November recap & December goals

How is the year almost over already???

This is one of the signs of old age.  Time passes really quickly.

November Goals

1. Exercise 15 times – 10 times this month
2. Read 3 books – Done.  I read Orange is the New Black, And the Mountains Echoed, Sharp Objects and Dark Places.
3. 15 no spend days – 15 no spend days, see what being sick can do for me!! lol
4. Shop my freezer – I was doing this?  Not if you look at my grocery shopping.
5. Meal plan – yes I did
6. Declutter 90 items – this is done but the items are sitting in a corner waiting to go to Goodwill
7. Stick to the budget – Nope
8. Figure out Christmas presents – I only have my Dad left
9. Only grocery shop once a week – Not even close 😦

5/9 … well at least it’s going in the right direction.

December Goals

1. Exercise 16 times
2. Read 2 books
3. 15 no spend days
4. Shop my freezer
5. Finish Christmas shopping by Dec 10
6. Finish putting together the blanket for my BFF
7. Make Apple Pie cookies
8. Stick to the budget

I think that is enough.

October recap & November goals

These last few months have been flying by.

October Goals

1. Exercise 15 times – 9 times last month
2. Read 2 books – Done, Winter’s Bone and The Slap
3. 15 no spend days – oh so close, 12
4. Stick to $650 for the month – Bahahahahahaha not even close
5. Shop my freezer – Nope
6. Continue to meal plan – Mostly but last week the plan was not as good as it could have been
7. Declutter 60 items – Nope

2.5/7 I almost didn’t want to look.  I spent a lot on food last month, like more than double the budgeted amount. 😦  I know there was Thanksgiving in there that I didn’t really account for but I only had to bring appetizers. 😦

Anyhoo, this month I am going to stay out of the stores.  Much easier to stay on budget that way. 😉

November Goals

1. Exercise 15 times
2. Read 3 books
3. 15 no spend days
4. Shop my freezer
5. Meal plan
6. Declutter 90 items
7. Stick to the budget
8. Figure out Christmas presents
9. Only grocery shop once a week

Hopefully now that the weather is getting cold and dark I will be more inclined to stay home.  Since developing self-restraint is not working out so well for me.  LOL

 

September recap & October goals

Last month …

September Goals

1. Go back to meal planning – Done, but I didn’t always follow the plan
2. Exercise 20 times this month – While I worked out 10 days this month, I did a am/pm program so I worked out twice a day so I am counting this as a win!
3. Do another cleanse – Done
4. Read 2 books – Nope, not even one 😦
5. Track my calories daily – Done
6. 10 no spend days – Done, 12 days booyah!!!
7. Declutter 30 items – Nope, I forgot I was doing this

No/Low Spending Challenge Goals

1. Use only cash, time to pull out my beautiful hexie budget wallet – Not all the time.  I was 70% good
2. Stick to $670 for the month or $22.33/day – Nope, I was over budget by a lot 😦

5/9.  To think I was feeling that this month was going to be a good month … Bahahahahahahaha, I was wrong.  Good thing there is a whole new month starting so I can try again. 😉

October Goals

1. Exercise 15 times
2. Read 2 books
3. 15 no spend days
4. Stick to $650 for the month
5. Shop my freezer
6. Continue to meal plan
7. Declutter 60 items (gotta make up for last month)

There are some repeaters as I find that when they are not on the list they don’t get done.

August Recap and September Goals

A quick look back.  Since I was on vacation for 12 days I didn’t focus on remember my goals.

August Goals

1. Paint and re-decorate Diva’s room – Done.
2. Declutter 30 items – Done, I have another full garbage bag of “stuff” to go.
3. Stay on budget – I would love for this one to be a yes, but that isn’t the case this month.
4. Clean out my girls’ closets – Only did Diva’s.  Princess claims to have looked at her closet but I am not so sure.
5. 5 no spend days – Only managed 4.
6. Read 2 books – Nope.  I took 2 books away with me and never even took them out of the suitcase. 😦

3/6 I was so close to an overall pass.  Still better than last month!! LOL

On the money front, I can’t even say what is really going on.  My vacation really just threw stuff for a loop.  I am going to say I was over but I can’t say by how much as I haven’t got a clue. 😦  I am so ready for a new month.

On to the next one!

September Goals

1. Go back to meal planning
2. Exercise 20 times this month
3. Do another cleanse
4. Read 2 books
5. Track my calories daily
6. 10 no spend days
7. Declutter 30 items

On top of those goals, I am adding the following for the September’s No/Low Spending Challenge.

