Another year of keeping it simple. We met our OOP Max for our health insurance in 2019 and I am sure we will meet it again for 2020, so main goal is to not add any more debt and to stay on top of medical bills. In order to do this we will just be paying minimums on our current debts.

2020 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for Laughlin trip in January
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Store Loan (From $978.74 to $0)
-Mom Loan #3 (From $30,012.24 to $23,351.65)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $77,500.00 to $75,200.00)
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $141,000 to $138,800.00)
-Our House (From $236,820.33 to $231,573.13)
-STRETCH GOAL - We just really need to focus on savings and staying out of new debt rather then paying extras on existing debt. I am excited that in 2020 the Store Loan will be paid off and then we can snowball that payment onto something else, but for now we will just keep trucking along. Total debt will go from $486,311.31 to $468,924.78, for a total debt reduction of $17,386.53. Stretch Goal would be to get total dent down to $465,000.00.

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Get front and back yard under control

Overall I am super happy with how we did on our goals for 2019! Everyday that I am still breathing is a win for me, everything else is just gravy.


Here are our 2019 goals and how we did on them:

We are keeping it really simple for 2019 goals. Keep breathing, pay minimums on our current debts, and don't accrue any new debt (with our HSA fund pretty depleted we need to make sure we aren't acquiring any medical debt).

2019 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for Laughlin trip in March -Goal Met
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year-Goal Met, Savings is currently at $17,065.00


Debt
-Store Loan (From $4,078.11 to $978.74)Goal Met
-Mom Loan #3 (From $36,541.06 to $30,012.24)Goal Met
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $81,458.91 to $79,178.91)Goal Met and Exceeded by $1678.91
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $145,550.00 to $141,550.00)Goal Met and Exceeded by $500.00
-Our House (From $241,855.85 to $236,820.33)Goal Met

-STRETCH GOAL - No stretch goal this year. We just really need to focus on savings and staying out of new debt rather then paying extras on existing debt. I am excited that in 2020 the Store Loan will be paid off and then we can snowball that payment onto something else, but for now we will just keep trucking along. Total debt will go from $509,425.02 to $488,540.22, for a total debt reduction of $20,884.80. Total end of year debt Goal Met and Exceeded by $2228.91


Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401KGoal Met
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustmentsDid not do - Goal not met

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have Everyday challenge
-Lose 40lbs by Laughlin trip in MarchGoal not met

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Pour cement patio at Rental #1Goal Met
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house Nope
-Get front and back yard under control Double Nope

Goals for 2019 are going good so far.

Savings Goals for 2019:
*Pay in cash for vacation to Laughlin - Goal Met
*Pay medical bills as they come and don't take on any new debt for medical - As of now goal met.
*Still have total savings at/above $5000 at the end of the year (Currently at $16,800)

I've also acquired a lot more inventory for my selling which I look at as a type of savings account too. Most items I get I sell within a month or two at most (unless they are seasonal/holiday, in which case they would be held till the next year), but obviously there are some items that take longer to sell, especially if I have a lot of them, and I typically always buy multiples of items if it is an option. This week I sold 30+ items that I just got, so within a week they were sold, but I also sold 3 items that I got in 2014! So it's a constant stream of income and though I don't want items to sit, the more items I have stocked, the more future income I have as well.

Debt Goals for 2019 were just to make minimum payment and not accrue any new debt since we are dealing with all the medical issues. We are exceeding that already, so far for 2019 we have paid $490.37 in extra principle payments to mortgages.

I also had a health goal to lose 40lbs this year, I am currently down 27lbs. Would like to be down 30lbs by the time we go to Vegas in May. Going on vaca and being sick for over 3 weeks now have definitely killed my weightloss and exercise. I did go to the Dr. yesterday finally and got meds so hopefully I will be better soon and can get back to working out.

We also have yard and home maintenance goals for this year, we haven't started on those yet due to weather. But we have started making plans.

We are keeping it really simple this year for goals. Keep breathing, pay minimums on our current debts, and don't accrue any new debt (with our HSA fund pretty depleted we need to make sure we aren't acquiring any medical debt).

2019 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for Laughlin trip in March
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Store Loan (From $4,078.11 to $978.74)
-Mom Loan #3 (From $36,541.06 to $30,012.24)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $81,458.91 to $79,178.91)
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $145,550.00 to $141,550.00)
-Our House (From $241,855.85 to $236,820.33)
-STRETCH GOAL - No stretch goal this year. We just really need to focus on savings and staying out of new debt rather then paying extras on existing debt. I am excited that in 2020 the Store Loan will be paid off and then we can snowball that payment onto something else, but for now we will just keep trucking along. Total debt will go from $509,425.02 to $488,540.22, for a total debt reduction of $20,884.80.

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have
-Lose 40lbs by Laughlin trip in March (Currently down 22lbs)

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Pour cement patio at Rental #1
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house
-Get front and back yard under control

Obviously our year didn't go as planned at all with losing the twins, but here is a check in on our financial goals. Considering all we have been through this year, I really think we did pretty darn good.

