Tag Archives: Goals

2013 To Do List

Can you believe we’re nearly half way through 2013? No, me neither! Anyway, I started the year with a master to do list, and happily a lot of the items have been completed……just not all of them. So I’ve updated the list adding just the outstanding items.

Here goes:

  1. Paint the dining room
  2. Paint the kitchen/breakfast room
  3. Clean the extractor fan grills (yuck)
  4. Get all the outstanding woodwork completed
  5. Buy a duvet cover for main bedroom
  6. Get a quote for the re-pointing
  7. Clean shower head
  8. Add art to our bedroom
  9. Close unused checking account
  10. Transfer ISA in September
  11. Get engagement ring setting checked
  12. Update all old blog posts
  13. Close old hotmail account
  14. Streamline web hosting
  15. Make (edible) bread
  16. Streamline my menu planning
  17. Visit Lucerne & document trip
  18. Finish de-cluttering Mum’s (including garage)
  19. Go on a day trip with my daughters
  20. Add a solar light at back door
  21. Organise all iTunes
  22. Organise all photos
  23. Lose weight (20lbs)
  24. Complete a no spend month
  25. Source a coffee table
  26. Finish selling all Mum’s unwanted stuff
  27. Make at least £2,500 over and above regular income: £1,068.71/£2,500
  28. Spend no more than £2,00 on groceries: £1,223.65/£2,000
  29. Reduce our mortgage debt by £25,000 £15,000/£6,550
  30. Reduce our gas and electricity direct debit
  31. Update our 5 year plan
  32. Go to the Design Museum in London
  33. Take Mum to London (again)
  34. Update my CV
  35. Make a will
  36. Have afternoon tea at the Ritz
  37. Save £200 in my sealed pot
  38. …..

What’s on your to do list for the rest of 2013? Have you even got a list? :)

2013 Financial Goals (Update #6)

Our annual budget runs from December to November and I’m tracking our progress throughout the year.

Goal Portugal

5 Financial Goals for 2013:

1. Reduce our mortgage debt by at least £25,000. This is our main goal for 2013 and one that we plan to attack over nine months (March – November inc.). We made an over payment of £1,024.84 in May bringing our mortgage reduction to £6,550 in 2013. We’re so (so) behind on this goal that reducing our mortgage by £15k in 2013 looks far more realistic but we’ll keep going. After a ‘less focused than I like’ few months I’m back in mortgage elimination mode, so we’ll see what happens. :)

2. Save at least £4,500 for travel. Goal completed. We hope to take at least three trips in 2013. We’re taking two trips in 2013. No extra money added to this account last month as all trips are paid for and spending money is saved. This goal is now finished. Money needed for trips: £3,732.92 (£1,000 left for spending money). Money saved £3,951. Extra money transferred to another account.

3. Increase our cash savings by at least £2,200. Goal completed. The start of a deposit for a potential house purchase. Goal completed and future house/apartment fund started….although, due to the financial climate in Portugal right now, we can’t see ourselves buying there for a (very) long time.*

4. Make at least £2,500 over and above our regular income. Extra money earned to pay for further house repairs. For this goal I’m counting blog income, cash back, overtime and money from any sales. Earned an extra £208.11 in May, bringing this goal to: £1,068.71/£2,500

5. Spend no more than £2,000 on groceries. This will be an ongoing challenge throughout the year! but I’m hoping a fully functioning stockpile will help! I’m determined to achieve (and even reduce) this goal in 2013. Not too bad in May – I spent £193.00. Running total = £1,223.65/£2,000

How did you do with your goals in May?

On blogging and 5 year plans

Good morning! This post is a bit of a ramble about blogging and goals :)

If you haven’t noticed I’ve been struggling to keep up with two sites. My lack of posting over at Move to Portugal kind of gives it away. In fact, I’ve even been struggling to keep up the posting over here, which, going on past experience, always sees me floundering and losing focus.

Added into that I’ve been trying to redo our 5 year plan, and getting nowhere because I’m not sure where I want to be in 5 years time……very unsettling for a maniac planner! We’ve spent the last 6 years working towards living in Portugal (M has even learnt the language and is now fluent), but the economy and job situation over there takes that off the table for the moment (hence the lack of posting over at MTP).

