Not my most advertised fact, but I actually went to a strict, Baptist college at one point in my life and accountability was a huge thing there. There were mandatory prayer groups to create a little circle of folks who would keep you accountable and Spiritual Life Directors in each dorm who were expected to butt into your life to keep you accountable. If you were chatting with a friend over lunch about an issue you were having, they’d ask if you wanted them to keep you accountable for your actions.

Accountable is a jargon-type word I really hate. There is a very strong part of my brain that just associates it with nosey. And wants to snap “it’s none of your business”… about pretty much every aspect of my life.

As insane as that is, considering I’ve become a blogger and pretty much lay out most aspects of my life, including my bank accounts, for you folks to peruse to your heart’s content, it has merit.

It has enough merit I call my monthly updates Accountability – despite the fact that the word still makes me bristle.

But it makes sense.

There are quite a few proverbs about making it further in a group than alone. Heck, forgetting about religion entirely, groups like AA make you take on a sponsor immediately and succeed because it’s a group of people holding one another accountable.

And cheering each other on. And reminding each other that a failure or a setback is not permanent. When you squirrel away the details of your life, there’s no one else to celebrate the successes and help dig you out of a mire.

The reason this is on my mind is because a few weeks ago, out of the blue, one of my friends who reads my blog texted me her financial goals so “someone knows it and I have to stick to it” (betcha didn’t know you were going to turn into a blog post, lady!).

Her goals are great! She wants to max out her IRA and save up $10,000 in her emergency fund. She’s also a determined and all around incredible person, so I have no doubt she’ll probably even exceed her goals.

I know how sharing your goals makes you a lot more likely to succeed in them. Since I first started my blog, I was doing monthly financial updates and I’ve gone from finishing off paying down my student loans, a small emergency fund and a net worth of around $30,000 to debt free, a $5,000 emergency fund and a net worth of close to $50,000 in about a year and a half. That might not seem like much, but you can also see from those posts that my salary is really not that high.

One of the major ways I stay motivated is declaring my goals and tracking them each month. When I hit them, I’ve got this awesome personal finance community to celebrate with me, but when I don’t… I know I have to explain why. Sometimes it’s something stupid like I bought too many dresses (in which case, the same awesome personal finance community reminds me I’m not the only one to ever do that, suggests a ton of discount sites, and reminds me of side hustles to temporarily boost my income to compensate… and then they gently remind me I probably don’t really need those dresses too).

Accountability is not a terrible idea. It can be awkward talking about finances with friends or family, but picking one or two you’re very close with and sharing your big goals usually doesn’t hurt.

If someone decides to confide in you, you need to pick up the torch too! I totally plan to check in with that friend a few times over the year to see how she’s doing.

My big goals for 2015 are:
Max out my IRA.
Add another $1,000 to my emergency savings.
Buy $1,000 of stock.
Save enough to buy a new computer with cash at the end of the year ($100/month).
Save enough to buy a new phone with cash in about 6 months ($50/month).
Start a car down payment savings account and contribute $100 a month.
Save $2,000 for a house down payment.

Do you have a financial accountability partner?