One of the first things we will do in the semester is get to know one another so that we can form a class community. To do that, we will look at goals – both long and short term. Long term goals are goals that you hope to accomplish more than 5 years from now, while short term goals usually span 1 – 5 years. Making a list of goals is important in life. Saying the words out loud is often the first step in achieving what you want in both the personal and financial aspects of your life. To demonstrate, and so that my students can get to know me better, here’s my own list!

1. Save $100 a month towards taking my niece on a graduation trip. (short)
2. Graduate from Boise State in December 2016. (short)
3. Buy a house with a yard so I can adopt a dog. (long)
4. Have a 401k that allows me to retire comfortably. (long)
5. Take care of my car so that it lasts as long as it can. (short and long)
6. Continue volunteering in my community at the theater. (short)
7. Take an art class again. (short)
8. Self –publish another young adult or romance novel before 2017. (short)
9. Blog more on my personal blog (short)
10. Have at least fifteen books on Amazon.com before I turn 50. (long)

Start thinking about your own goals now!

As we start our Personal Finance class, one of the important lessons for all of us to understand has to do with how our spending reflects our values, and how are values influence our needs and wants! Students can use the links below to get a handle on both of these important lessons.

• How to Align Your Spending with Your Values in the New Year by Alan Moore – http://www.xyplanningnetwork.com/align-your-spending-with-your-values/
• Do your spending habits align with your values? by Kayla on the Ready for Zero blog – http://blog.readyforzero.com/spending-habits-align-values/#.V4Vy6I6iBaU
• Your Budget Reflects Your Values by Charlie Farrell at CBS Money Watch – http://www.cbsnews.com/news/your-budget-reflects-your-values/
• Wants vs. Needs on Frugal Living 101 at About.com – http://frugalliving.about.com/od/frugalliving101/qt/Wants_vs_Needs.htm
• Managing Money: Needs vs. Wants on PBS kids – http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/money/managing/article2.html
• Taking a Deeper Look at Wants Versus Needs by Trent Hamm – http://www.thesimpledollar.com/taking-a-deeper-look-at-wants-versus-needs/

For now, I welcome my classmates from EdTech 537! I am excited to continue learning about blogging and how to integrate it into my classroom, As of right now, my intent is that this site will supplement our five units with articles, examples, and links. Eventually this is where I would put the welcome to my class. It would let them know how much I enjoy teaching the class and how to use the site in addition to our book to get the most out of class!