OK, I'm going to post what I think are my finalized goals for 2011. (Hey, I still have a few days to change them if I want.)

This year there's a new wrinkle: I asked NT and AS if they wanted to record any goals here, and they each came up with one. If they come up with others I'll update the sidebar accordingly.

There's a mix of financial and non here, and it's a big list. I'm not going to be pessimistic and say I know I'm not going to reach them all. It's just a big list, that's all. But I feel like they're all important to at least strive for in 2011.

Thanks to Thrift-o-rama's great post recently, I'm also going to add a note here and there about how I plan to reach these goals.

CJ's goals:
*Pay off AS's DL student loan. Current balance is $6814. We pay about $100 per month in the minimum payment, plus I have $700 per month in the budget for extra repayment. So I hope to get this paid off by September at the latest. If we bring in extra money this year, could be sooner!

*Save $3600 to Roths. I have automatic debits set up for all three IRAs; $200 will go to AS's and $50 each will go to mine and NT's.

*Increase EF by $7000. I only put about $50 per month to the EF in U.S. money, but I plan to put all the extra income from NT's UK flat rental into his UK savings account and count that toward it. Most months we clear $500-$600, so this should be a no-brainer as long as there aren't any unexpected repairs or loss of rental income.

*Give $1800 to charities. I have $150 per month in the budget for this; each of us gets to decide where $50 of it goes.

*Get AS to positive net worth. Starting point: ($14,667). This should be pretty easy. Her minimum principal payments plus the extra student-loan payments plus IRA & 401(k) should change her net worth by at least $16,000. But putting it as a goal will help me keep it in mind and do something extra if need be.

*Pay off at least $20,000 of debt. Again, should happen easily. Our regular payments are more than $1000 to principal each month, and we plan to put an extra $700 per month.

*Get down to 139 lbs. NOW we get to the hard goals! LOL. Starting point TBD, but at present I'm at 153 lbs. So it'll be approximately 14 lbs. I've seen modest progress on weeks when I exercise regularly and eat semi-modestly, so I won't be trying anything extreme unless I'm having trouble sticking to moderation.

*Go on at least 2 trips (paid for in cash). I've already got tickets booked for one, and there are two others we're considering, so we may do more than two. Whatever we do, we'll only do if we have the money for it.

*Either get a raise or find new job. Super hard. My plan is, if they don't give me the raise I'm asking for, I'll start looking. I realize full-time well-paying editor jobs are few and far between, but I'm going to try my darnedest. If I find one, and I'm not eager to switch, I'll take the offer to my job and see if they can beat it.

*Complete estate-planning process (and pay for it in cash). This should be fine. We have about $5000 saved up and don't think we'll need nearly that much. We just need to come up with our answers to the big questions, and then contact our lawyer to get the process going.

*Either read a book or do a creative project each month. I do tend to crap out on this kind of goal, but I had to put it out there. I've barely read any novels since AA was born, and I'm not naturally craftsy or creative so it takes a little nudging to get me going in those areas. But I do feel it helps me be more well-rounded, and it's so satisfying when I finish!

*Make money with "side hustles." I hope to get some freelance editing, and I thought freelance writing could fulfill my creative goal, too!

*Organize at least one dinner party or other small-group get-together per month. We tend not to see people except at larger gatherings, where you don't get quality time with every single person. I thought it would be fun to invite a few people over for dinner once a month (or even invite them out somewhere) and strengthen our friendships a bit.

*Write a "Share Your Thoughts" blog post once a month. This one will require help from you! I love when there are more interactive things happening on the site, but there haven't been many this year. So I thought I'd post a topic or question once a month, give my thoughts, and then ask people to post their own entry on the topic (or just write a comment, if you don't have an SA blog). They will probably be mostly non-financial, more philosophical or about life experiences.

And now, NT and AS's goals:

NT
Get down to pre-holiday weight by end of January
Get down to 155 lbs.

AS
Make at least one thing per month (clothes, etc.)

That's it for now! Happy holidays to everyone, and good luck creating and accomplishing your own goals.