I have finally come up with my Yearly Goals for this Year.
Most of them are similar to or a continuation of 2015's Goals.
FINANCIAL
* Save $40K of our income this year. I did it last year so I am going to try to get to this amount in 2016. Unless Hubs ups and retires during the year or we get hit with some other financial catastrophe this should be feasible.....a stretch and not easy but possible. I just have to resist spending on "wants". Easier said than done, right? ;-)
* Attempt to sell some stuff we need to get rid of. There are some items we need to let go off that are like new or in very good shape that could bring in a few dollars so I need to get back into selling mode. This could bring in potentially enough to fund a few months of groceries and I will earmark anything sold for that.
* Take care of all the paperwork/bills/financial stuff in a timely manner this year.
Track spending monthly so we can adjust/correct any overspending/bad decisions asap and not come out the other end of 2016 with financial messes to clean up.
HEALTH
* Continue with my exercise program, add to it, and do it every month. It's a well ingrained habit, in that, even on days when I don't feel so well I still get on that bike and pedal way. I need to add other components to this. Maybe I'll see about paying a trainer to push me if it's not too expensive? Because left to my own devices I will slack off if not held accountable to someone. 8-(
* Do more Gardening than in 2015. I think we will dig up where the pool use to be and use that as gardening space this year. It's already cleared and it's in the middle of the backyard so gets sun most of the day making it perfect if we can fence it off from the rabbits. More produce grown=more produce eaten=better health.
* Do some canning. Other than making some peach jam last year I didn't do any other canning. I had no tomato crop so I couldn't make my relish(thankfully I still had enough so we won't run out before I can make some this coming Fall)or can any tomatoes. I have plenty of jars so I just need to get the produce and do this....no excuses.
* Lose 20 pounds. While I am exercising on a regular basis since last March and we are eating better/less and feeling better overall I still need to drop some weight. I have various health issues that keep me from doing more and medications that keep me from losing but I need to do something to make this happen. sigh. Perhaps at my next dr. check-up I'l pick his brain on what I can try that is alluding me.
PERSONAL
* Paint 12 Items in my Ceramic Stash. After ignoring the basement for so many years I am facing up to all the unfinished product down there now. If I don't get anything else done this year I NEED TO PAINT this stuff!!! And after I do I get to have to problem of doing something with all this newly painted stuff. Unless I can talk 12 friends into coming to see me this year and then I will have presents for all of them to take home. ;-)Most of them are similar to or a continuation of 2015's Goals.
FINANCIAL
* Save $40K of our income this year. I did it last year so I am going to try to get to this amount in 2016. Unless Hubs ups and retires during the year or we get hit with some other financial catastrophe this should be feasible.....a stretch and not easy but possible. I just have to resist spending on "wants". Easier said than done, right? ;-)
* Attempt to sell some stuff we need to get rid of. There are some items we need to let go off that are like new or in very good shape that could bring in a few dollars so I need to get back into selling mode. This could bring in potentially enough to fund a few months of groceries and I will earmark anything sold for that.
* Take care of all the paperwork/bills/financial stuff in a timely manner this year.
Track spending monthly so we can adjust/correct any overspending/bad decisions asap and not come out the other end of 2016 with financial messes to clean up.
HEALTH
* Continue with my exercise program, add to it, and do it every month. It's a well ingrained habit, in that, even on days when I don't feel so well I still get on that bike and pedal way. I need to add other components to this. Maybe I'll see about paying a trainer to push me if it's not too expensive? Because left to my own devices I will slack off if not held accountable to someone. 8-(
* Do more Gardening than in 2015. I think we will dig up where the pool use to be and use that as gardening space this year. It's already cleared and it's in the middle of the backyard so gets sun most of the day making it perfect if we can fence it off from the rabbits. More produce grown=more produce eaten=better health.
* Do some canning. Other than making some peach jam last year I didn't do any other canning. I had no tomato crop so I couldn't make my relish(thankfully I still had enough so we won't run out before I can make some this coming Fall)or can any tomatoes. I have plenty of jars so I just need to get the produce and do this....no excuses.
* Lose 20 pounds. While I am exercising on a regular basis since last March and we are eating better/less and feeling better overall I still need to drop some weight. I have various health issues that keep me from doing more and medications that keep me from losing but I need to do something to make this happen. sigh. Perhaps at my next dr. check-up I'l pick his brain on what I can try that is alluding me.
