2019: Check up and check in
Hi, friends! It has been a very, very, very long time. I sincerely apologize for my absence, but we have officially moved into our new house! Yes. We bought our house a while ago, but it needed major work. We couldn't possibly move into a construction zone with The JuJuBe starting to toddle around. Additionally, I've been preoccupied with pursuing a work from home opportunity - more on that topic in the future! Promise!
I thought I would take a minute to revisit my goals that I set for 2019. For those of you who set goals each new year (or resolutions as many call them), March is the perfect time to check in. So, let's see how we're doing:
Goal 1: Read 20 books this year.
Status: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
So far in 2019, I have read 12 books! I was listening to a Podcast (I am a total podcast junkie) called "How to Money" and they talked about free resources that most people don't take advantage of. One of these free resources is the public library. Well, I definitely utilize the public library! However, I did NOT utilize their ebooks available via the RBDigital app. Now I can check out books and return them without having to leave the convenience of my own home! They have magazines and audiobooks available for check out as well. It has been a total game changer as far as reading is concerned in my world! The only downside is that their online selection is fairly limited, but I enjoy pushing myself to read and discover new authors.
Goal 2: Aim to contribute 15% of our income into a retirement account.
Status: ON TIME
We are on schedule to meet this goal! This goal is such a huge one. Any time the budget gets tight and I look for places to cut back, I have to remind myself that our retirement savings is not the place to do it. Saving for retirement comes before saving for college and yes - even paying off the mortgage early. This is such a hard switch for me to make! We have been such aggressive savers and haven't had any debt for over two years. Knowing that the mortgage is there just eats at me!
Goal 3: Max out The JuJuBe's Educational Savings
Status: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
We have JuJu's ESA a little over halfway funded for this year alone. We will continue to make monthly contributions to this until we max it out for the year. Once that's complete, we will look into possibly opening other savings accounts for her as well. In the interest of full disclosure , we've been able to make such great progress here because of a windfall we received. This is definitely atypical for us (or for you nerds out there, this is what's known as an outlier).
Goal 4: Actively pursue an additional income stream
Status: ON TIME
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, this additional income stream has been monopolizing much of my time. I haven't made actual income yet, but I have my foot in the door. Stay tuned for future posts!
Goal 5: Pay off an additional $1,000 on our mortgage
STATUS: ON TIME
We've paid an extra $200 to our principal so far this year! Ideally, we'd like to speed this process up, but as I said earlier, I know retirement savings comes first.
Goal 6: Cook two new recipes each month
STATUS: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
I have definitely met this goal. The Instant Pot has made my kitchen such a fun place! Not all the recipes I've tried have been winners, but we have made some great ones that are healthy and Lenten friendly.
So, how are your goals looking for 2019? Do you remember what they were at the start of the new year? Have you gotten off track? It's okay if you have. We've all been there. If you're unsure of where you stand, this is the perfect time of year to take an inventory. Just remember this: If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.
Thanks for stopping by, friends! I won't wait nearly as long to post next time. That's a promise!
I thought I would take a minute to revisit my goals that I set for 2019. For those of you who set goals each new year (or resolutions as many call them), March is the perfect time to check in. So, let's see how we're doing:
Goal 1: Read 20 books this year.
Status: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
So far in 2019, I have read 12 books! I was listening to a Podcast (I am a total podcast junkie) called "How to Money" and they talked about free resources that most people don't take advantage of. One of these free resources is the public library. Well, I definitely utilize the public library! However, I did NOT utilize their ebooks available via the RBDigital app. Now I can check out books and return them without having to leave the convenience of my own home! They have magazines and audiobooks available for check out as well. It has been a total game changer as far as reading is concerned in my world! The only downside is that their online selection is fairly limited, but I enjoy pushing myself to read and discover new authors.
Goal 2: Aim to contribute 15% of our income into a retirement account.
Status: ON TIME
We are on schedule to meet this goal! This goal is such a huge one. Any time the budget gets tight and I look for places to cut back, I have to remind myself that our retirement savings is not the place to do it. Saving for retirement comes before saving for college and yes - even paying off the mortgage early. This is such a hard switch for me to make! We have been such aggressive savers and haven't had any debt for over two years. Knowing that the mortgage is there just eats at me!
Goal 3: Max out The JuJuBe's Educational Savings
Status: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
We have JuJu's ESA a little over halfway funded for this year alone. We will continue to make monthly contributions to this until we max it out for the year. Once that's complete, we will look into possibly opening other savings accounts for her as well. In the interest of full disclosure , we've been able to make such great progress here because of a windfall we received. This is definitely atypical for us (or for you nerds out there, this is what's known as an outlier).
Goal 4: Actively pursue an additional income stream
Status: ON TIME
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, this additional income stream has been monopolizing much of my time. I haven't made actual income yet, but I have my foot in the door. Stay tuned for future posts!
Goal 5: Pay off an additional $1,000 on our mortgage
STATUS: ON TIME
We've paid an extra $200 to our principal so far this year! Ideally, we'd like to speed this process up, but as I said earlier, I know retirement savings comes first.
Goal 6: Cook two new recipes each month
STATUS: AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
I have definitely met this goal. The Instant Pot has made my kitchen such a fun place! Not all the recipes I've tried have been winners, but we have made some great ones that are healthy and Lenten friendly.
So, how are your goals looking for 2019? Do you remember what they were at the start of the new year? Have you gotten off track? It's okay if you have. We've all been there. If you're unsure of where you stand, this is the perfect time of year to take an inventory. Just remember this: If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.
Thanks for stopping by, friends! I won't wait nearly as long to post next time. That's a promise!
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