Quarterly Update on my 2010 Goals/Hopes

Since we are a fourth of the way through 2010 I thought I'd update my list of Goals for 2010 from this post Here.


1. Put more money into savings than was put away in 2009.
--$23,865.36 was banked in 2009.  I will be shooting for $30.000 in 2010, barring any unforeseen personal economic crisises.   
We are working on this one and are ahead of the target for reaching the $30K mark this year!

2. Pare down the stuff I need to eBay by sending more of it to the Thrift Store or sell it on Craigslist.
--Get off my rump and get stuff SOLD!  And what I can't readily sell, send it off to a Thrift Store.  I have had enough of boxes of crap hanging around my living room.  It's time to actually USE that room in the manner it was intended.
I basically hadn't started this one until 2 days ago.  I still haven't put anything on eBay.  Frankly with the changes they have made there along with the fee increase and the postage increase I just have NO MOTIVATION for eBay anymore.  It is looking more and more like I'll just send most everything to the Thrift Stores and take a tax write-off.  Since we have so little in the way of personal deductions now since we have no mortgage interest to deduct, we need to add to our deductions so we can itemize.  That seems to make more sense as opposed to paying more and more in fees to eBay/Paypal with no guarantee that we make a profit on anything and not just lose money there.
On the tax year for 2009 we would NOT have been able to itemize deductions if it were not for our charitable contributions(both monetary and goods donated).
It is killing me to think about all the money tied up in these items I have for eBay and having to let them go for a tax write-off.  But it's also killing me to have all this stuff laying around here and having it look like a pack of hoarders live here.lol
This Goal is still something I need to work on and emotionally is proving to be my most difficult one....

3. Get rid of my last storage unit!
--This goes hand in hand with #2 above.  If all the crap goes, I won't need to pay for a storage unit any longer.  I went from 2 to 1 units last year.  It is time to let this one go as well.
Just tired of paying to store what doesn't fit in the house.  I need to get it cleaned out and the only way is to give myself a deadline and stick to it!  I am working myself up to give myself a deadline.

4. Plan and implement my garden better so I have a chance for it to be more productive this summer.
--Last year's garden was lame.  I need to be more proactive and get things planned and going earlier this year for it to be successful.  Every bit of work you put into a garden will pay dividends in increased health from eating better and  money saved on food spending.
I am so apathetic about this Goal at the moment since my spirit is willing but my body is not.  I have seeds but need to get a plan together(where things are going to be planted)and get some supplies.  The problem is getting out there and doing the physical labor.  When #1 son gets home from college next month I'll be putting him to work on the garden. 

5. Do the taxes and complete paperwork for #1 son's schooling.
--This will be the first Hope accomplished as is needs to be completed by mid February.  It could also be a big PITA as we have added tax implications for 2009 due to an estate/inheritance issue.
DONE!  7 sets of taxes and the FAFSA, plus #1 son's school audited our FAFSA this year so that was additional paperwork to complete....but it's all doooooooone!

6. Decide on and install a hew heating system for the house before the rate cap expires and heat is needed this fall.

--This one is VITAL and it must be completed by September!  
I started researching this Goal last week.  I'll be contacting contractors and getting estimates later this month.

7. Rethink how and how much I coupon/rebate and reorganize my freezer/pantry/stockpile.
--With my 1st year of extreme couponing and stockpiling over, now is the time to step back and see what I did well, what I need to improve upon and what needs to go. 
DONE!
I've reworked the stockpile organization and eliminated bunches of stuff.  The freezer is getting cleaned out slowly.  It's on it's last legs and needs to be replaced so I'm not restocking anything for now.
I've slowed down the couponing and have stopped buying some types of items(mostly junk foods/snacks).

8. Continue to meal plan and retool our diet, including cooking from scratch/semi-homemade.
--This will involve making better choices with food, will depend partly on how successful  #4 is, and will  require all of us to change some old habits.  It's probably going to be the most difficult Hope to accomplish.
Done and ongoing.
Except for last week when I was injured I've kept to the meal plans and cooking from scratch for the most part.  Still working on eliminating some foods from our diet and doing healthier versions of other dishes.

9. Decide on and complete 1 major house remodel project.
--Once we decide what it will be, it's just a matter of pulling the trigger on the job, as the money is there waiting to be spent thanks to our savings challenge of 2009.
We spent a big chunk of the money we saved in 2009 on a new-to-us car for DH.  I think this remodel project will wait until after we have the new heating system installed and paid for.  That is the most important use for the spare cash.  After that's done we can see what we have to throw at the major remodel project and decide on what/how to tackle that.

10. Complete all the unfinished craft and sewing projects!!
--This Hope is my own personal one that doesn't involve any other family members directly.  I need to just put my head down and plow through all these started projects OR make a decision to release them to someone else who wants to complete them.  This should take a good part of the year to accomplish.
I have not even begun to tackle this Goal!  I had hoped to get to this AFTER I got through dealing with all the eBay stuff stacked up here.  I need to deal with it so I can even think about starting this project.  I don't do well with too many large unfinished things going on around me.
So no, this one hasn't even been contemplated.
Ugh.

In closing, I haven't completed much for the year yet outside of financial stuff and paperwork, but there is still a lot of year to go.


How are you doing on your Yearly Goals?
Let us know what you've finished or started so far this year.


Sluggy