2018 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for Vegas trip - Goal met!
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year - Goal met! Savings was at $13K at the end of the year!

Debt
-Mom Loan #2 (From $17,327.47 to $10,410.84) - Goal not met as we purchased a new vehicle so we would have enough room for the babies and the dogs, we added the loan for the truck to the Mom Loan.
-Store Loan (From $7,116.12 to $4,078.11) - Goal met!
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $83,740.75 to $81,520.75)- Goal met and exceeded by $61.84!
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $149,980.00 to $146,380.00)- Goal met and exceeded by $830.00!
-Our House (From $246,688.21 to $241,855.85) - Goal met!

-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $474K or less. That would be if things go well and we could payoff the Mom Loan. That would put us down $30,852.55 for the year (Currently at $504,852.55). - Goal not met due to getting the new truck and saving for babies and not paying off any extra on debt

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K -Goal met!
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments - Goal not met, just too much going on and it didn't get looked at.


Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have - Man I tried, but losing the babies really tanked me
-Lose 50lbs - Obviously with a twin pregnancy that was no longer a goal for the year, but I am down 10lbs from where I started last year.

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)- Goal met, we got a lot of repairs done at Rental #1 when we had a new renter move in.
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house - Goal not met, just too much going on and it wasn't addressed.

It's hard to do a lot of detailed planning for 2018 because we will be having medical bills and we don't know exactly how much those will be, and we also have a renter moving out as of Feb 1st and no new tenant lined up yet. Also since we know we have medical bills coming up we changed our medical plan for 2018 to a more expensive plan, and also started contributing to our HSA again, so my take home pay will be less, but it should be the best for us in the long run to keep bills manageable.

But for now we can at least see where we will be with the minimum payments on our debts and other personal goals.


2018 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for Vegas trip
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Mom Loan #2 (From $17,327.47 to $10,410.84)
-Store Loan (From $7,116.12 to $4,078.11)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $149,980.00 to $146,380.00)
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $83,740.75 to $81,520.75)
-Our House (From $246,688.21 to $241,855.85)
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $474K or less. That would be if things go well and we could payoff the Mom Loan. That would put us down $30,852.55 for the year (Currently at $504,852.55).

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have
-Lose 50lbs

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house

Here is our 2017 Goals and how we did on them. Our savings went up $8620.00, and our debt went down $20,792.19. That's almost a $30K swing in the right direction! We also did a lot of updates to Rental #2 including a brand new deck, which we paid for in cash ($3K+).
If we didn't have so many unknowns in 2018 we could have been more aggressive with the debt paydown, but I think it's best to be safe for now.

2017 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for trip to Laughlin -Goal Met!
-Pay in cash for Vegas trip for SIL 21st BD -Goal Met!
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year -Goal Met! Currently at $16,935!

Debt
-Payoff Mom Loan #2 (Current balance $24,107.25 with $900 in separate savings account to pay it off) - We do have enough in savings to payoff the Mom Loan right now, but since we are going to have a lot of medical bills in 2018, and right now we have a renter moving out on Feb 1 and no one set up to move in yet, we are waiting till things are more secure before we drain savings.
-Store Loan (From $10,094.05 to $7,116.12) - Goal Met!
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $154,200.00 to $149,990.00) -Goal Met!
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $85,917.82 to $83,800.00) -Goal Met!
-Our House (From $251,325.62 to $246,688.21) -Goal Met!
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $490K or less. That is down $35,933.12 for the year (Currently at $525,933.12) - If we drained savings to payoff the Mom Loan we would meet and exceed the stretch goal, but for now we just need to sit tight to see what 2018 will bring for medical bills and renters.

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K - Goal Met!
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments - Didn't do this at all - FAIL

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have -Still working on this mindset
-Lose 50lbs before Vegas Trip (July 2017) - I did lose 20 before we went to Vegas, but since then gained back about 10

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall) - Not done, but since our renter is moving out we should be able to get this done soon
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #2 (porch step, landscaping) - Done as well as new deck
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house - I didn't get any garden planted at all this year

I can't wait to get started!!!


2017 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for trip to Laughlin
-Pay in cash for Vegas trip for SIL 21st BD
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Payoff Mom Loan #2 (Current balance $24,107.25 with $900 in separate savings account to pay it off)
-Store Loan (From $10,094.05 to $7,116.12)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $154,200.00 to $149,990.00)
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $85,917.82 to $83,800.00)
-Our House (From $251,325.62 to $246,688.21)
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $490K or less. That is down $35,933.12 for the year (Currently at $525,933.12)

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have
-Lose 50lbs before Vegas Trip (July 2017)

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #2 (porch step, landscaping)
-Plant bigger/better garden at new house

Here are my goals from this year and how we did! Overall I am very happy, especially with how we did for debt reduction!

2016 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for trip to Laughlin Goal Met!
-Pay in cash for cruise We ended up cancelling this when we found out it was a lot more expensive then we had planned, and I am very happy we made that decision! We were able to get our deposit back and put the money back in savings
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year Curently at $8315!

