2013 Goals

My goals for 2013 are as follows... 

 -Write more! Whether that be in this blog or somewhere else, I just really want to get my words out. My hubby gave me a great present for Christmas to jump start the writer in me and I plan to use it shortly.  I also started another blog to track my fitness journey. It's called "A P90X Woman". Please check it out if you're interested in seeing how that goes.

 -Complete P90X. We started our P90X challenge on January 1st and we are scheduled to end it on March 31st. As I stated above, I even started a new blog to document this journey. I am hopeful that it will keep us on track with our exercising and eating healthy, just like this blog did with our finances.

 -Learn Spanish. The hubby and I love vacationing in Mexico and have grand visions of possibly moving there someday down the road. I am a firm believer that you should be educated in the language of whichever country you plan to spend a good amount of time in and therefore, learning Spanish is a goal for me. Not to mention, that several jobs I've looked into here in CA have required the person to be bilingual. This would open more doors on the job front in the future.

 -Take more pictures. I bought a camera this past year and would love to actually use it more! There is a photo a day challenge for each month that gives you ideas of things to shoot. I have been wanting to do it for a while now and just haven't gotten around to it. I would like to do so this year!

-Pay off our final credit card. Our zero interest credit card expires at the end of April and I don't want to WILL NOT get stuck paying interest on it. Therefore, it will be paid off before the deadline. I am targeting around my birthday in March. A nice, little present to give myself :)

 -Save money for a house/condo. Although we have a hard time making up our minds about buying a house or condo, relocating or staying put, etc., we know that having a hefty savings account will be crucial to whichever decision we make. Although numbers may change after we get our new paychecks for 2013, we are targeting saving around $20K this year.

-Take a minimum of two trips this year. I plan to attend my niece's graduation in May in New England, so that's one trip. The hubby and I are anxious to get back to Mexico this year, which would be a second. In addition, it looks like we may join my parents on their first trip to Hawaii. It's been on their bucket list for several years and since CA is on the way, they'd like us to join them if possible. I'm hoping at least two of those trips pan out. We will pay for these trips in cash of course!

-Shoot a gun. This has been on our bucket list for a while now and we'd both really like to learn how to shoot a gun. The hubby and I are determined to do it this year!

That's all I'm going to list at this point. I debated pushing for "13 in 2013" but decided to keep it realistic and go for the big ones I'm anxious to achieve. Here's hoping 2013 goes great!

2012 Goals Update

(One of my favorite pics from our trip to Mexico in 2012)

It's finally time to look back at my 2012 goals and reflect on my progress attempt at progress, while I start to outline my goals for 2013. I'm really excited and looking forward to this new year. I believe it will be my best year yet!

1. Pay off all credit card debt by June 30th! 

Update - PARTIAL SUCCESS! We succeeded in paying off most of our credit card debt this year, with the exception of our zero interest credit card which expires in April 2013. The plan is to pay it off by then. I never want to put another penny towards credit card interest ever again.

2. Save $20K for a down payment on a condo. 

Update - FAIL! This didn't happen. Due to several issues, including discovering that we weren't paying enough in taxes, we ended up changing plans and moving this goal out into the new year. 

3. Buy our first home together.

Update - FAIL! Again, the house buying goal has been moved out a bit.  

4. Succeed in 10-pound weight loss challenge.

Update - SUCCESS! Yes, I so kicked butt in this challenge that Newlyweds on a Budget held. I actually ended up winning a prize, which was an added bonus. Thanks Erika!

5. Indulge in my love for movies more. 

Update - SUCCESS! I have definitely done this in 2012! I actually kept a log of all most of the movies I've seen and it's up around 50. I feel as though I've indulged this passion successfully :) Using the cheap (and sometimes free!) rentals from RedBox, helped make this goal easier to achieve.

6. Blog more often.

Update - FAIL! I had such a great routine going where I was able to get some daily blog time in during the day at work and since that changed, I haven't come up with a new routine that works. 

