Resolutions schmezolutions Boomer Bucks by Barbara Mlotek Whelehan • Bankrate.com

We're already a few days into 2007. Did you make resolutions at the start of the year?

What about the ones for 2006? What was your success rate?

On New Year's Eve, I found the resolutions that I'd made for 2006 -- five pages worth, roughly 30 altogether -- and laughed out loud at how absurdly ambitious I was the year before. My success rate was abysmal, an average of 42 percent for accomplishing financial, organizational and self-improvement goals.

I succeeded at things that required action by a particular date. For instance, I managed to do my taxes by mid-April last year, like most Americans.

For personal goals, I fared better, at 85 percent. But these were things I really wanted to do anyway, such as reading the Bible, doing yoga twice a week, eating healthier, taking daily 35-minute walks, learning French, etc.

Let's not talk about the stuff on my other lists.

Reader feedback
I had asked the readers of Bankrate newsletters a simple question: "Do you keep New Year's resolutions? Share those you didn't, but plan to renew."

Several people responded. Most discussed goals about losing weight and eating better. These are worthy goals, very much linked to personal finances. How? If you take care of yourself by eating nutritious food and shunning empty calories, you can avert illness. And illness can be costly, even if you have insurance. So those of you folks who made resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier -- more power to you.

A couple of readers offered a different approach.

Resolution, a weighty word that has an almost legally binding ring to it, reeks of self-denial. But you can turn your resolutions to your advantage. For instance, JoAnn Reich writes:

"A few years ago I decided to quit making resolutions about quitting habits. I decided to make resolutions of things to ADD to my life. Last year I decided to drink more green tea ... one of the first resolutions I ever kept.

"This year I am resolving to eat a salad of dark green veggies every day. Life is more fun when you give yourself MORE rather than take stuff away. I feel like I am being more positive."

My friend and colleague Ellen Cannon, who writes Bankrate's new Plastic Rap blog, says she doesn't make resolutions, but rather goals. Some have an element of fun to them. She plans to play more golf this year, for instance. She also plans to increase her 401(k) contributions by a certain percentage. Goals are more attainable than resolutions, she says.

Be easy on yourself
In a Parade article about New Year's resolutions that ran last weekend, Ellen DeGeneres says, "Most people think of their New Year's resolutions as a long, nasty list of present faults and future failures. But it doesn't have to be that way."

She suggests keeping the list short -- "three to five resolutions is plenty" -- plus, it saves paper, she adds. Her resolutions really don't require her to take any further action immediately. "Keep on not smoking" and "Hold off on exercise" until midyear, are two examples.

My friend and tax writer Kay Bell, in her Don't Mess with Taxes blog, mentions that she doesn't make resolutions because she usually breaks them. "But I am resolving this year to get my taxes filed before April 16," she writes.

Bankrate, I should mention, launched the 2007 Tax Guide yesterday, to which Kay Bell contributes enormously. Tune in to her daily tax tips; they will help you get through the arduous task of prepping your taxes.

So this year I resolve not to make any resolutions. Rather, I will make goals that I am confident I can meet. For instance, I'll continue to contribute to my 401(k), drink green tea, do yoga twice a week, walk daily, play more golf, eat healthy foods, learn French and read excellent books voraciously. Oh, and I plan to get my taxes done well before the mid-April deadline.

Longtime financial journalist Barbara Mlotek Whelehan earned a certificate of specialization in financial planning. If you have a comment or suggestion about this column, write to Boomer Bucks.