Debt
-Set aside money to payoff Appliances Card (We don't have the numbers for this yet since they haven't been delivered yet. It is a 0% card until June 2017). Paid Off!
-Payoff Mom Loan (Current balance $13,741.64) Paid Off!
-Store Loan (From $13,013.05 to $10,094.05)Goal Met!
-HELOC (From $28,830.17 to $25,330.00)Paid off! (Transferred into Mom Loan #2 - balance $24,107.25)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $158,190.00 to $154,500.00)Goal Met!
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $88,051.53 to $86,000.00)Goal Met!
-Our House (From $255,775.94 to $250,000.00) We didn't make any extra payments on this debt, current balance is $251,325.62
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $525K or less. That is down $32,602.33 for the year (Currently at $557,602.33, not counting the appliances yet). Current debt is at $525,644.74, just $644.74 short....but with the $900 we have set aside to payoff Mom Loan #2, we made the stretch goal!!

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K Goal Met!
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments Fail....didn't do anything with this

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have Feel like I did good at this, but room for improvement
-Lose 40lbs before cruise (Sept 2016)Fail, didn't lose any weight

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Finish unpacking/organizing at new house Goal Met!
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)This did not get completed
-Find renter for whole house at Rental #2 Goal Met! We have had the full house rented since April.
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #2 (porch step, landscaping)We got some landscaping done, but more is needed, and porch step is not fixed yet.
-Plant garden at new house We did this and I can't wait to make it bigger and better next year!

After reviewing my goals for the year in the last post, the only one I have not made any progress on is losing weight. My goal for the year was to lose 40lbs, and I have instead gained 10-15lbs.....terrible. No reason really, I just have not been sticking with any kind of plan for eating right or working out, just eating terrible food and lots of it. Now we are down to about 14 weeks till our cruise...and I am out of time to start over again.

So starting tomorrow (6/1) I am all in, no more excuses or starting over, no more cheats and lack of planning ahead.

MO and I are signing up for 3 (Yes 3!) dietbets, 1 for $100, and 2 for $35 each.

We have set up one of our extra bedrooms as a workout room. We moved our elliptical, a TV, all my P90X DVDS, yoga mat, some free weights, etc. into the room. MO is going to hookup my Wii and a DVD player today so that we are ready to start tomorrow. I think this is the thing I am most excited about it to actually have an area dedicated to working out and not have to be in the middle of the living room.

I am going to do P90X every morning except Wed (I have early morning meetings on Wed) and possibly on the weekends IF we are out of town. I will also be doing a ten min ab video (my biggest problem area) on my 15 min morning break from work. If we are out of town then I will be doing some type of other workout (running or swimming at the lake, or softball are usually the only reasons we will be gone this summer).

I also play on softball teams 3 nights a week (Tues, Wed and Sunday) so that will be an additional workout, and I will also be doing the elliptical and Wii Dance Games to supplement too.

Food - I made a calendar for dinners for June (I will make July and August when they get closer). It gets a little tough with us being gone 4 nights a week between the 2 of us for softball. But the nights we are home we have a plan for healthy dinners. When we are gone if we go out to eat I will be having grilled chicken, fish or salads. Lunches I am going to make cabbage soup (which I love) and I also have salads, steamed brussel sprouts, eggs, tuna, Shakeology. Breakfast will be Shakeology, 0% plan Greek Yogurt, cottage cheese, breakfast sandwiches with whole wheat English muffins etc.

No pop or alcohol. I don't have a problem with no alcohol, the no pop is much harder for me. But I know I can do it. We have an event in 2 weeks that I will be drinking at (been planned for a long time), but that is the only time I plan to drink till the cruise. It can be hard to not drink with having 3 nights a week of softball, but I am ok with it. My BD is in about 3 weeks and I am not even going to drink at my BD meal. I have already picked out where to go, and what I want to eat, that I will only eat half and that I will be sending my leftovers home with my Mom.

Planning is key to make sure I succeed!

Rewards - MO and I are challenging each other and I am confident I am going to beat him...lol! We are on casino hiatus since we bought our new vehicle, so we are going to make some casino/fun rewards for when we can go again.

We plan on doing dietbets for June, July and August. For each month we individually make our goals, we will each get $250 per month goal made. So a possible total of $750. Then if we made all 3 months, we get a BONUS $250, but only if we make all 3 months. Then which ever of us has the biggest loss percentage on 8/31/16 wins.....and gets an extra $1000 to do some high rolling! So the stakes are very HIGH! We will probably not cash in on these rewards until October or later since we are busy and this isn't the type of money we would bring to our local casino, only on a special trip. I think this will be good incentive, but mostly I just want to feel good in my bikini on the cruise.

We should make some pretty good money if we win all of our dietbets. I want to update on here at least once a week to track my progress.

I am ready to do this!!

