At the start of the new year, I listed my personal & financial goals HERE. I have printed and posted these in my closet so I look at them EVERY DAY! It helps to keep me motivated and on track. At the end of every month, I will be posting an update. Here are my May results:
Personal: (a lot of these are continuous)
* Lose 30 lbs - I have lost 20 pounds and several inches (not sure how many) since 1/1/12.
* Cut coke from Diet - No drop of coke since 1/1/12.
* Eat more fish - I’ve been eating tuna for lunch a few times a week.
* Spend more time reading and relaxing - This month, I read The Power of Self-Healing: Unlock Your Natural Healing Potential in 21 Days by Dr. Fabrizio Mancini. I LOVE THIS BOOK! It has so much valuable life & health information. I will definitely be reading this book every year. Other books I've read include, The Paleo Diet, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, 168: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
* Load dishes in dishwasher as we dirty them - Still going well for us. I've been doing the dishes at least 4 times a week, but it definitely helps to already have the dishes loaded.
* Research home flipping and put together business model - I've been doing a lot of thinking, strategizing and talking with my family, but I have not put anything on paper this month.
* Earn extra $600-$1,000 by any means possible - $20 in May. We did sell my old car, but I don't think I'm going to include that in my total. Grand total earned since January 1st: $581.75. I'm hopeful we will meet our $600-$1,000 goal for the year.
Financial:
* Save & Pay Cash for Spring Break Trip
* Pay off undergraduate school loans
* 3 months of expenses saved in Emergency Fund
* Start IRA, Contribute monthly - ongoing
* Start investing ($150/month) - We are going to cut this so we can concentrate on saving for the other things...like a family :)
* Save & Pay Cash for Summer Vacation
* Save & Pay Cash for New Car - We bought a new car. (I know!) Here are our reasons (or rationalizations) 1) My car is 10 yrs old and the engine starts whenever it feels like it, 2) I went to get my oil changed, and the guy came back with all these things that needed to get fixed, 3) The used car price was just as much as the new car deals, 4) Financing - it would have cost us more to fix my old car than how much we will pay in financing. We went ahead and bought a new car that is reliable and something we can use for our future family. We plan to keep this car for another 10 years, so it better last!
**NEW** Pay cash for Brian's Master's Degree - We have budgeted to pay for each class in full over the next 18 months. Brian starts his master's program in June, and we have already made the first payment. I am so grateful that we will not have to pay interest on Brian's higher education.
How are your financial goals coming along?
Sacrifice today for a better tomorrow!
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