TweetToday is as good as any day to review what I have done over the past year and if I met the goals that I set for myself this year. It all seemed to go by so very quickly and it seems like it’s going faster the older that I get. Let’s review the 11 goals that I had:
- Get to work on time and leave on time so that I have some time to myself
Didn’t do well on that one at all. I’m not a morning person at all and my job is flexible with the time that I can get in to work. I don’t get there before 10:00 these days. I’ve tried, I really have, but I didn’t make it. On the other hand, instead of spending a crazy amount of time at work, I’ve been leaving a solid 9 hours after starting. That’s much better than the 11 or so hours that I was averaging at the beginning of the year.
Grade: C - Turn off the damn Blackberry
This was hard but in the end, it was easy. Not only is the Blackberry off, I no longer even have a Blackberry. I really didn’t think that I could survive it, and there was a serious withdrawal period initially, but now the freedom is awesome. No more midnight beeping, no Blackberry on vacation with me, and my time is mine when I leave work. It’s…liberating. I can’t even send text messages with my new phone.
Grade: A+ - Use extra time to make extra money
Well, I tried. I even got hired to work a holiday job at a major retailer, but they wanted more time than I could commit to with my current job. I had to turn that one down. I did however, make some money online including: eHow, Google, Cash Crate, Sponsored Tweets, and advertisements right here on this blog. I could do much better than I have.
Grade: B - Use the extra money to build emergency fund
I had an emergency fund. And then I bought the investment property. It wiped out everything that I had and I have been lax in building it back up. I should really focus on building up that emergency fund since we know that if you’re unemployed or when unexpected bills pop up it’s your first line of defense.
Grade: F - After emergency fund gets to at least $1,000, invest $25 per month into Prosper
See #4. Since I didn’t build the emergency fund I stopped adding more money to my Proper investments but I did take the time to review how well my Prosper loans were performing. They are still averaging much better returns than traditional bank accounts, but of course there are risks involved but what’s life without a few risks, right?
Grade: F - Concentrate on pay off all bills except the big student loan and Mama HELOC
I did pretty well with this one. I paid off a few credit cards and I’m down to a balance on one credit card plus the HELOC and 2 student loans. Of course I got sideswiped when the state slapped me with a $10K tax bill which I didn’t add to my debt since I was trying to fight it, but I will add it to next year’s.
Grade: B+ - Get a tax refund? Put half to emergency fund and half to paying off a bill
I sure did put half into the emergency fund and half into paying off bills. I just happened to use said emergency fund, as I mentioned in #3 up there. I did do what I said that I would do, but I probably shouldn’t have touched the money, right?
Grade: B+ - After paying off one bill, put half of that bill’s minimum payment to emergency fund each pay period
I didn’t do that. Instead I snowballed payments onto the next debt. It was a decent strategy to get rid of a few bills, but I did sacrifice building an emergency fund. I will do better at that whole emergency fund thing. I promise.
Grade: C - Look at ways to build my skills to position myself for a better, ah, position?
I took the initiative to find training programs for myself and suggested them to my manager. I took said programs and was immediately able to apply them at work. They also helped me to better understand some of the whole database administration when it comes to this blog. No better position in sight though. I plan on adding some additional training and joining some professional organizations to help in this area this year.
Grade: B - Take fat ass to the gym
This was a simple one. I joined the gym and took myself there at least 3 times a week until the last month when I developed bronchitis. I’m actually proud of myself about that and I plan on getting right back into the saddle in January and stepping it up. I do have losing weight as a bucket list item, so it’s time to get to that.
Grade: A - Visit Grandma. Sounds simple but it’s a whole different country and I can’t see paying for a vacation
I didn’t go to visit Grandma, but I chipped in to get Grandma a ticket to come here! She was here for 2 months. So while I didn’t pay for a vacation, in the end I did see Grandma. That’s good enough isn’t it?
Grade: B+
My overall grade is a C+. Ouch! The only reason why it’s that low is because of the whole emergency fund fiasco. I should have done much better than that and I know it. Man, I suck. But you know what? It’s better than I would have done without this blog! I know that it is. I have a few more days before I will review how my finances panned out for the year, but I am happy with what I have been able to accomplish so far. I’ve discovered a theme song when it relates to my debt. I’ve been playing it all year every time I get a little discouraged.
So did you meet all of your goals this year? Also, do you have a theme song? If not, you should get one.
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