Here is a midyear update to my 2016 goals. Pretty happy with progress so far. Definitely need to improve on some things, specifically losing weight. Can you believe 1/2 of the year is over!!??


2016 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for trip to Laughlin - DONE
-Pay in cash for cruise - We have to pay this in 2 weeks, we will put it on our Discover Card to get the cash back rewards and then pay for it in full when the bill comes so that we don't pay any interest
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Set aside money to payoff Appliances Card - DONE, we decided to just pay it off to get it done with
-Payoff Mom Loan #1 (Balance on 12/31/15 $13,741.64) - DONE
-Store Loan (From $13,013.05 to $10,094.05) - Currently at $11,785.20
-HELOC (From $28,830.17 to $25,330.00) - Paid Off/Consolidated to Mom Loan #2
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $158,190.00 to $154,500.00) - Currently at $156,600.00
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $88,051.53 to $86,000.00) - Currently at $87,196.11
-Our House (From $255,775.94 to $250,000.00) - Currently at $253,943.88
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $525K or less. That is down $35,502.33 for the year. Balance on 12/31/15 $560,502.33. - Currently at $537,525.19

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K DONE
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments Nope...

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have Feeling really good about this. XH texted me randomly again a few days ago. I didn't respond and didn't dwell on it nearly as much as I would have before. Feel better mentally everyday!
-Lose 40lbs before cruise (Sept 2016) I actually gained 10lbs UGH Starting over again on 6/1/16 with new workout and eating plan.

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Finish unpacking/organizing at new house House is done, still working on garage
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)Nope
-Find renter for whole house at Rental #2 - DONE
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #2 (porch step, landscaping) - We worked on the landscaping, still need to do a few minor repairs
-Plant garden at new house - Waiting for tiller to be repaired, should be done any day now

2016 Goals

Savings
-Pay in cash for trip to Laughlin
-Pay in cash for cruise
-Keep savings at/above $5K by end of year

Debt
-Set aside money to payoff Appliances Card (We don't have the numbers for this yet since they haven't been delivered yet. It is a 0% card until June 2017).
-Payoff Mom Loan (Current balance $13,741.64)
-Store Loan (From $13,013.05 to $10,094.05)
-HELOC (From $28,830.17 to $25,330.00)
-Rental #1 Mortgage (From $158,190.00 to $154,500.00)
-Rental #2 Mortgage (From $88,051.53 to $86,000.00)
-Our House (From $255,775.94 to $250,000.00)
-STRETCH GOAL Total Debt Balance down to $525K or less. That is down $32,602.33 for the year (Currently at $557,602.33, not counting the appliances yet).

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive and thankful for what I have
-Lose 40lbs before cruise (Sept 2016)

Home Improvements and Rental Updates
-Finish unpacking/organizing at new house
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #1 (hole in wall)
-Find renter for whole house at Rental #2
-Complete minor repairs at Rental #2 (porch step, landscaping)
-Plant garden at new house

Since I ended up getting engaged, moving, getting married and moving again....2015 goals did not go as planned since I had so many life changing events. That being said....I am totally happy that I didn't make my goals! LOL I would much rather have MO, and our puppy, and our new home and have the added debt anyday!

Here are the goals from January 2015 and where I ended up on them:


Savings
-Pay in cash for repair and painting of living room, kitchen, bathroom and entry way walls - DONE
-Pay in cash for new garage door - DONE
-Pay in cash for new patio door - DONE (just repaired rather then replaced)
-Keep savings at/above $25K by end of year - This definitely would have happened if we hadn't bought a new house, but since we did, we used savings for the down payment. If we hadn't bought a new house, we would have about $35K in savings.

Debt
-Remain Debt free other then mortgage - Since I "inherited" MO's debt when we got married, I/we do now have a loan from my Mom ($13,770 left), store loan ($13,000 left) and a HELOC (about $28,000 left). Hopefully we can attack those and have them paid off within a few years and then be back to just the mortgages.
-Get mortgage balance to under $160K ($166,850 as of 1/1/15) - DONE - Currently at $158,190.00!

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K - DONE
-Restart contributions to ROTH IRA - Didn't do and I don't plan to at this time until we get more debt paid off.
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments - Didn't do, NEED TO!

Health
-Be positive - Still working on this, it is something I work on everyday, I have a hard time with painful, hurtful, sad memories seeping into my brain when I least expect it.
-Work on letting go of the past and embracing the future - See above!
-Lose 50lbs - I am down about 13lbs, need to make this a priority now that we are done with wedding and settled into house
*Sub goals for this are
--Work out at gym at least twice a week - I cancelled gym membership when I moved in April, so that is out
--Quit drinking pop (currently drinking 2 cans a day minimum)Though I saw a vast improvement on this throughout the year, I still fall off the wagon on a consistent basis.

Other
-Find Renter for basement - DONE Renter moved into the basement in April. Now working on either him getting a roommate, or renting out the entire house by March 1, 2016.

