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Unrelenting determination is the key to achieving goals. I didn’t get out of debt until I really had enough — and determined that I was going to get out of debt no matter what.

I wasn’t going to let anything stop me: no setbacks, no worrying about what other people thought, no frustration about my infinitesimal progress, no nothing. I was going to get there. It took a long time, but I finally did it.

And the thing is, once you do the first hard thing, other goals become easier because you know for a fact that you can do it. Somehow there’s a big difference between knowing that something is possible in theory because other people have done it, and knowing that you’re able to do it yourself.

You have the confidence it takes, along with the know-how and experience with what worked for you and what areas might be a weakness. Once you achieve one goal, you can apply that unrelenting determination to the next big thing on your list.

Prescription prices can vary like nobody’s business depending on a whole host of factors. Sometimes they don’t even seem to make sense.

For example, a prescription that I get is cheaper on my insurance plan if I get the brand name instead of the generic. It’s $30-something a month for the brand name, and $50 or $60 a month for generic. If I didn’t have prescription coverage, I’d have to spend about $180.

Yet the same prescription for another person is $2 or $3 for the generic because of their insurance plan, and pricier for the brand name.

Stranger still, every now and then it’s cheaper not to use insurance at all when filling a prescription. This can happen if you have a pretty hefty copay for prescriptions, but the drug itself is inexpensive.

Finally, did you know that the cost of a prescription can vary from pharmacy to pharmacy? I discovered this while alternating where I got a prescription filled because I was using coupons.

The moral of the story? Ask what the least expensive option is when getting a prescription filled, and give price-checking a try if it’s an ongoing prescription.

I came across a link to a site called Destination RX on a forum that might be helpful in finding typical price ranges for various drugs. I gave it a try with the drug I take, and it looks like it provides the range a person might pay without insurance. (I just used their search option. I didn’t join, so I’m not sure what else the site may do.)

It’s a good idea to review your will (and trust, if you have one) at least once a year. Even if you don’t think there have been any changes, you may be surprised to see that things weren’t as you remembered, or things might have happened that would require a change.

I reviewed my will and trust and realized that I needed to get them updated due to some life changes. Let me tell you, that’s one way to realize just how many little changes can take place in a year’s time financially.

It reminded me that I needed to get some things sorted out business-wise, and that I need to be sure my husband is aware of how I handle my finances in case he needed to do them for me.

It also showed me that I have a ridiculous amount of little passwords and accounts. Despite actively trying to cut back, apparently I still have a ways to go with that.

At any rate updating your will and trust (or creating at least a will, if you don’t have one yet) is a good way to get an overview of our financial situation, and to think about what you want the future to be like.

Have you ever set a goal for yourself, got started on it and then sort of tapered off til pretty soon you’re right back where you started from pre-good intentions? I know I have.

It can even be for something really small, like my aim to keep my desk free of bills and random papers. I start out intending to keep things neat and orderly. I spend some time getting all the paperwork taken care of and my desk all nice and clear. Then for the next couple of days, I’m sure to take care of any paperwork right away.

Then one day I sit down at my desk and think, oh, but I don’t feel like it right now. So I wait til the evening, when I feel like dealing with it even less. So I put it off to the next day. But before I know it, my desk is covered once again. It’s a vicious cycle.

The key to stopping it is to realize that I don’t have to feel like it. It doesn’t matter if I don’t feel like it. I just have to do it anyway.

Yeah, I’m staring at my paper-covered desk right now. Why do you ask?