7. Take a vacation. 

Update - SUCCESS! We got to spend a week in Mexico in 2012. It was glorious! The pic above is one I took while lounging on the beach. I keep it as my desktop pic and it's daily visual reminder of the relaxing trip we had. I can't wait to go back!

8. Finish "What Color is Your Parachute" book. 

Update - FAIL! We moved and this book ended up in storage. 

9. Give yoga a try. 

Update - FAIL! I didn't get around to trying yoga in 2012, but I did already in 2013!

10. Play piano more often. 

Update - PARTIAL SUCCESS! I did play our keyboard a bit before we moved and it got packed up and put in storage.

11. Get on the water! 

Update - FAIL! I didn't get on the water in 2012. Wow, I'm picking up a theme here :(

12. Read 12 books. 

Update - SUCCESS! I am happy to say that I was able to read 12 books this year, including the Hunger Games and Fifty Shades series. I also found a new author I enjoy, Adele Parks.. I look forward to continuing to read more books in 2013. 

Looking back on this year, I wasn't very successful in the goals I outlined. I'm a firm believer in this quote though - 

I guess some of the goals I thought were important, actually weren't so important to me when it came down it. Hopefully I'll do a better job creating my goals for 2013!

Twelve Goals for 2012

As I mentioned in this post I think it's important to write out your goals. Following the lead of my fellow bloggers, I decided to go with twelve goals for 2012. Here goes nothing!

1. Pay off all credit card debt by June 30th! - This is the plan today. We may actually finish earlier but have a little buffer built in, just in case we end up having to pay taxes in April.

2. Save $20K for a down payment on a condo. - This should be doable. If we follow our current budget, for the remainder of the year, we'll have saved the $20K we want for a down payment.

3. Buy our first home together. - We are anxious to stop paying rent and get into a place of our own. As anxious as we are, we've decided to play it smart and wait until we have 20% saved up for a down payment so we can avoid paying PMI. We should be able to celebrate the holidays this year in our own place. WE CAN'T WAIT!

4. Succeed in 10-pound weight loss challenge. - As I mentioned here, I've entered into a weight loss challenge with some fellow bloggers. I'm hoping this will give me the kick start I'm looking for. We have a wedding this summer and hopefully a vacation to look forward to, so I'd like to drop a few pounds before these events.

5. Indulge in my love for movies more. - I love movies. I don't watch as many as I'd like to. I've actually considered some sort of career behind the scenes in film. I need to get to the bottom of this passion of mine and figure out if it's just a passive hobby or something I can make a living with.

6. Blog more often. - As I shared recenlty, it's been tough to get my normal blogging time in like I had previously. I'm now set up at home on a laptop and hopefully that'll help me be able to blog more often.

7. Take a vacation. - We are planning on taking a vacation sometime this summer, when we are out of debt! We'll pay cash - of course!

8. Finish "What Color is Your Parachute" book. - I started this book a while back and plan to finish it this year. I want to do something I enjoy, rather than something I feel I "have to do". Hopefully this book will help me narrow my interests down a bit.

9. Give yoga a try. - I keep saying I want to try yoga but never actually do it. This year, I plan to give yoga a try.

10. Play piano more often. - This is another desire of mine and now that we have a keyboard, there are no excuses!

11. Get on the water! - I friggin' LOVE being near the water. I want to get out on it more often. My preference is kayaking, but I've also wanted to try rowing. This is the year to do it!

12. Read 12 books. - 12 really isn't that many but I figure it's an increase from what I did this year. If I average about 1 per month, I should be able to meet this goal with ease.

2011 Goal Update

I believe that it's important to set goals in life. Something to give you focus and something positive for you work towards. They don't have to be on a monthly or yearly basis, just when it feels right for you. I also believe in writing your goals down. By doing this, you hold yourself accountable for trying to achieve them. When goals are written in black and white, they become "real". I honestly believe that if I hadn't started this blog and put the things I wanted to change out there into the universe for all to see, I wouldn't have come this far.