I am doing good on my New Years Resolutions. I am completely off of pop and am down 7lbs (hoping to be down 10 by end of month). I do have a few cans of Coke left in my fridge (I think 3) and I am ok with leaving those in there in case I want an occasional one or if BF wants them. But I am not buying anymore for home or for work and have been having water if we go out for dinner.

I have been selling tons on FB (over $600 in the last 2 weeks). Recently my Mom and I decided to pool our purchases and sales, so for new purchases we each pay half and then we split the profit. This works good since she is retired so she can go shopping during the day and find deals at the "right place/time" on clearance and such and I do most of the selling as I am quicker with the computer and also have a huge clientele in BFs town, so the $600 will be split for the most part other then a few items I sold tht I had before we decided to do joint purchases.

I am deciding if I want to put these sales towards the mortgage or in savings. My savings is over $26K right now, but I like to keep it at/above $25K and I have my property tax bill ($2300) to be paid by 2/15/15, a trip to Nevada in the beginning of March ($2200), and a surprise trip (BF won't tell me where he is taking me) in June (he is covering all travel and lodging, but I am sure I will need $$ for shopping, food, etc.). So I would like to have a cushion above the $25K to cover these upcoming expenses and keep me over $25K. Of course I will also have my tax return coming soon (got my W2 today) so that should be a nice bump as well, but a little nervous since this is my first time filing single in 7 years.

Still no roomate, but I continue to put the word out. My basement is clean and ready for a renter. Since I still haven't gotten one by word of mouth I really need to take pics and put some feelers out to my FB friends.

One of my other resolutions was to be positive and let go of the past. I still get sad on a daily basis (sometimes for 10 seconds, sometime intermittently all day) over my divorce. I just feel in shock, disbelief...who was that person, how could I be with them for 12 years and not know they weren't in it for life? In the last 3 weeks I feel I have been doing much better at seeing things where they are now. I just focus on the FACT that I can not change the past. Thinking about it over and over again, dwelling, thinking "what if" don't change a thing. So I focus on the positives of where I am now. One thing that I found very comforting is that when I was married I ALWAYS had some big problem (XH's infertility and refusal to discuss it, cheating, alcoholism)that was stuck in my head so I could never feel relaxed or content, it was always "what can I do to fix this, how can I make this better?". And my mind was never at ease with where I was in life. Now my mind can rest. I know even though I will sometimes feels sad for the past, I am in a MUCH better place now. I sometime even feel confused why I don't have a big problem to think about...lol. I also noticed that my nails are growing better, my hair has thickened and a small skin ailment that I had for about 3 years just cleared up all on it's own after XH left......hmmmmmm....lol. Also BF is great and has helped the healing process more then I could ever explain on showing me there are stand-up guys out there.

Overall very happy with my progress in 3 weeks on the resolutions. Will keep moving forward on weight loss, savings going up, debt going down, and being a happy, healthy, productive member of this life!

Well it's only day 5, but so far so good on New Year's Goals!

*Tracking my spending daily and have only had one "unneeded" expenditure (Beer and Wings!)

*Tracking my food and drinks is going well as well, always eye opening to see how many things go into your mouth!

*Water consumption has increased about 80%!

*Pop consumption has gone down by over 50% and I am feeling great about it and already seeing a sharp decrease in my Coke cravings.

*My two week goal was to lose 5lbs, and I was already down 5lbs yesterday! (after only 4 days!!) (This made me SUPER happy! )

*I allow myself one "treat" per week (that means no tootsie rolls, no cookies, no Christmas treats, no sweets AT ALL, except one chosen treat per week). Thus far that is going good, I chose a chocolate shake for my treat last week. I have not had my treat for this week yet, and in only 5 days I have already said no to Frooties, donuts, chocolate milk and cupcakes already! Feeling proud of that!

*GYM - I have been out of town everyday except one so far this year, so have not made it to the gym yet , but planning 3 days this week.

*Roomate - I am still putting out feelers and I sent a message to a instructor I know at the school of nursing to see if she has any potentials. I plan on taking pictures of my basement this week and possibly posting on my FB to see if any of my friends/family have a lead for me. Just so happy it is clean and ready now so I can have someone move in at any time. I am also looking into some basic leases.

Since last year was the hardest year of my life....I am ANXIOUSLY looking forward to 2015!

My goals are in the previous post and and I am EXCITED to get started!

*The roomate piece is moving forward since my basement is now clean and I can start seriously searching for a roomate.

*For the home improvements, I have started to look online at paint schemes to start picking out what I want to do for the bathroom wall repair/painting job.

*For savings, I have auto deposits set up to both my savings and also with joint savings with BF. We both want to save for the future, so can help motivate each other.

*BF and I decided to make a goal of not going to the casino until we go on a vacation to Laughlin in March. Two 1/2 months without a casino trip will be tough on both of us, but then we will have more time and for working out, getting more sleep, and working on the cleaning and home improvements we plan to do! Plus more $$ in our pockets!

I also have plans set up to help me reach my weight goals.


