2021 goal recap - how did I do?

2021 was really something, wasn't it? We had huge high points (paying off our mortgage, taking my parents to Hawaii for their 50th anniversary/my Dad's 70th birthday & a few other big moments). We also sold our vacation house unexpectedly, continued to work from home, & the kids went back to in person school (hurrah)! It certainly wasn't my favorite year, but it had its moments. We closed out the year with M getting COVID (asymptomatic, but quarantined at home, and missed the holidays). We are grateful that he's well, & had access to get vaccinated & boosted months ago. 

Here's how we did with our goals for the year:

Financial:

• Stick to our budget - oh my, no. We didn't stick to our budget, and had some post mortgage payoff splurges. Our biggest overages were travel (planning for future trips), paying for work on our vacation house when we were selling it, and the "kids" bucket. Teenagers are expensive! Nick currently has a (part-time) job, and Sam will be able to ref as well, so that will help a bit in the future. We did still keep to all of our saving & investment goals, but we have work to do to ensure we stay on track.
• Pay down our mortgage to the half way point - We PAID IT OFF! So excited about this. If I had to choose one goal that makes me thrilled this year, it would be this one!
• Spend $250 or less on clothing for myself (not including running shoes) - I did well, until September, when I thought I was going back to work in the office. I bought myself a new pair of jeans & a few tops. I spent less than $500, but still double my original goal. 
• Take my parents to Maui for my dad's belated 70th birthday, & in lieu of a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. Save appropriately & spend wisely on the trip. - We both saved appropriately & spent in a way that reflected the trip we wanted. We had plenty of splurges, but also had a fabulous trip & made tradeoffs for the top priorities. No regrets of any kind. 
• Consider remodeling our bedroom area. - We considered this, and ruled it out. Instead, we sold our vacation house, and decided to wait a bit longer on the potential remodel. 
• Increase charitable giving by adding a "$1k kind deeds fund". We have the majority of our charitable deductions handled automatically via payroll, but I a flexible budget to spend through the year on fun/kind deeds for others. - Yes, and this has been very fun to spend! Lots of donations when friends/neighbors/families are fund raising, splurges for others, etc. 

Family:

• Plan one fun activity/month with the kids - we had a lot of fun activities this year with the kids. Family trips & outings, and a few dinners out & family tennis/game nights, etc. 
• Off the computer (minus reading) by 7:30 each evening - I did okay with this. I got into Netflix for a while there (I rarely watch TV), but am now watching it pretty much exclusively in the morning when I work out. 
• Have two dates per month with M - On average, yes! We had a few wonderful trips together as well
• Schedule quarterly calls with M's family, or send monthly videos & photos - We had a few calls, & sent videos & photos. Time zones make calls challenging, but we are definitely more in touch. 

Fitness

• Lose 10 lbs - I managed to lose 9 lbs during the year, but only kept off five pounds. But, trending in the right direction!
• Run 100 times - I ran 80 times
• Track calories, eat a balanced diet - I had a couple of week stretches where this was super dicey, but generally had a good year for my calories & diet
• Complete 15,000 minutes of cardio, 100 strength workouts & 50 stretching workouts - I absolutely destroyed all previous cardio goals/records, thanks to a combination of a big walking challenge in October, a lot of overall consistency/working from home, and a watch that tracks my fitness & provides more visibility. I had 19,830 minutes of cardio, 60 stretch workouts & 29 stretching workouts. Stretching definitely needs to be a priority in 2022. 
• Meditate 100 times - I meditated 103 times 
• Deal with food allergy/stomach issues - Yes! I've done a food allergy test, experimented with fasting, & what I eat, & had some tests done. It's not perfect, but much improved. 

Personal/Creative

• Practice Farsi or Spanish - I did great on this in the first half of the year, and fell apart in the second half. I need to get back into the routine. 
• Do something social with friends at least once/month - Yes, and it was almost always working out/hiking. 
• Invest time in my volunteer job - Yes, and I picked up a mentoring role that I'm really enjoying. 
• Write & journal regularly - I journaled pretty regularly, but minimal writing. 
• Improve myself (judge less, listen more, stop swearing) - As always, I'm a work in progress! But, I continue to focus on these areas. 
• Get crafty - ha, no. I tried, I really did. I loomed a few hats, but I'm really not very crafty. 
• Make kind deeds a regular part of my life - I so enjoyed jotting these down for my Frugal Friday posts, and remembering to make time for this. I love it, & will continue!

Overall, it was a really good year, & I'm proud of the progress we made as a family. There's always more to do, and new goals to achieve! How about you? How did you do with your 2021 goals?

And, Happy New Year's! May 2022 be filled with peace, happiness & prosperity for you all.