2011 Goals
I'm actually a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions...I like lists and goals and feeling accomplished. So, here are my goals for 2011.
1. Pay off my car! CHECK! I paid off my car in July. It's GREAT not to have that liability anymore.
2. Increase amount I am contributing to my retirement accounts to 10% of my income. Nope. But, I am setting up an automatic Roth IRA deduction each month for 2012, so this should happen next year.
3. Increase the amount I pay toward my student loans by $100 per month as soon as my car is paid off. CHECK! I now pay an extra $300 per month, so that I can be debt free by 30!
4. Finish and PASS National Boards. CHECK! My extra pay for that should start coming in January. Yessssss.
5. Get a raise via salary points by the end of this school year. CHECK! I got a raise last May.
6. Start a travel fund so that I can begin to save up for a bigger trip in the next couple of years. Nope.
7. Put less than 8,000 miles on my car. Nope. I put close to 10,000 miles on it.
1. Pay off my car! CHECK! I paid off my car in July. It's GREAT not to have that liability anymore.
2. Increase amount I am contributing to my retirement accounts to 10% of my income. Nope. But, I am setting up an automatic Roth IRA deduction each month for 2012, so this should happen next year.
3. Increase the amount I pay toward my student loans by $100 per month as soon as my car is paid off. CHECK! I now pay an extra $300 per month, so that I can be debt free by 30!
4. Finish and PASS National Boards. CHECK! My extra pay for that should start coming in January. Yessssss.
5. Get a raise via salary points by the end of this school year. CHECK! I got a raise last May.
6. Start a travel fund so that I can begin to save up for a bigger trip in the next couple of years. Nope.
7. Put less than 8,000 miles on my car. Nope. I put close to 10,000 miles on it.
I guess I only accomplished 4 out of 7 of my goals, but I feel good about those ones and where I'm at right now. I've been working on my 2012 goals, and I'm excited to share them and get started on them. It's been amazing to see where I started two and a half years ago to where I am today. I went from living in debts of all sorts, to having my sights set on being debt free. I went from having zero savings to being more than halfway to a six month emergency fund.
If you're struggling with your finances, wondering if you can do it...you can! It's not easy and it takes planning and some sacrifice. But the end result feels amazing, and I wouldn't trade more stuff for the feeling of security that I have now. I don't stress about money anymore. I think about it a lot, but because it's now interesting to me, not because I'm worried about it. My goals are exciting, and the feeling of meeting them puts a smile on my face.
I didn't bother reviewing my old goals. I feel like I didn't like my goals enough. This year will be better!
ReplyDeleteI think you did good!
ReplyDeleteYou did really well! I didn't do so hot, but I think I overstretched myself. I love having goals, because it gives me something to strive for and you're right, it feels awesome when I met them.
ReplyDeleteI think that you did really well. I look forward to seeing your 2012 goals.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I didn't actually write out any goals for 2011, so I have nothing to compare it too. BUT I did remain debtfree..so that's always a good thing!
Merry Christmas!!