*I will be working out a MINIMUM of 2 days a week at the gym and 1 day a week at home/outside. (It's hard to get in a lot of gym days since I spend an average of 2-4 days a week out of town at BFs place).

*I currently drink a minimum of 2 cans of Coke per day, often times more then that. Starting 1/1/15 I will be weaning myself off (I am not quitting cold turkey because I get awful caffeine headaches). I am initially going to be starting by stopping pop at home and going out to eat, and also reducing my 2 cans at work down to 1. I think I will do that for about a week or so and then go down to just 1 mini can (6oz) at work for about a week and after that I should be able to get by with NONE!

*Goal of drinking a gallon of water a day, which would be 4, 32oz Powerade bottles worth. I am TERRIBLE at drinking anything but pop, so need to make that a priority.

*BF and I are starting a new Diet Bet online for 1/1/15. Making money motivates me a LOT, so that will be a good extra kick in the butt!

*BF got $250 in Mastercard giftcards for Christmas and we are going to go in together to buy an elliptical for his place so I have options to workout there (too cold outside, currently -23 today with windchill!)

I am ready for 2015!!!

Normally I like to have many different savings accounts earmarked for specific goals....but since I had everything combined for ease of allocation during the divorce, I am kind of liking the ease of just having a few different accounts. Makes things much simpler!

That being said, it is harder to identify separate savings goals when everything is combined. So I am taking a different approach for my goals for 2015, and just saying to pay for the items with, and reimburse savings to the same starting balance.


Here is what I have so far:


Savings
-Pay in cash for repair and painting of living room, kitchen, bathroom and entry way walls
-Pay in cash for new garage door
-Pay in cash for new patio door
-Keep savings at/above $25K by end of year

Debt
-Remain Debt free other then mortgage
-Get mortgage balance to under $160K ($166,850 as of 1/1/15)

Retirement
-Continue contributing 6% to 401K
-Restart contributions to ROTH IRA
-Research and review allocations of ROTH and make appropriate adjustments

Health
-Be positive
-Work on letting go of the past and embracing the future
-Lose 50lbs
*Sub goals for this are
--Work out at gym at least twice a week
--Quit drinking pop (currently drinking 2 cans a day minimum)

Other
-Find Renter for basement

When they redid my mortgage loan they overestimated by $2644.04, so that amount was deposited in my checking account today. I transferred it to savings and BOOM I am over $20K! YEAH!

So now I need to make a plan of action. I will definitely be paying extra every month on the mortgage and I have a number of home improvements that I have been putting off for too long and I will need to make a priority list and start on those soon. Should be back with a goal/plan soon!


Current Balance $19,360.00
+$2640.00 Overage on new mortgage loan
Balance $22,000.00

Local Savings $1310.00
ING Savings $20,690.00
My Total Savings $22,000.00

DH and I took $2000 of our tax refund to Deadwood....and came home with $2600!! YEAH! I gave $100 to DH for fun money and then I get to have my kind of fun with the rest! I wanted to put a large chunk of it towards the mortgage, but there are a few things up in the air in life right now, so until things are more in place, we decided to put it in savings. We can always take it out and make a large payment later when things are more secure. But for now YEAH for savings being FULL!

Met 2 of our savings goals for the year with this update!

New Focus = Short Term EF $1000/$1000 - Complete
New Focus = Long Term EF $2000/$2000 - Cpmplete
New Focus = Home Maintenance $5150/$7000

Current Balance $27,455.00
+$700.00 Tax Return/Deadwood to Escrow Account
+$530.00 Tax Return/Deadwood to Short Term EF
+$840.00 Tax Return/Deadwood to Long Term EF
+$430.00 Tax Return/Deadwood to Home Maintenance
+$45.00 to Home Maintenance to reach $30K!!!
New Balance $30,000.00!!!!!!!!!

ING $26,360.00
Home Improvements(cash)$440.00
HSBC $3200.00
Total = $30,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!

DH and I definitely have 2 problem areas when it comes to spending. Eating out and gambling.

The eating out is mostly due to laziness. Neither one of us is a huge fan of cooking, DH cooks waaaaay more then I do. Eating out is easy, yummy, and a nice treat for us to do together...however in the last few years it has gone from a treat to a standard and we often eat out 3-4 times a week. And these are not McDonalds tabs, we usually go to sit down resterants and have beer with dinner, so the bill is normally around $25 - $35. We almost always have leftovers, which we ALWAYS eat at home or for lunch at work, so we aren't wasting that, but $100+ a week on eating out is crazyness...and bad for my waistline as well.

The gambling is our favorite hobby together. We like to go to the casino locally (about 45 min away), go on mini trip to other casinos in ND, MN and SD, and also go to Vegas once a year. We also play blackjack and bingo at the bar occasionally. We don't have kids or any debt other then the mortgage, so we can go whenever we want and don't have to worry about time/money that should be spent on other things. This is our leisure activity of choice, so I don't feel bad about spending money (and sometimes winning!) on gambling, but I also expect us to have and keep some limitations on it.