In that regard, I'm going to provide an update on my 2011 goals. Here goes...

Financial

Stick to our budget : We're starting to get the hang of paying in cash and zero based balancing, but there were some slip ups along the way. I really want to continue to make progress this year by better budgeting for expenses I didn't think about last year. UPDATE : WE ARE ROCKING THIS GOAL!

Replenish our emergency savings account : We were lucky enough to fund our emergency savings in 2010 but unfortunately, we depleted it. One of our big goals this year will be to replenish this back up to $1000 minimum. UPDATE : WE ARE LIVING ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS AND HAVE PUT ALL OF OUR SAVINGS TOWARDS OUR DEBT. (WE ARE PAID 4 TIMES PER MONTH AND IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY WE DECIDED WE COULD PULL FROM ONE OF OUR PAYCHECKS TO COVER THE EVENT.)

Pay $20K towards debt : This is really aggressive and probably only possible if my niece doesn't need as much help with college this year, but we're going to try! If we are successful, that will reduce our debt by 1/3... I really hope we are successful. UPDATE : WE DID IT!

Continue to find creative ways to lower our budget / increase our income : We've looked at getting a new (read - cheaper!) apartment, closer to our jobs, but haven't been successful... yet! The search for one will continue in the new year. I was able to lower or eliminate a few bills in 2010 and I hope to do more in 2011. I also keep toying with the idea of a side job to increase our income, but haven't quite come up with what will work yet. I hope to make progress on that as well this year. UPDATE : WE DOWNSIZED, CUT BILLS & BOTH GOT NEW JOBS WHICH INCREASED OUR INCOME.

Personal

Read more books : Since we've cut our cable and internet, I definitely have more time on my hands to read. I hope to read at least one book per quarter. Starting with finishing that book from early last year that I started! First, I need to find where I put it, then wipe the dust off... UPDATE : DIDN'T READ AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO.

Scrapbook : I've started a great scrapbook but have yet to finish it. I really enjoy being creative and want to spend time this year doing this. UPDATE : FAIL :(

Speak my mind more : At times I back away from confrontation and let things fester. My goal is to work on speaking my mind more before things become a bigger issue. UPDATE: DOING WELL!

Learn to forgive more and really let things go : Overall, I am a pretty easygoing and forgiving person, but I have a couple of things that I have been holding onto. I know that if I can find a way to forgive and let these feelings go that I will be a better person for it. UPDATE : PARTIAL SUCCESS.

Start a family : My husband and I have decided to start trying for children :) It's taken me a while to get here mentally (since I do enjoy our carefree lifestyle) but we both agree, that we'd like to have a family. As much as I'd like to be in a better situation financially before having a new addition, I am not getting any younger and more complications can arise with each year that we wait. UPDATE : PLANS HAVE CHANGED...

Professional

Continue to advance in my career : As I'm the breadwinner, I need to continuously think of my career and ways to advance. I hope I can continue to grow here with my current company, but if not, I'm prepared to move along to someplace I can grow with. UPDATE: WORK IN PROGRESS.

So, as you can see, I didn't meet each goal but I made some great progress overall. It looks like I did good in the financial area and not so great in my personal goals. My hubby has noticed this as well and is pushing me to focus more on doing what makes me happy. Being someone who focuses on others a lot, this is a bit of a challenge for me, but one that I'm very happy to accept! 2012 goals will be shared soon.

Question : Do you give yourself goals to focus your efforts on or do you naturally just do what you "should" without having to write it down and make much of a conscious effort?

2012

It's official! We've set the date. "What date?" you ask. The date we are GOING to be out of credit card debt by! I'd love to say we'll be completely out of debt, but our focus has really been on our looming credit card debt (since the interest rates are high) and we haven't really focused on our car loan.... yet! We'll get there. For sure. But with an interest rate under 1%, we're not too worried about that one just yet.

