#10 Get SMART Wishful thinking has never made a budget work. Setting a goal for your budget needs to be SMART: Specific - Smart goals are specific enough to suggest action. Example: Save enough to visit Rome for your 25th wedding anniversary. Not just "save money." Measurable - You need to know when you achieved your goal, or how close you are. Example: A trip to Italy costs $2,000, and you have $800 saved. Attainable - The steps toward reaching your goal need to be reasonable and possible. Example: I know I can save enough money each week to purchase that trip to Italy. Relevant - The goal needs to make sense. You don't want to work toward a goal that doesn't fit your need. Example: We would like to stay in four-star hotels in celebration of our anniversary. Time-related - Set a definite target date. Example: I want to go to Italy by next summer.

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