So I made some simple Excel sheets to help us get back on track with these 2 areas. I titled one Eating Out Spending/January 2014 (this one we will need to track monthly) and the other Gambling Spending 2014 (this one I should be able to track yearly). I set up columns for the date, the item (where we ate or where/what we gambled on), the amount, and a running total column. I already discussed this with DH and he is on board to track these items as well, so I will put the sheets on the fridge when I get home and I think this will really help us with our problem areas as we can see the exact amounts we are really spending.

I have been working on my 2014 goals. Here is what I have so far:

2014 Goals

Debt
-Continue to live debt free other then mortgage
-Get mortgage from $98,300 to under $80,000


Savings
-Sept 2014 $1800 (add $585)
-Short Term EF $1000 (add $800)
-Long Term EF $2000 (add $850)
-Home Maintenance $7000 (add $2335)
-Vegas $3000 (Complete)
-New Car $10,000 (Complete)
-Anniversary Cruise $4000 (add $1000)
-Escrow $4650 (add $4200)
-Cushion $3600 (add $500)
-HSA $12,000 (add $3000)
-Any additional after goals are met will go to long term EF
-Total regular savings at the end of the year over $25K


Retirement
-Continue to contribute 6% to 401K
-Continue to contribute $100 per paycheck to ROTH IRA
-Review ING ROTH IRA Investments and reallocate so a larger portion is being invested


Other
-Lose 30 more lbs (Currently down 10)
-Work on being a better home owner (repairs, lawncare, gardening etc)
-Do quarterly review of progress on 2014 goals
-Live a positive life
-Continue working on decluttering house
-Track casino and eating out money monthly
-Be the best wife I can be

YEAH! Met the Anniversary Cruise Goal for the year!!

New Focus = Sept 2014 $1215/$1800

Current Balance $28,450.00
+$100.00 to Anniversary Cruise
New Balance $28,550.00

ING $25,110.00
Home Improvements(cash)$440.00
HSBC $3000.00
Total = $28,550.00

Another one bites the dust! So excited to be doing so well on our goal list so early in the year! I asked DH what he would like to do with the $250 per paycheck that we had been putting towards the Home Improvements, and he said he would like to keep it going to Home Improvements even though our yearly goal is met. This is money from his Track/Cross Country Coach pay, so I am leaving this up to him. He wants to replace our patio door and also put in underground sprinklers this year, and as other home owners out there know, there is always something to be upgraded or fixed, so I think that is a good idea to keep adding to that pot.

The next 3 goals on the list (Anniversary Cruise, Cushion, and HSA) are on autodeposits that will meet those goals for the year. So for now I am going to be adding to our Vegas fund (trip is in July) to give us a little extra fun money for being so good on our savings this year. After that I am hoping to put the Long Term EF up to $2K (I know this is still small, but we really have all of our ING savings as an EF if it was needed) and then make some GOOD extra payments on the house for Sept-Dec. For now we will keep going with our $400-$600 extra payments per month.

Current Focus = Home Improvements $7,115/$7,000 – Goal Met!

Current Balance $27,725.00
-$28.00 to Roth IRA
+$3.00 Even Out Amount
+$100.00 Retirement Hold Account
+$200.00 ING Las Vegas
+$250.00 Home Improvements
+$350.00 April 2013 Escrow Amount
New Balance $28,600.00

ING $25,625.00 ($5620.00 Bingo Money)
Home Improvements(cash)$1100.00
HSBC $1875.00
Total = $28,600.00

Yeah we met our New Car Goal!! Next payday will meet the Home Improvements Goal for the year as well! After that we will be bulking up for a little extra fun money for our Vegas trip in July, and then hitting the Long Term EF hard along with the MORTGAGE!

Current Focus = Home Improvements $6,865/$7,000
Current Focus = New Car $10,055/$10,000 - Goal Met!!

Current Balance $27,070.00
+$5.00 Even Out Amount to get ING to $25K, LT EF
+$100.00 HSBC Anniversary Cruise
+$100.00 Retirement Hold Account
+$200.00 ING New Car
+$250.00 Home Improvements
New Balance $27,725.00

ING $25,000.00 ($5620.00 Bingo Money)
Home Improvements(cash)$850.00
HSBC $1875.00
Total = $27,725.00

I moved some funds around since we got the Federal tax return and met 2 more goals! Now on to the Home Improvements and New Car Goals.  Home Improvements – DH puts $250 per paycheck in there, so that will be met in about 2 months. New Car – I will be transferring the last of the Bingo Money ($1000) to that account soon. I also cancelled the auto-deposits that I had set up ($100 bi-weekly to LT EF and $100 bi-weekly to Sept 2013) and started a new auto-deposit of $200 bi-weekly to New Car. So that goal will also be met within the next 2 months. Making some serious progress!