We started with about $40K on our credit cards and if all of my budgeting is correct and if we stay the course, we'll be completely out of credit card debt by December 2012! There are a some assumptions in here (that our bills don't increase significantly, that we both maintain our current incomes, and a few others) but I did build a slight buffer in there and I truly believe that we will be celebrating that New Year's Eve in style! (And by "in style" I don't mean in an expensive fashion, I just mean popping a bottle of $4 Andre champagne and toasting how great it feels to be out of debt! Then in 2013, we'll tackle that damn car loan and bulking up our savings for a future home! Ahhhh, I love having goals to work towards.

Happy New Year!

I'm back and really happy to be here! I enjoyed a couple of days off at the end of the year and I'm glad to return. I think 2010 ended on a good note for me and I feel like a kid wanting the training wheels to be taken off of their bike! I'm ready for what 2011 has to offer :)

As an update, I went to traffic court on Monday and although I was able to get my fine for my ticket reduced (I used that word lightly), it was only dropped down to $450. The judge gave me 120 days to pay it off, so that was nice. I'm putting this behind me as a lesson learned and I don't plan to mention it again. On to better things!

Another update, "Santa" brought us a new antenna for our car to replace the one that was stolen when we were on our honeymoon. It's great being able to hear music clearly now!

One final update, I ended up reducing the minutes on our cell phone from 1400 to 700. It looks like I'll save about $20 per month. I know it's not a ton, but it's progress!

Here are my goals for 2011 -

Financial

Stick to our budget : We're starting to get the hang of paying in cash and zero based balancing, but there were some slip ups along the way. I really want to continue to make progress this year by better budgeting for expenses I didn't think about last year.

Replenish our emergency savings account : We were lucky enough to fund our emergency savings in 2010 but unfortunately, we depleted it. One of our big goals this year will be to replenish this back up to $1000 minimum.

Pay $20K towards debt : This is really aggressive and probably only possible if my niece doesn't need as much help with college this year, but we're going to try! If we are successful, that will reduce our debt by 1/3... I really hope we are successful.

Continue to find creative ways to lower our budget / increase our income : We've looked at getting a new (read - cheaper!) apartment, closer to our jobs, but haven't been successful... yet! The search for one will continue in the new year. I was able to lower or eliminate a few bills in 2010 and I hope to do more in 2011. I also keep toying with the idea of a side job to increase our income, but haven't quite come up with what will work yet. I hope to make progress on that as well this year.

Personal

Read more books : Since we've cut our cable and internet, I definitely have more time on my hands to read. I hope to read at least one book per quarter. Starting with finishing that book from early last year that I started! First, I need to find where I put it, then wipe the dust off...

Scrapbook : I've started a great scrapbook but have yet to finish it. I really enjoy being creative and want to spend time this year doing this.

Speak my mind more : At times I back away from confrontation and let things fester. My goal is to work on speaking my mind more before things become a bigger issue.

Learn to forgive more and really let things go : Overall, I am a pretty easygoing and forgiving person, but I have a couple of things that I have been holding onto. I know that if I can find a way to forgive and let these feelings go that I will be a better person for it.

Start a family : My husband and I have decided to start trying for children :) It's taken me a while to get here mentally (since I do enjoy our carefree lifestyle) but we both agree, that we'd like to have a family. As much as I'd like to be in a better situation financially before having a new addition, I am not getting any younger and more complications can arise with each year that we wait.

Professional

Continue to advance in my career : As I'm the breadwinner, I need to continuously think of my career and ways to advance. I hope I can continue to grow here with my current company, but if not, I'm prepared to move along to someplace I can grow with.

Those are my goals (so far) for 2011. If I come up with more, I'll add them to the list. I hope you'll join me on this journey of paying down our debt and enjoying our life along the way. Happy New Year all!

Ups and Downs... but I DID IT!

So, Friday had some ups and downs for us...

