Plans for 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I love this time of year. Making new plans and goals, filling out a new planner. It all makes my heart sing.

2019 was a pretty good year. I accomplished several of my goals, decided some of them just wasn't for me and flat out failed at a couple. But it's all ok. I learned from my experiences and I'm moving forward a better, stronger person than I was a year ago.

You all know I set many, many goals each year. In 2019 I had 22 goals and I completed 16 of them. That's 72%. Not bad, but I think I could have done better.

And I've done it again this year. Twenty nine to be exact! Some are one and done type things while others will take all year to get done.

Let's break them down, shall we? Some are carried forward from last year. But they are still things I want to do.

HEALTH
1. Weigh 130.
2. Bike/walk 1,000 miles.
3. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
4. Learn about and try Tai Chi.

Home
1. Complete the kitchen projects list. There are 12 items on this list.
2. Save for new carpet and paint.
3. Continue yard work and organizing the garage.

Family, Friends and Pets
1. My son's wedding in April.
2. Grandson spending a week with us in the summer.
3. Host 4th of July weekend.
4. Host a friends BBQ.

Spouse/Romance
1. One out of the house date each month.
2. Anniversary week. Either a short trip or staycation.
3. Weekend trip in the fall.

Finances 
1. Pay off 12 bills.
2. Buy a camper.
3. Stick to the budget and build savings.
4. Pay for R's class.

Personal Development 
1. Read 12 self-help type books.
2. Practice one new mindfulness exercise a week.
3. Complete personal development journal and Q&A journal.
4. Learn to cook catfish and hushpuppies.
5. Learn to make strawberry jam.

Hobbies/Fun & Recreation 
1. Complete monthly cross stitch patterns.
2. Complete row 3 of the dragon cross stitch.
3. Attend monthly craft nights.

Self Care/Mental Health
1. Daily affirmations.
2. Incorporate deep breathing and yoga into routine.
3. Prepare for dental work.

Now, your head may be spinning from just reading all these goals. But do not dispare, I have a plan. The big things have all been broken down into smaller steps. If I work on them each month, each week, they are doable. I'm sure going to give it a try!

2019 Change Jar Challenge

In 2019 we saved $335.95 in our change jar. Time for a bigger jar LOL. We've decided not to cash it in until our anniversary in September. Can we double it in the next nine months? I'm not sure, but whatever it gets up to will be a nice little gift to us!

November debt update

On November first we started working on these 9 debts. My plan  was to pay them off in order, but as you can see, we were able to pay off #4 in the amount of $359.

Focus: Debt #1
Beginning:  $270.40
Paid in Nov:  $65.00
Ending:  $205.40

Total debt
Beginning:  $4,866.53
Paid in Nov:  $464.00
Ending:  $4,402.53

November savings update

December 1, 2019

November 1, 2019
School: $65.00
Change Jar: $198.67

In November we added $40 to the school fund. We also found out that we don't need $2,500, only $1,200! That's great news, and we will be able to do that pretty quick.

We saved $17.09 in change during November.

December 1st totals
School: $105.00
Change Jar: $215.76

Saving while paying off debt

We recently decided that R should take a class that,  when completed,  will give him certifications that will increase his income.

We've been in debt payoff mode for a couple years and still want to payoff 12 more bills in 2020. So can we save for this class and still make a dent in the debt?

I've just updated a couple of our trackers and thought I'd share our progress in monthly updates.

As you can see, we have our $1,000 mini emergency fund already funded.  I've added the school next to it and we just started putting money aside for that.  The next one I listed is our change jar savings. It won't be cashed in until next September but I thought it would be fun to track. *This is not all of our savings,  it is simply what I have chosen to share.

Next up is the debt tracker.  Again, this is not all of our debt, it's 9 of the 12 we want to pay off soon. The first one has a $25 minimum payment and the others all have a minimum of $10 monthly. The balances aren't that much so we should be putting extra towards them.

But we really want to get the money for his class built up. Let's see how we do saving as we try to pay off these bills at the same time. We hope to have the school fully funded by April or May.