1. Use only cash, time to pull out my beautiful hexie budget wallet
2. Stick to $670 for the month or $22.33/day

I think that’s enough for this month.

 

July recap and August goals

I must confess I do not even want to look back.  July fell in line with June as an ugly month.

No need to delay the inevitable.

July Goals

1. Exercise 5 times a week – Not even close.  I worked out twice last month. 😦  Allergy eyes and laziness ran the show last month.
2. Come in under budget – I was on a budget!?!  LOL  Even if we take out my new camera I was still over budget.
3. Finish my vision board – Nope
4. Finish my scarf – Nope
5. Read 2 books – Nope, I started And the Mountains Echoed and The Power of One, but both were due back at the library before I could finish them
6. Figure out my travel plans for August and a budget for said travel – Done.  Going on my annual trip to Maryland.  If some of my friends get their acts together I might also attend a preseason NFL game.
7. 10 no spend days – I had 7
8. Declutter 30 items – I didn’t, but my girls did manage to get another garbage bag full of stuff out the door
9. Go through my girls’ closets and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit or they won’t wear, tally the rest and determine what, if any, items are needed – Not yet.  This will be done this month
10. Blog more consistently at least 4 times a week – 21 posts this month 🙂

3.5/10 😦

I wish I had a very good excuse or two as to why my progress this month was crappy.  I was unfocused and it shows. 😦

On the money side …

	Budget	Actual
housing	35%	31%
transportation	7%	2%
saving	16%	13%
debt	25%	25%
life	18%	62%
	100%	134%

It doesn’t look as bad if I don’t include my camera.  LOL  Without my camera I am only 8% over.  Still not good but much better than 34% over. 😉

Alright on to August.  Since I will be away from home for 15+ days I am going to go really easy on the goals

August Goals

1. Paint and re-decorate Diva’s room.
2. Declutter 30 items
3. Stay on budget
4. Clean out my girls’ closets
5. 5 no spend days
6. Read 2 books

I should have a much much better recap next month.

June Recap and July Goals

Oh June … what an ugly month.  I did not stick to the plan at all. 😦

Time to face the music.

June Goals

1. Continue to exercise 5 times a week – Nope, I don’t think I exercised once last month 😦 I really need to get my act together.  I am so close to achieving my goal that I need to really re-focus
2. Come in under budget – Nope it was bad.  You will see below
3. Finish my vision board – Nope I forgot about this again
4. Finish my scarf – Nope, playing with wool in this heat is not appealing at all
5. Read 2 books – Done, I read House Rules, What Alice Forgot and Before I go to Sleep
6. Remove my credit cards and debit cards from my wallet – Nope, with working downtown I really don’t want to spend cash and wait for it to be reimbursed
7. 10 no spend days – 6 no spend days, I guess working downtown and not carrying lunch and shopping for Diva’s grad did not help
8. Declutter 30 items – I have almost 2 full garbage bags of stuff for Goodwill 🙂

2.5/8 😦  **hanging head in shame**

The money stuff.  It’s bad too.  Consider yourself warned.

	Budget	Actual
housing	34%	31%
transportation	7%	7%
saving	14%	13%
debt	28%	29%
life	17%	38%
	100%	118%

I went way off track as I did not account for Diva’s grad purchases and I let myself get sidetracked when working downtown.  It was a slippery slope once I started spending. 😦

July Goals

1. Exercise 5 times a week
2. Come in under budget
3. Finish my vision board
4. Finish my scarf
5. Read 2 books
6. Figure out my travel plans for August and a budget for said travel
7. 10 no spend days
8. Declutter 30 items
9. Go through my girls’ closets and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit or they won’t wear, tally the rest and determine what, if any, items are needed
10. Blog more consistently at least 4 times a week

Alright now to get my head in the game.

 

May Recap and June goals

I think I should get this out while it still makes sense. 😉

Let’s have a look back shall we?

May Goals

1. Exercise Monday through Friday Well … I was going good until the last week and a half of the month
2. Finish my vision board BAHAHAHAHAHAHA … ahhhhh … no
3. Finish my scarf, I’m almost to the halfway point Nope, I did not touch it at all 😦
4. Read 2 books Done, I read A Walk Across The Sun and So You Call Yourself A Man. 🙂
5. Use only cash and stick to the budget Nope but I screwed it up extra special this month
6. 10 no spend days I only had 5 last month

Well my first thought is that it is better than I thought it would be considering I did not review my goals until way past mid-month.  Silly me.  And then between dress shopping and family visiting … well I forgot all about my goals. 😦

On the financial front, I didn’t do all that I was supposed to so my banking was off, but I sorted out now.