My Husband's Job: My husband got his paycheck for the time we were out of the office. Turns out that his boss did not put in for vacation time pay for him, so his check was about half of what we expected. Ouch! Unfortunately, my husband's hours were recently cut and he is no longer considered a full time employee, so he doesn't qualify for vacation time. Glad we knew about that BEFORE we planned on taking time off. Now that we are on a budget this threw me off a bit. I know that there will be unexpected challenges along the way and I guess this was our first. I was able to creatively move things around a bit so that we can still make ends meet for the time being, but it was tricky. It may also require us eating some of the several boxes of pasta that we bought, Pre-Atkins, that are now gathering dust in the kitchen cabinet. We'll have to cut costs somehow this week...

*On a side note, my husband's hours will be cut AGAIN as of November 1st - when his company starts closing an hour earlier each day. Not only will this effect our car pooling schedule some, but our budget will take another hit. This weekend we did lots of job searching for him and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) we'll find him something better with full time hours soon!

My Job: At my job, I had the opportunity to put my name out there for a promotion/salary adjustment! I ended up doing it via email, which may not have been the best approach but due to timing and circumstances it just worked out that way. (Plus, I do tend to express myself better through written word than in person, so I was kinda relieved.) I'm really proud of myself for taking this step and making some progress towards one of my professional goals that I wanted to achieve by the end of the year. If this comes through, it will give us the breathing room needed since my husband's check will be less. A friend shared a phrase that I'm going to keep in mind on this : I have not, because I ask not. So I asked. Let's see what happens!

My Husband's Health: My husband suffers from panic attacks. They started happening to him randomly about a year ago. He read up on how to handle them when they happen and hasn't seen a doctor yet. Unfortunately, they've been occuring more frequently and he asked me to make him an appointment. I fully support him going because we need to get to the bottom of this, but it was another unplanned for expense. This makes me really look forward to that emergency fund that I hope to start soon! Having a little cushion to fall back on when needed will be helpful.

Car: Lastly, we discovered that someone stole the antenna off of our new car. It's been rainy lately and radio stations weren't coming in as good as they used to, so we chalked it up to that, but then we actually got out to investigate and we noticed it was gone! I think it happened at the airport parking garage we left the car at on our honeymoon. Oh well, it's not the end of the world and we can still listen to the radio some, it's just a bit staticy. So, a replacement antenna may end up on the Christmas wish list but we certainly don't need to get it right now. This is an improvement for me because the old Steph would have gone right out and bought a replacement one. Progress, I tell myself, progress.

Question : Have you ever asked for a promotion or salary adjustment? This is my first time. If so, were you nervous and how did it go for you?

How large should your emergency fund be when you are broke?

Today I was reading an old posting on a blog called Wise Bread, about the size of your emergency fund. As you'll notice, my current savings is at zero ("...point zero" - for those Howard Stern or Animal House fans out there). Anyway, I'm smart enough to know that I need to start growing my emergency fund. What I'm unsure of is how big I should grow it. Since savings accounts are currently paying next to nothing in interest, any extra funds I have at the end of the month, I'd almost rather put right towards lowering our high interest debt.

I do plan to set aside $100 (or more) per month into savings, but at what point will my emergency fund be complete so that I can begin putting that $100 towards debt? I've read different theories on this one. Some say 3-6 months worth of expenses should be your target. That would take me a very long time to do and I think it's a bit more than I feel I want to do at this time. Others recommend $1000 as a good start. I'm worried that $1000 may not go far if I were to lose my job, especially given that our rent is currently at $1375.

I'm leaning towards my emergency savings goal being equal to one month of expenses - to start. I would like to increase that in time, but I think this is a realistic goal to shoot for. A quick analysis of my budget tells me that one month of expenses is about $4500. Wow. That's not rock bottom expenses though. It includes our current cable package, cell phones, NetFlix, paying a little extra on our debt, putting some in savings, etc. If I had to cut some things out and live on the bare necessities, I'm sure we could lower those expenses some. For now though, I'll think I'll target $4500 as our new emergency savings goal.

