January has been a fantastic month. Not only did I crush one of my 2013 goals already, but I had some great media mentions and have secured a few more staff writing positions. I’m actively working to grow this blog, and I’m pleased with the small wins I was able to cross off for this month. Also, if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to enter the $100 cash giveaway I’m part of. The contest ends tonight!
Overall, this was another good month thanks to a triple-paycheck month at my full-time job. I’ve also made some great progress with my household goals of the office renovation and cooking my way through The Joy of Cooking. The area I need to work on most is my fitness goals, but I’m hopeful these nagging knee injuries will be kicked to the curb by mid-February at the latest.
Financial Goals
- $3,000 to long-term savings CHECK
- $1,010 into retirement accounts CHECK
- $185 to student loan (last one!) CHECK
- Limit variable spending to $500 CHECK!–Just eeked this one out though
Household Goals
- Deep-clean the condo CHECK
- Organize/de-clutter to make room for BF CHECK
- Begin design for home office and kitchen renos CHECK
- Cook 4 dinners/week beginning 1/14 CHECK
Personal Goals
- Transition kitties to their new home (sniff, sniff) CHECK
- Run 10+ miles each week FAIL
- Secure another PT job In progress!
Blog Goals
- Increase to 550 FAIL–I’m at 525…so close!
- Increase to 25 CHECK
- Increase to 200 CHECK
Annual Goals
Have one month where my additional income is $1K+ CHECK!! I brought in an extra $1,298.12 (on top of my paychecks and not including any rent money)
You are totally rocking your goals! Nice job!!
Thanks, Lena! I could only hope that all of 2013 is this awesome! Have a great February!
Woot on paying off your last student loan!
What do you plan on doing with that extra cash flow, plus the income from your boyfriend paying you rent? Sounds like your January was pretty successful!!
My January has been pretty good. I think I'm slowly finding a routine that works better for me and I'm still adjusting to the new job. I'm also slowly working on decorating my condo a bit more
Thank you! So I should be clear in that the loan isn't completely paid off, but it's the last one I have left. The interest rate has been locked for life at 1.265% (seriously!), so I'm only paying an extra $55/month because my money will work better for me in other areas. That being said, the rent money is certainly helping me achieve my goal of taking this blog to the next level. It's a bit of a cryptic answer, but I have some big news around the corner.
Sounds like you had a great January! I love decorating–would love to hear more about what you're doing!
WOot Woot on achieving all your goals!!
We are doing pretty well! I'm actually considering increasing our monthly saving goals to do better. It will also entice us to spend less! We are really trying to spend less.
Thank you! January was an awesome month
I think you're doing a great job as well. Kudos for trying to spend less and save more–that's the way to go for sure!
Love all the green 'CHECKs' (I should mimic that next month on my goals post!) Congrats on the loan pay off! You need to help and inspire me on the dinner front – I too wanted to cook from home more, but it hasn't been happening :s I'd be a twitter follower but I'm not on it since my account got hacked (but they do email me, asking me to come back… and I can't disable the emails when I'm at work, and forget when I'm at home…)
My recent post Goals Update: End of Jan
Yikes! Boo for hackers! I had my gmail hacked into a week or two ago and it was a major headache/heart attack.
The dinner front has been a long time coming. My goal of cooking through the Joy of Cooking is certainly helping with that–maybe take a look through Amazon and see what inspires you?
Holy crap and I thought I was an overachiever when it came to goals. I only listed 5 because I figured I would overwhelm everyone on my blog HA! I love that you accomplished so much, that is awesome. The only problem with your goals, is now I want to compete with you lol.
My recent post The Best Financial Advice
Haha…if it will help you reach your goals faster, compete away! I like breaking mine down and publishing them because it keeps me accountable and helps me keep my focus. I hope you'll stick around for future months–I'm off to visit your blog now!
Wow you killed your goals and then some! Nice job!
My recent post The Side Effects of Staying in Budget
Thank you! It was a really good month and a fantastic way to kick off the year
You are smashing your goals. My January is looking like a bit of a failure actually, but i'm sure I will come back strong in February.
My recent post How Much Does it Cost to Have a Baby?
Thanks, Glen! I think with your new addition and everything else going on, you're still killing it. Here's to an even better February!
Great job on all of your successes!!!!!
Thanks, Holly! Bring on February
Wow- great job!!!! Our January was not as great as we'd hoped, due to some unexpected car repairs, but a suceess nonetheless!
Awesome job on your goals! January was not so great for me, I will be posting my recap within the next few days, but this is usually the toughest month of the year for me with bills, work duties and Realtor/license/office dues and fee's
Thank you! Sorry to hear your January wasn't so hot–I'm sure February will more than make up for it. Best wishes for a great month!
Congrats you did awesome this month and your savings are great! I'll be working on our budget and networth updates shortly to see how we made out the first month of 2013. Pop around and say hi on my FB page… my fans always like to check out new pages… Cheers Mr.CBB
My recent post Financial Advisors: 101~Get The Inside Scoop!
Thank you! I look forward to reading your updates—and I'll certainly stop by!
Amazing, you did really great! I hope you keep the pace for Feb!
My recent post 99 money mistakes and a $999.99 giveaway!
Thanks, Pauline! Here's to an even better February