In an effort to establish 2013 goals that are challenging yet realistic, I’m spending time doing a bit of deeper analysis from my efforts in 2012. Today’s post will highlight my hits & misses throughout the year and tomorrow’s will feature a snapshot of my overall miscellaneous spending.
Hits
- Paid off over $17.5K in student loans (on 9/9/12, I sent an e-payment of $15,904.48 to Sallie Mae–effectively punching her in the face, zeroing out that account and eliminating nearly 100% of my graduate school debt for my second Masters degree)
- Refinanced my mortgage (in April I signed the HUD that cut off 1 full percent on my interest rate and effectively lowered my monthly payment by over $350)
- Fully funded trips to Ireland, Tanzania, Dubai, Orlando, Germany/Italy/Switzerland/Austria/Lichtenstein, Acadia National Park, Buffalo, Vegas, Vermont, Maine, Philly and Kauai (prepaid trips for 2013 include Dubai, Philly and Kauai but all were funded through the 2012 budget)
- Completed the Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (on 1/7/12 and 1/8/12, I ran 39.3 miles; a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday…ouch!)
- Completed the Boston Marathon and the Chicago Marathon in the same year as the Goofy (I ran Chicago on a whim, didn’t train much and missed qualifying for another Boston by just over 5 minutes)
- Gave The Happy Homeowner a facelift and content makeover (I’m slowly transitioning this blog into more of a lifestyle blog with a PF flair–introducing new content such as DIY projects and fitness)
Misses
- Developed a stress fracture after the Chicago Marathon (this killed all chance of going on the trip to Tanzania to hike Mount Kilimanjaro but I at least got every penny back through travel insurance!)
- Busted my miscellaneous spending goals during most months (tomorrow’s post will have more details)
- Sunk over $2.5K into my beater of a car (the repair bills from this year were insane–good thing my new car is on its way!)
- Took a 2-month blogging hiatus (this nearly killed my blog/traffic/readership, but I’m happy to see things improving daily now that I’m back at it)
- Let my business development efforts slide onto the back-burner (This one stings the most out of all of these–2013 needs to be the year I focus on this effort)
What were your hits & misses for 2012?
Photo credit: Sean MacEntee
Sounds like you've got quite a few more hits than misses. Happy New Year and I hope good things happen for you in 2013.
Thank you! Yes, overall, 2012 was a great year. Best wishes to you, too
Exercising and writing a journal were definitely my misses. Otherwise, we did pretty good!
Nice! Keep it up for 2013–good luck!
I guess you can't have it all but I think your hits were sufficient enough to really make up for those misses. You really killed it on the student loans. That's awesome. You probably really needed that blog break too and now that you are back you are fully motivated.
My recent post Resolutions Revisited
Thanks! Yes, the break was exactly what I needed–I'm more motivated than ever. I'm also still giddy about the loan payoff…almost there!
Wow, your upcoming trips sound awesome! I'm jealous =)
I'm getting more & more excited the closer they get!!!
You still have more hits than misses so to me that means you did great. Don't beat yourself up. You have accomplished a lot this past year.
Thanks, Miss T! It was a really good year. Here's to 2013 being even better for all of us
Fully funded 2013 trips – simply awesome!
My recent post Becoming a Family of Wealth
Thank you! I can't wait for Dubai…3 months & counting!
We did the Goofy this year, too! That was a fun, fun, fun two days (followed by a well earned massage at a Disney spa….).
That's awesome!!! I'm planning to do it again in 2014–will definitely follow up with a massage this time around
Wow, your hits were awesome! And the places you travelled to? Wow
Cheers to an even better 2013 for you!
Thank you! It was a great year!! Best wishes to you as well
Wow you had a great year!! That's a whole lot of travelling! I'd love to go to Dubai!
My recent post Merry Christmas Eve: My Favorite Christmas Eve Memory
I love, love, love to travel–it's a big reason why I work so hard now…so many trips, so little time/money….haha!
Impressive list of hits!! Big hit: Sold my flat after 5 months on the market and bought a house cash. Big miss: almost no exercise for the first 6 months, although it was a trip through Europe so there was quite a bit of walking involved.
That's a great big hit; congrats! And a trip to Europe is always a good time–with or without additional exercise!
You did a goofy and a Boston! Those are totally my running dreams =)
My recent post PoP Income Statement – December 2012
Haha…mine, too! 2014?!
I'm really impressed with your achievements in running. It's really motivating and this motivation is needed because it's still on my life to-do-list. Good luck with your new goals and all the best in New Year!
Thank you so much! Best of luck to you as well
I'm jealous of all the travel you got to do! I can't wait to be able to do more of that. My biggest hit was my vacation to Hawaii (not fully funded) and biggest low was getting my car towed (which actually got my ass in gear to buckle down financially).
My recent post 2013: Living in the Moment
Oooh…Hawaii! Nice trip; maybe you can give me some suggestions for my trip this year? And i hear you about car BS…ugh!!
Great goals! I'm really amazed at how you've set up your travel. I think I shall need to steal that idea for 2013!
Did you do the redesign yourself? Any tips? My blog is long overdue for a facelift as well and I love the look of yours.
My recent post Thought of the Day for Work: Planting Seeds
I did most of the redesign myself (the color choices, logo/tagline creation, hosting and transfer), but I had help from Andrea at Nuts and Bolts for the social media icons and a few tweaks to this theme. Thanks for the compliment about the look–I was in the market for something clean and fresh and think this hits the nail on the head!
And yes, I'm in the camp that everyone should travel as much as their budget will allow them to
It looks like you had a really great year! Congratulations on running both marathons in the same year. I hope to attempt a half marathon this year!
My recent post December 2012 Monthly Income Report
Thank you! Best of luck to you during your half–you'll love it!!