So what now? Do we still work towards living there? Do we forget about it? Do I have to decide right now lol?!

I suppose for now we should just concentrate on our financial goals, which we’re doing to a certain extent with our mortgage payoff, and see what happens along the way. Living in Portugal is not off the table for good, it’s just shelved for now. Which also means I’m going to stop posting on MTP (not sure for how long), and move everything over here (including my minimalist tendencies). It’ll definitely make things easier. And I like easier! :)

******

And what better way to kick start my focus than my Life List. I love reading Life Lists – they’re so inspiring. If you have one, then please share the link in the comments.

Here’s my current Life List (which evolves as I do):

Go to Paris, France (March 2010)
Go on an extended vacation in Manhattan (one month +)
Go to Seattle, USA & visit the Space Needle
Go to San Francisco and walk the Golden Gate Bridge
Go to Rome, Italy and visit the Sistine Chapel (June 2012)
Go to Positano, Italy
Go to Vienna, Austria
Go to Lucerne, Switzerland
Go to Los Angeles, USA
Visit Bath, UK (February 2013)
Go to Vancouver, Canada (October 2010)
Go to Washington DC, USA (August 2009)
Go to Boston (December 2002)
Go to Las Vegas, USA
Go back to Washington
Go back to Paris
Go back to NY again and again..
Be consumer debt free (December 2009)
Be mortgage free
Have six figures in the bank
Achieve Financial Freedom by 2020
Achieve Financial Independence by 2025
Live in Portugal
Book a (very) last minute holiday
Live near a beach
Be 98% happy with our UK house (finish it!)
Gamble in a Vegas Casino
Go to a Broadway play  
Go to a West End play
Be a landlord
Sponsor one/two/three children
Attend the Super Bowl
Have afternoon tea at The Ritz
Get a tattoo
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
See the NY Jets play
Attend a Yankees baseball game (April 2012)
Take hubby on a surprise trip
Have breakfast at Balthazar NY (April 2012)
Visit The Design Museum, London
Visit The Design Museum, Lisbon (September 2011)
Visit The MOMA, NY (December 2007)
Visit The MET, NY (April 2012)
Visit The Guggenheim, NY (April 2012)
Take the subway to Coney Island, NY
See The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
See Niagara Falls, NY, USA

*In bold completed

Do you have a Life List?

2013 Financial Goals (Update #5)

Our annual budget runs from December to November and I’m tracking our progress throughout the year.

Goal Portugal

5 Financial Goals for 2013:

1. Reduce our mortgage debt by at least £25,000. This is our main goal for 2013 and one that we plan to attack over nine months (March – November inc.). Last month we made an over payment of £352.85 bringing our mortgage reduction to £5,050 in 2013. £5,050/£25,000.

We’ve had a few money issues that have set us back with this goal, and right now paying off £25,000 looks a little very out of reach. Right now we’re staying focused on getting below £70k, which, on our updated spread sheet, looks like happening in December.

2. Save at least £4,500 for travel. Goal completed. We hope to take at least three trips in 2013. We’re taking two trips in 2013. No extra money added to this account last month as all trips are paid for and spending money is saved. This goal is now finished. Money needed for trips: £3,732.92 (£1,000 left for spending money). Money saved £3,951. Extra money transferred to another account.

3. Increase our cash savings by at least £2,200. Goal completed. The start of a deposit for a potential house purchase. Goal completed and future house/apartment fund started….although, due to the financial climate in Portugal right now, we can’t see ourselves buying there for a (very) long time.*

4. Make at least £2,500 over and above our regular income. Extra money earned to pay for further house repairs. For this goal I’m counting blog income, cash back, overtime and money from any sales. Earned an extra £100.21 in April to take this goal to: £860.60/£2,500

5. Spend no more than £2,000 on groceries. This will be an ongoing challenge throughout the year! but I’m hoping a fully functioning stockpile will help! I’m determined to achieve (and even reduce) this goal in 2013. Much better in April – I spent £170.58. Running total = £1,030.65/£2,000

How did you do with your goals in April?

*I need to write a post on our current thoughts/ideas about moving to Portugal and update our 5 year plan :)