has been scary. It may be canceling a service, requesting a better interest rate, asking for a raise or promotion, applying for a new job, putting a large bill on automatic payments, or finally taking the steps to become a homeowner.