PERSONAL
* Sew and COMPLETE 6 Projects. I completed 8 sewing projects on my plate last year. I still have a couple "already started" ones and I will start some new projects to get my 6 done.
* Complete 1 crochet project. I have the yarn and the hook I just need to sit down and do this. Last year with the cataract surgery and all the eye problems this wasn't even feasible so it's back on the list for this year.
TRAVEL
* Go on at least 2 trips for pleasure. I am feeling like more of a homebody at the beginning of this year so I am not feeling that travel bug as much so I am thinking of ramping back the travel plans for 2016. Only time will tell if I keep to this smaller amount of travel. Perhaps no Family Reunion Trip this year and there will be no trips to find a kid an apartment and then back to move them.....so that's 3 less trips to make in 2016. Maybe no trip to LA this year or we will fly out? We have talked about going back to Maine this year as we haven't been in quite a few years and I really love Maine. Perhaps I can stop in MA on the way and visit some family?
And then of course there is the invite to come see Kim in ID. If Hubs retires unexpectedly this year we'll have the time to do that trip. 8-)
HOUSE STUFF
* Have 2 House Repair/Improvement Projects completed.
There is still the bathroom redo/repair on our plate that we put money aside to complete this last year but never got around to doing it. Plus we need to figure out which other Project we can tackle in 2016. I am thinking window glass replacement as we have at least 5 glass seals that have broken. Plus we need new window screens for most of our windows. Not things we can do ourselves but things we can put money toward and get ticked off the repair list. We just need to wait and see how much Hub's bonus will be this year to see how much we have to work with to pay for the 2nd project.
* Get rid of 6 boxes of possessions plus some larger items that need disposing of. I still have some "stuff" to get rid of in the house, even after sending 11 loads to Salvation Army last year. I need to figure out how to dispose of most of my ceramic molds from when I had a ceramic business. And I need to help Hubs go through the shed this Spring/Summer too. I don't usually go in there but I took a peak back in the Fall and I can easily see many items we don't need to hang onto like old pool stuff and bicycles from when the kids were smaller. I am sure there are many more things we can pitch or recycle in there too.
BLOGGING
* I will try to blog 6 days a week as this is pretty much how much I do now. I have my regular weekly and/or monthly posts--Monday's Weekly Meal plans/results, End of month Savings Challenge. Food Spending/Budget, and Monthly Goal Update posts.
So that's my list of 14 action areas for 2016.
Now to turn these Goals into Reality, how do we proceed?
After all, a Goal without a Plan is just a Wish.
You can't hit a target if you don't name that target first.
Make a plan to reach your goals. I plan to incorporate my Goals into my Monthly To-Do List which is posted on my blog side bar to the right.
Wish me luck! 8-)
Sluggy
All reasonable goals - will be fun to see where you end up at the end of the year. I have a couple loose goals. Lose weight - told hubby I want to start going to the gym 2x per week. Might buy a fit bit as I got one for him for Christmas and it makes health/fitness an in your face thing for self-accountability. Want to sell 10 items out the house, started doing that last week. Sold 1 so far. Of the 10 items the money is going to something fun - weekend away to Tofino which is so freaking bloody expensive. In off season it is $800 for 3 nights hotel, fortunately they have minikitchenettes so we don't have to eat out.That's about it - other than the usual stay on food budget :)
ReplyDeleteI like the way you categorize your list. I have a master plan and now need to get off my duff and start implementing it.
ReplyDeleteGreat goals especially the one about going to see Kim:)
ReplyDeleteGood goals. As for the ceramics, I was just at a day program for persons with disabilities and they would love something like that..for free of course. Do you have any senior programs around you or anything for those with intellectual disabilities? They all do arts/crafts. I'm with you on the 20 pounds- it's hard. I pretty much can't lose weight unless I starve myself by dropping down to less than 1000 calories a day. It's that dreaded thyroid and slow metabolism. I am pretty active too- ADD active LOL. I don't sit a lot except at the computer and I get up and down from my chair.
ReplyDeleteNO trip to IL?
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to keep plugging along at the organizing the house mess. I would like to get a little more saved. Same old, same old. Oh and lose weight and figure out what is going on with our cars.
After my try at lofty goals last year, I'm being a bit more tepid about committing, but goals for imoroved health, finances, organization, social, and home are on my plate.
ReplyDeletegreat goals for the year and I like when you write them down so you can refer back to them. Thanks for all the ideas with the cornmeal.
ReplyDeleteYOU GO GIRL! :)
ReplyDelete