Current Focus = Long Term EF $1,000/$1,000 – Goal Met!
Current Focus = September 2013 $1,800/$1,800 – Goal Met!
Current Focus = Home Improvements $6,110/$7,000
Current Focus = New Car $8,445/$10,000

Current Balance $24,795.00
*No changes
New Balance $24,795.00

Bingo Money (cash) $1000.00
ING $21,020.00 ($4620.00 Bingo Money)
Home Improvements(cash)$1100.00
HSBC $1675.00
Total = $24,795.00

Well I started moving funds around and reorganizing my ING accounts so they are ready for the 2013 goals. I also updated my side bar to show the 2013 goals and the order of importance.

The Short Term EF is already met with $1000. So the next goal for the year will be the Long Term EF, goal is $1000, and right now I have $90 in it.

Also making plans of attack for the Home Owner and Weight Loss goals on my list.

Home Owner Goal - I am still discussing with DH, but he is on the same page as me that we need to make a plan and a list of what projects we want to get done this year, and focus on those instead of the big overwhelming picture.

Weight Loss Goal - DH and I both have gym memberships, but we tend to slack at that when we are busy (I had 13 hr of OT last week!!) but we need to put aside the excuses. Another friend of ours is joining the same gym we go to at the first of the year and he and DH used to run track in college together. They have decided to go to the gym together everynight during the week to lift together. So my goal is going to be to go with and do my own workout at least 3 days week. I would like to go with everyday, but I want to keep my goals realistic and I don't see everyday happening right now.
I am also going to do weekly weighins every Sunday morning with DH and making a monthly weight loss goal of 5lbs per month.
I will also send out an email at work and see if anyone would like to do the Biggest Loser again for New Years.

I think these plans will help me and DH have a fabulous and fruitfull 2013!

2013 Goals

Debt
-Continue to live debt free other then mortgage
-Get mortgage from $117,150 to under $100,000


Savings
-Short Term EF $1000
-Long Term EF $1000
-Sept 2013 $1800
-Home Maintenance $7000
-Vegas $3000
-New Car $10,000
-Anniversary Cruise $3000
-Cushion $3080
-HSA $10,000
-Any additional after goals are met will go to long term EF
-Total regular savings at the end of the year over $25K


Retirement
-Increase retirement savings to ROTH from $85 per paycheck to $100 per paycheck
-Review ING ROTH IRA Investments and reallocate so a larger portion is being invested


Other
-Lose 30 more lbs (Currently down 8)
-Work on being a better home owner (repairs, lawncare, gardening etc)
-Do quarterly review of progress on 2013 goals
-Live a positive life

The first 2 “other” goals are the same as last year. At one time this year I was down 26lbs (mostly due to stress) and I gained it all back.  I realize that last year I put those goals down, but didn’t set any steps to help me achieve them. So before the New Year I should have a list of steps to help me with the weight loss and the home owner goals.

Here were my goals from 2012:

Debt
-Continue to live debt free other then mortgage- CHECK
-Get mortgage from $123,300 to under $110,000 - Did not meet due to the refi costs and not having to make a payment for 2 months. End of year balance is $117,150.00.

Savings - All savings goals were met (some have been spent since then)
-Vegas $2500
-New car $5000
-EF $3000
-Cruise $5000
-Cushion $2300
-HSA $7500
-Patio Door $1500
-Sept 2012 $1800

Other
-Lose 30 more lbs (Currently down 12) - At one time I was done about 26lbs (!!) but currently am only down 10
-Work on being a better home owner (repairs, lawncare, gardening etc) - FAIL

It's getting towards the end of the year, so have started thinking about savings and mortgage goals for next year. We did awesome on savings goals this year, met every goal by August! As for the mortgage we did not meet our goal of getting to $110K, this was due to refinancing, so the mortgage went up with closing costs, and also we didn't have to make any payment to the mortgage for 2 months.
I haven't worked out the exact numbers for next years savings yet, but I do know I want to get the mortgage under $100K. One of my steps to help achieve that is to make a goal of putting our entire tax refund towards the house. Every year we always put the tax refund in savings (usually about $1500), but I think savings is good enough this year that we could put it towards the house. That would feel soooo good!

Well this will probably be the last update going up in awhile. During the summer DH makes much less ($1800 a month less!) so we will not be making deposits into savings unless it is unexpected monies (BD money, rummage sale, recycling etc). We just try to make it through without taking too much out of savings and planning ahead as best we can. I have to take $2K out of savings in the next week or two for our spending money for our anniversary cruise.

We did meet the goal for the Sept 2012 savings!

Current Balance $23,145.00
+$140.00 to Sept 2012 Savings
+$250.00 to Home Improvements
+$130.00 Rummage Sale Money to EF
+$11.95 ING Interest
+$23.05 ING Even Out Amount
New Balance $23,700.00

Bingo Money (cash) $1620.00
ING $19,555.00 ($4000.00 Bingo Money)
Mortgage Payoff $130.00
Home Improvements(cash)$370.00
HSBC $2,025.00
Total = $23,700.00

Bingo Money
Tips total - $2006.61
Wage total - $3617.32
Total Bingo Money - $5623.93