My current plan puts me meeting only half of that goal by the end of 2011. That would mean December 2012 is when we'd hit our emergency savings goal target. Hmmmm, kinda far off for my liking, but I guess some goals are a little harder to achieve to than others. I keep telling myself that it's a marathon, not a sprint and that we'll get there. We'll get there.

Goals for the remainder of 2010 - UPDATED!

As I continue to read more blogs and get a better idea of how this whole thing works, I've decided that it will help me to develop some goals. Although I'm anxious to get started on my goals for 2011, I think I should still write down a few for 2010 since there's still 3+ months left.

Financial

• Officially start the new budget! This probably won't be until November, due to the wedding/honeymoon next month :)
  
  
• UPDATE : We did start our new budget and we're off to a good start. I've learned some things over the past couple of months... it's almost impossible to budget for everything (which is why it's important to have an emergency savings to fall back on when life's little bumps come up) and don't be too hard on myself (I wanted to be perfect, right from the start, but it's like learning to ride a bike or play a new sport - you're gonna fall down sometimes!).
  
  
• Reach back out to CC companies to request lowering my interest rates. I've done this once before but I was not successful. I'm determined to try again though. Since one of the accounts is closed, I probably won't have luck with that one, but the other one should hopefully lower the rate some.
  
  
• UPDATE : I did this and was unsuccessful. One company told me my rate was frozen, as is, until the card is paid off and the other said they no longer lower rates for customers. I'm not giving up all hope though. I'll plan to call back in the new year and see if I get the same answers. Determination, that's where it's at!
  

Personal

• Relax and enjoy my wedding and honeymoon! Sometimes it's hard for me to relax and live in the moment. I really want to be able to do this. It's the first tropical getaway that my soon-to-be husband and I have had in a while and I'd really like to make the most of it. Especially since we may not get a vacation like this for a long while!
  
  
• UPDATE : I definitely did this :) We had a wonderfully simple wedding and honeymoon. It was perfect for us.
  
  
• Stick to my current way of eating, on Atkins, and continue to lose weight. This has been a great way of eating for me. I'm trying to avoid calling it a "diet", since it's more about a way of life. I've lost weight (20lbs in just under 2 months), my clothes are looser and I feel great! I want to remember how I feel now and make sure I continue on this path.
  
  
• UPDATE : Well... let's just say we weren't as committed after the honeymoon, as we were before! We're both feeling a bit sluggish now though and plan to recommit in the new year. It's great having a partner that you can share these things with, who is by your side to succeed as well.
  
  
• Finish reading a book! I'm in the middle of "Too Fat to Fish" by Artie Lange and I'd like to finish it and move on to something fiction. I love Artie, but it's been a slow read for some reason and I just need to get it done!
  
  
• UPDATE : I did finish reading a book! Not the one I mentioned above, but another one that I took with us on our honeymoon. I'm going to put this one back on my goal list for 2011.
  

Professional

• Request a promotion! This will be a challenge for me. I motivate friends and colleagues to go after what they deserve all the time... but when it comes to pushing myself to do the same thing, it's a different story. I think it's time though. I've proven myself in my current position and I am ready to take the next step.
  
  
• UPDATE : I did request a promotion and now it's a waiting game to see if I got it or not. I'll probably find out for sure by February. I'll keep ya posted!
  

• Update my resume. Ha, this is kind of funny, considering my goal above. I should do it though. I don't do a great job of selling myself and my vast skill set. I need to sit down and take the time to write up a better resume. Hopefully if the goal above is successful, I won't need to send it out - but just in case, I'll have it ready.
  
  
• UPDATE : I've started to update my resume. It's a work in progress right now. I'm hoping the promotion will come through and I won't have to worry about finishing it, but if it doesn't, I will definitely finish it up and start a job search in the new year.
  

So, that's it for my goals for the next few months. I'll try to get in a routine of updating my progress periodically. Hopefully this blog will help hold me accountable and I will be successful in achieving these goals!