New Year's Anti Resolutions

I do not make New Year's Resolutions.  It seems like anything that I plan on January 1st, last about 1 week.  For some reason there is something in our society that encourages us to create resolutions that are set up to fail.  Not sure how this came about, but found that it does not work for me.

However I am always making goals.  Goals can be adjusted (I know, this is probably just my warped sense of thinking, to some of you these might be the same thing, but this works for me).  I set goals throughout my life, some are short term, some longer term, and all get adjusted as time goes by.

So before 2014 officially get here, I decided I would set some yearly goals for next 12 months.  One thing I have continued to  used since Business school is setting SMART goals.

Smart Goals for 2014:
- Spend more time with my son [each day set down the electronics and get down on the floor and play for a minimum of at least one hour - this might be tight during the weekdays, but I am going to make the effort]
- Increase Net Worth by $100,000+ [through reduced debt and increased savings]
- Establish Healthy Habits [focus on healthy eating more healthy dinners at home and eating out less than 5 times a month, lose 25 lbs. by January 2015 and getting out and moving for at least 5 hours each week]

That's it, just three goals.  Yet these goals, will give me a sense of purpose, help me sleep at night, and allow me to live a long happy life.

I have read that by telling others your goals you are more likely to achieve them.  So maybe I will have to do a goal update each month to see how well I am achieving my goals, and to have everyone hold me accountable.  We are already tracking the Net Worth, so maybe I need to add Healthy Living and Time with my son as well.

Okay I am ready to bring on the New Year!!!  Here's to 2014!

Monthly Update - December 2013

Time for our Monthly Report.

I am excited as this is our first report since we started our Baseline in November.


Here is our Net Worth Standing for December 1, 2013:

Assets: $597,360.05 - Liabilities: $159,182.14 = Networth: $437,957.91

Net Change = increase of $6,334.80

December 2013

Yipee!  This is moving in the right direction.  Even with some market fluctuation we are seeing a positive trend.  Time to get some goals in terms of numbers in place (other than our save $1 million by April 2019 - who knows maybe I don't need a million to retire).

Can we keep this up . . . I sure hope so.  I have doubts that each month will be this easy, but this gives me the energy to keep trying.

*You'll notice that the November number is different from my previous November Monthly Update Post.  This is due to the fact that I am posting on the first of the month, and the numbers continue to change as money is spent or earned. The net change is from last month's post compared to the current months post.

Best Black Friday Savings Ever

Okay, I have to share my best Black Friday Savings . . . I spent nothing!  We had already bought all our Christmas presents (well I have one more to go, but I can pick it up anytime), so I had nothing I needed to buy.

Of course, I checked my email Thursday night, after our wonderful family dinner, and was bombarded with Black Friday Ads and savings.  I started looking at them, and my thoughts started wandering:
"oh, that's a cool gadget"
"Baby Breeze needs one of those"
"What a great deal, I should buy one now and save it for later"

Get my drift.  I actually started putting items down on a list, with their store locations and prices.
When I finished checking all my emails, I looked at my list.  Then I did the smartest thing I could have done, I pulled out my Goal Sheet (I have since pinned it to my wall).  The one that says, "Retire at 40 so that I have more time with Baby Breeze."

It was then that I looked back at my Black Friday shopping list, and realized that Baby Breeze doesn't need more toys, Mr. Breeze doesn't need any more clothes, and I don't need any more gadgets.  My Black Friday list was going to cost me $458 dollars (but save me over $1,000 dollars).  Sure we have the money for that, but there was nothing on the list we NEEDED.  So I took the list, and tore it up.  Then I went back to my email and deleted every Black Friday AD I could find.  I even removed my name from some of the email lists, as I have found I am very susceptible to a "good deal." What did I spend, NOTHING!  But I gained the freedom of finding that best deal.   Cost: $0

So what did I do on Black Friday . . .  I got up and spent TIME with Baby Breeze, rather that getting up early to go from sale to sale.  We made breakfast at home, and played with his many toys. And instead of being tired that night, I got to take Baby Breeze along with my parents, and Mr. Breeze and go downtown to watch the tree lighting ceremony and watch Baby Breeze's first parade!  Cost: $5 (for parking).

We made memories, enjoyed time together (the whole reason I want to get out of having to work), and spent only $5 dollars, and honestly it was the best Friday that I have had in a long time.  I can't tell you what deals I have gotten in past years, but I will always remember my son's face as he saw the tree light up, and watched the parade go by.

Hoping you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, and if you spent less that we did - Congratulations, if you spent more - - look over those "savings" and decide if the really got you closer to your goal.