	Budget	Actual
housing	30%	30%
transportation	6%	4%
saving	24%	13%
debt	24%	24%
life	16%	29%
	100%	100%

While I didn’t go over budget I can’t say for sure that it is all legit as I didn’t move over my savings at the time when I was supposed to. 😦  So I just put what was left over in.

June Goals

1. Continue to exercise 5 times a week
2. Come in under budget
3. Finish my vision board
4. Finish my scarf
5. Read 2 books
6. Remove my credit cards and debit cards from my wallet
7. 10 no spend days
8. Declutter 30 items

I think that’s enough.  Now to print this out and post it all over my place. 😉

Mid-month goals check in

I guess given the date this can not really be called a mid-month anything. lol

I actually forgot what my goals were.  But thanks to Mutant Supermodel, I made a calendar entry in my phone to check in on the 15th, which I ignored until today.

So what were my goals?

May Goals

1. Exercise Monday through Friday
2. Finish my vision board
3. Finish my scarf, I’m almost to the halfway point
4. Read 2 books
5. Use only cash and stick to the budget
6. 10 no spend days

Dang, I clear forgot about the vision board. 😦 Does one still do a vision board for the year when the year is almost half over?

I have not touched my scarf …

This month is not shaping up so well.

I wonder if I could pull a rabbit out of my hat.

 

March recap and April Goals

Oh March, you were an expensive month.

Firstly my March goals:

1. Carla is having an Easter Secret Sister Swap.  You know I had to join that, it was so much fun last time.  I need to finish putting my package together. Done
2. Stick to the budget (this is a given but since I didn’t write it in stone last month, madness ensued.) BAHAHAHAHAHAHA
3. Continue to work out at least 3 times a week Nope
4. Research new living room furniture. I bought new curtains yesterday and they let in so much light I can now see just how awful my couch really is. LOL I looked online so I am counting this as a win 😉
5. Move my bookshelf Done
6. Start and finish my Steelers scarf Started but it is nowhere near finished
7. Read 4 books I read one
8. Finish my vision board Nope

3.5 out of 8.  Dang, I need to step up my game. 😦

On the money front, I still track all my spending I just don’t post it here.  I’m leaning towards monthly updates, so let’s start with last month.

My girl Gail (I think she’s everyone’s girl) breaks down budgets like this:

housing	35%
transportation	15%
saving	10%
debt	15%
life	25%
	100%

March’s budget for me was supposed to look like this:

housing	34%
transportation	7%
saving	20%
debt	17%
life	21%
	100%

Instead my budget actually looked like this:

housing	31%
transportation	9%
saving	15%
debt	28%
life	30%
	112%

I think I double counted some things as I didn’t do my usual put the money on my credit card right after I charged it. 😦 I won’t be making that decision again any time soon.

Having said all that my savings increased, my debts decreased and my net worth increased by 3.5%.  Not as good as it could have been but I’ll take it.

Thankfully it’s a new month!!  And with it comes new opportunities to get it right. 🙂

April goals

1. Come up with a savings goal for Carla’s April savings challenge, post to come
2. Try something new; budget bi-weekly instead of weekly to coincide with my paycheck
3. Finish my scarf and post pictures
4. Finish my vision board (gotta get this done, it is way overdue)
5. Read 4 books
6. Work out 3 times a week
7. Do another cleanse
8. Wake up early every morning to read and/or workout
9. Figure out what to do with all my bank accounts

I have a lot of repeats from last month.  I am going to keep them on my goals list until they are part of my routine then I will come up with new goals. 😉

On to March

I did not make any February goals and when I look at my budget it shows.  My savings barely moved. 😦  My debt also went down but not by any great leap.

I guess if there’s a good month to “screw up” the shortest one is the best one!! 🙂

Time to get my head in the game.

March goals

1. Carla is having an Easter Secret Sister Swap.  You know I had to join that, it was so much fun last time.  I need to finish putting my package together.
2. Stick to the budget (this is a given but since I didn’t write it in stone last month, madness ensued.)
3. Continue to work out at least 3 times a week
4. Research new living room furniture. I bought new curtains yesterday and they let in so much light I can now see just how awful my couch really is. LOL
5. Move my bookshelf
6. Start and finish my Steelers scarf
7. Read 4 books
8. Finish my vision board

I think that should be enough for March.