I don't know when I'll be ready to post my 2009 resolutions--right now the new year seems so far away! But I think it's safe to see how I did, or am doing, on last year's resolutions.
So here they are:
1. Become personal-debt-free within two years. That's right, by Dec. 31, 2009, I want to see my nearly $70,000 of credit card and personal debt go pffft!
STATUS:
A partial success. I project that I'll be at about $38,000 by the end of 2008, by paying off $28,000 and using about $4,000 of returned student-loan money to reduce my higher interest personal loan. So not quite halfway there, and with layoff and baby plans in the future, not sure that I will get there by the end of 2009 as originally planned. Still, I made quite a dent, and I reckon at a minimum I'll pay off another $10K next year. Hopefully I can do better than that.
2. Look seriously at what it takes, character-wise and money-wise, to become a mom. I am 33 and almost (not quite) to a place where I want to have kids more than anything. This is a very new feeling for me, so I want to go slow, do lots of research, talk to some moms, talk to my doctor, and by, say, mid-2009, know whether this is the way I for sure want to go, and (if so) when.
STATUS:
On track! We've been discussing on and off all year in my household, and we know this is the way we want to go. I talked to my doctor and got the green light to start trying, so now I'm going to start researching the financial implications to determine when we'd be ready (enough) to begin. We're thinking we'll start trying early next year.
3. Continue to work out almost 5 times a week.
STATUS:
Strong start to the year, but fizzled out in August. Mainly because of despondency over various health issues; probably due to eliminating the exercise-incentive money from our budget; but also because my workout buddy, NT, is working full-time AND taking a nearly full course load at college, so it's been hard motivating myself. Hope to have him back over the winter break from school, and maybe that will get me somewhat back in track. I'm going to set myself a fitness challenge for December, but I haven't decided what yet.
4. Grow my second balcony garden, and try for bell peppers this time!
STATUS:
Partial success. None of my pepper plants made it this year, the cilantro was a no-go, and one of our tomato plants had a defect where the fruit rotted as it grew. But we got some small tomatoes from some other plants, a nice crop of baby lettuce and arugula, and a really strong basil plant that yielded several crops.
5. Complete my debt-repayment "Ad Hoc goal" by 3/31/08 (see sidebar for info).
STATUS:
Complete success! The goal was to pay off enough extra debt to more than fund our England trip, and we surpassed it. In fact, the trip was completely paid-for before we went, and we even stayed under budget in our spending while there.
So that's pretty heartening; I at least made some headway on each of my goals. Makes me even more determined to post some ambitious goals for 2009!
2008 New Year's resolutions: How did I do?
November 21st, 2008 at 03:59 pm
November 21st, 2008 at 04:08 pm 1227283727
Wow, that is awesome! This, along with all other SA bloggers' goals, has made me jealous that I have no goals to report on. However, that is OLD thinking. NEW thinking says: This post has inspired me to come up with concrete measurable things to accomplish in the upcoming year so that I may join you all next year in reporting on my upcoming goals for 09!
May you find success with your 09 goals, too!
November 21st, 2008 at 04:28 pm 1227284908
As for green peppers. I find that if they get too much afternoon summer sun, they wither on the vine. They may need a little more shade than other plants like tomatoes. The year I put them on the shadier side of the house, I had a bumper crop!
November 21st, 2008 at 08:41 pm 1227300067
Just go forward and enjoy the process.
And great job on your 2008 goals.
November 21st, 2008 at 09:30 pm 1227303031
thrift & merch:
LOL guys, I get that, of course. I'm not so presumptuous as to think I'll be the first mom in history to be totally prepared and financially set.
That said, at present I have just over $1,000 EF, no budget line item for baby expenses, and no sense of what I'm going to need to buy or how much anything costs. I think I could be a TINY bit more prepared, financially and otherwise, than I am now. :-P
November 22nd, 2008 at 06:13 pm 1227377601
November 22nd, 2008 at 06:37 pm 1227379021