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2017 goals review

December 31st, 2017 at 07:02 pm

It was a mixed-bag year in terms of hitting my goals, but overall I'm happy.

Successes:
- Get assets above a million
Result: $1,030,555

- Get debt below $450K
Result: $448,947

- Get retirement above $350K
Result: $390,774

- Try about one new recipe per week (at least 50)
Result: I stopped counting somewhere around 54 new recipes but I tried at least a few more since then, so I bet I'm over 60.

Mixed:

- Attempt refi on US duplex if it appears home values are strong enough to give us 80% LTV
Result: I worked quite hard looking into it but it wasn't feasible.

- Increase 401(k)/SEP contributions up to 10% for NT, 10.5% for me and 11% for AS. (We started with NT at 8% with match, me at 9.5% with match, and AS at 10%)
Result: AS now putting 11% aside, CJ 10.5%, but we didn't increase NT's contributions.

- Continue home renovations
Result:
Did upstairs bathroom (complete redo)
Didn't get insulation for whole house
Saved up as much as we could for kitchen (complete redo) (currently saved $19,450)

- Re-establish nearly daily walking and no breakfast/snacks habits; get weight below 130
Result: I was really good with my habits until November, when I fell off both the walking and eating habits somewhat. I got my weight below 130 in early August and bounced above and below that mark until mid-November, when I bounced above and stayed there. I'm currently at 131.2. But considering I started the year at 137.4, I'm not too displeased with that result!

- Self-publish two novels (already written, need editing) and write at least one more
Result: Wrote one more novel, and did some work on editing another, but did not self-publish. I got stalled out waiting for AS to review one of them and she never got around to it.

Failures:

- Get net worth to $600K
Result: $581,608

- Declutter/reduce stuff, beginning with boxes of paper
Result: total failure. I was going to go through a few boxes today but my book nook where they're stored is a disaster area due to putting in new beds for the kids and bringing some of their old stuff out to my area. Just too chaotic so I'm not going to attempt it.

- Take a more active role in garden/yard maintenance
Result: total failure. At least I learned that I'm not at all interested in this area, so that's something.

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “2017 goals review”

  1. frugaltexan75 Says:
    December 31st, 2017 at 07:22 pm 1514748120
    1514748120

    I wouldn't say the failures were failures .. just attempts that didn't quite work out. Smile

  2. Dido Says:
    December 31st, 2017 at 07:35 pm 1514748956
    1514748956

    Sounds like a great year--some big wins there! I think you're being too hard on yourself with the "failure" /"total failure" labels. You learned something about yourself, in the one case that you're not interested, in the other, that whatever approach you took was not successful. Decluttering was my "big fail" (using your terminology) too, but instead of castigating myself for it, I'm going to try a different approach this next year. Trying to do it on my vacation time didn't work, since I felt too "cheated" of my little free time, so in 2018, I'm going to approach it in two different ways: 1) start by establishing what SJ Scott calls an "elephant habit" ("How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.) of daily 10 minute decluttering--set a timer, take a very small area--one shelf or even 1/4 of a shelf in some cases; and 2) for the worst part of the house that makes me feel totally overwhelmed, hire a personal organizer for a couple of sessions.

    Bravo on your great year!

  3. snafu Says:
    December 31st, 2017 at 08:21 pm 1514751688
    1514751688

    Curious, who has stepped up and photos that include structures, hire a landscaping student to devise a plan for what will grow successfully with what soil supplements [acid/alkaline]with only a modicum of care for a set budget...like growing from seed. This is best started in February. Student has possibility of getting graded as a plus.

  4. ceejay74 Says:
    December 31st, 2017 at 08:43 pm 1514752980
    1514752980

    The downstairs neighbors did more than their fair share and even hired a handyman to keep the lawn mowed, etc. AS did a quite successful balcony garden and helped out in the yard. I can't remember if NT helped out at all but I bet he did more than me!

  5. rob62521 Says:
    December 31st, 2017 at 09:53 pm 1514757210
    1514757210

    I think you are being too hard on yourself. I wouldn't classify your failures as such. At least you attempted and did have some progress. Your successes are amazing!

  6. snafu Says:
    January 1st, 2018 at 01:18 am 1514769505
    1514769505

    Ilynexplicably, my computer dropped sentences and my attempts to edit or fix fail miserably.

    3rd attempt...

    Curious, who has stepped up and photos that include structures, hire a landscaping student to devise a plan for what will grow successfully with what soil supplements [acid/alkaline]with only a modicum of care for a set budget...like growing from seed. This is best started in February. Student has possibility of getting graded as a plus.

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