Sunday, September 30, 2018

September Goals Recap - How Did I Do?

I really thought September was going to be the month where I accomplished a bunch, but . . . maybe October? ;-) With a business trip (Tokyo) & a week of jet lag & insane work schedules, well, let's just say I've been more productive.

Financial:

  • Stay on track with our food budget, including both eating out & groceries. - Well, I need to look & count how many Saturdays are in any one month, because we grocery shop on Saturdays. There were 5 vs 4 in September, which pushed us over. We also had an unexpected date night (kids were both at a swimming event) & ordered pizza when Nick came home from school with a bonus friend. All told, we were about $225 over across both). 
  • Come up with one way to reduce what we need/spend on an ongoing basis - Nothing, under than charging our electric car for free at our work. We don't have a charger at our home, and then ended up with a free offer in case we're out & about & need to charge. Which means, no gas prices, and no charging costs. 
  • Earn another $200 in sidehustle money. Split this between college money for the kids, & an extra payment on our vacation house mortgage. - I made $10.44, but also we had an unexpected $200 come in from a rebate from our property we sold last summer. I expect to get paid about another $200 from a family member paying me back as well. 
  • Continue working on our 2019 budget, 2019 vacation plans, & income projections - this is critical as I try to narrow down work options. Decide on 2019 remodeling plans (if any) - We didn't make a ton of progress in September, but have whittled down some of the expenses. 
Family:

  • Have one family evening together: cooking dinner, board games, etc - The boys & I had a popcorn/movie night, and I've been teaching the kids to cook, which has been fun. 
  • Have a date night with my husband  - Yes! We ended up getting an unexpected break when both kids were at a swimming party. 
  • Continue financial help (knowledge, not money) with sister & friend - Nothing came up this month, but we will all get together in a couple of weeks, so there may be more opportunities. 
  • Take the kids to Great America before the passes expire. This is a maybe, based on soccer schedules & other commitments. - It didn't happen in September. 

Fitness/health:
  • Complete another full round of 21 Day Fix - I did 12/21, but missed a few workouts when traveling & then jet lag made the following week really hard. (I do 21 Day Fix around 5:45 am, and jet lag really wrecks that.)
  • Eat 5.5 servings a day of fruit & veggies - No, I've had major digestive issues, and I've cut back on certain kind of fiber when my stomach is acting up. 
  • Lose 3 pounds - Haven't gotten on the scale since I got back from Tokyo, but I'm guessing I held steady. Will confirm. 
  • Run 12 times, complete 1/2 marathon training plan - I ran 9 times. Again, jet lag/international travel is not a great plan for training. 
  • Avoid dairy, as part of my efforts to solve my stomach issues - Mostly. 
Work:
  • Work from home 2 days - Yes! I needed both days. 
  • Work on my my "homework" from my coach - Yes!

Personal/creative:

  • Plan sabbatical! - I have a list going, but didn't really make much more progress. 
  • Make one new recipe - I made Dragon Noodles & Chicken Dumplings. YUM!
  • Spend time with a friend - Nope, but I have a girls weekend in a couple of weeks. 
  • Volunteer at least 1x - I signed up for something at the school, but it's not for a couple of weeks. 
  • Again - Order the book "Now What" from the library & complete it - I started reading a few homework books instead (for helping Sam), so I'll save the "Now What" for another time. 

All in all, given the month with work & my (hopefully!) last international trip, I'm satisfied with the progress. I always forget that it's not just the week that I'm in Tokyo that's the problem, but the disruption to my sleeping, energy level & morning workouts for a full week when I return. Yuck. 

How about you? How did you all do with your September goals? 

1 comment:

  1. I think you did pretty well on your goals. The only way to complete them all is to either be Wonder Woman or have a list that is sparse. Kudos to you!

    ReplyDelete