I posted an update on my progress in August and got some wonderful feedback.  So how did I do? I didn’t make ALL my goals, but I did well on quite a few of them:

FINANCE
Savings Account – Increase by $12,000 ($1,000/month)
Retirement – Continue to invest at 10% all year
Auto loan – Pay $300/month
Attend a home buying 101 class
Complete a free online tutorial for investing  (@ Kiplinger)
Create a new budget and stick to it!

I completed two-thirds of these goals. Turns out I’m really good at saving and paying down debt, and terrible at learning how to take the next steps to do more with my finances. The new budget item was sort of unnecessary – I stuck with my old one and managed just fine. I did increase some of my spending categories on Mint.com, so I guess that counts.

FITNESS
Stay healthy! No injuries in 2011
Complete an olympic distance tri
Complete a half marathon
Add strength and stretching to my workout schedule EVERY WEEK

I completed all my fitness goals for the year! Wahoo for me!

BLOG
Connect with more finance bloggers in 2011 via comments, link love, and twitter
Post every week, no excuses
Research how to get ads on the blog

Ugh, only 30 percent completion rate here, and I don’t even think I did that well.  I had a couple big bursts of networking via Twitter during the year, but I still don’t do a very good job of commenting on other people’s posts. I usually just write them via Twitter, which is easier for me because I do most of my blog reading on my phone while I’m commuting. And unfortunately, that won’t change. I thought about getting a tablet so I can do more during my commute, but I don’t realistically see that happening anytime soon.

I’m OK with my progress on these goals. It’s helpful to compare the goals I completed to the ones I did not complete. I always have the option of moving them into my 2012 goals, or changing/modifying them to be more realistic (which I intend to do).

So now it’s time to brainstorm for 2012. I would like to set goals in similar categories this year, and maybe add in one for charitable giving. I did donate to quite a few charities in 2011, and also volunteered. That will be a good baseline for my 2012 goal.

Unfortunately I’m really under the weather today and not feeling particularly motivated to set a plan for the upcoming year. My current 2012 goal, in fact, is to visit a doctor tomorrow to help me get over a nasty cold I’ve been battling since Christmas. So I’ll hold off on new goals for another day. And in the meantime, I think I’m due for another dose of NyQuil… perhaps my slumber will inspire me to dream big about my 2012 goals!

The post 2011 Goals Recap and Check In appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.

Happy New Year everyone! If anyone is still reading this blog, that is. It certainly has been a while since I last posted. Truth be told, I’ve been a little bummed about our financial situation and just haven’t felt like talking about it much. Man friend, who — as some of you may know — graduated from law school this year, is still underemployed. He’s working part time for a University professor while seeking full-time employment as an attorney, and we haven’t moved forward with much of anything like we hoped this year.  We talked about getting married and purchasing a home, but unfortunately this New Year’s Eve finds us still in limbo. Most days we’re completely fine and very hopeful, but frankly it takes work to stay supportive and optimistic, while answering all kinds of questions from our friends and family. Other than trying hard to stay supportive, I’ve been busy with a few other ventures lately, like running, knitting, learning to play guitar, traveling, and working at my full-time gig. We got a new Dean at the medical school this year, and things have been a little busier than usual as we in the Communications Office work through the transition.

But I’m still here, and other than the aforementioned struggle to stay optimistic, am doing quite well. 2011 has truly been a blessed year in many ways, and as I sit here tonight, I’m reminded that though there are some things we haven’t accomplished this year, we still managed quite a few awesome adventures this year, checked some big goals off the list, and have several interesting stories to tell. It certainly hasn’t been a dull year, and if some parts have been a struggle, I think it’s made me a better, more alive person because of it.

So here’s to the wild ride that was 2011. And here’s a quick update on what I’ve been doing the last several months… and for the past year, for that matter!

In 2011, man-friend graduated law school. This was a tremendous accomplishment, and we made sure to celebrate appropriately.

I also got a sweet little nephew who brings loads of joy into my life. I spent a lot of my summer weekends just hanging out and holding him. I’m trying hard not to spoil him rotten, but it’s so hard!

I finished a half-marathon and an olympic-distance triathlon this year – a first on both distances for me! The training kept me sane through a lot of the summer and fall. I’m in the pink in this photo, with the purple compression socks and pigtails. Ever stylish, you see…

As I mentioned, I also got more into knitting this year. It’s a great activity for calming nerves, and I even was able to give my first hand-crafted gifts this year. Here are a few samples of my work… these are burp cloths. I’ll post more later.

Man friend also started home brewing this year. The first batch came out just in time for New Year’s eve, and I really like it!

We also took some memorable vacations – from New York to California to Charleston to St. Louis, we’ve been coast to coast this year.

Near Charleston, South Carolina

Napa, California

New York City

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

And, lastly, since this is still a personal finance blog, I did make my savings goal of $12,000 this year into my “downpayment” fund, which is now up to $50,000. I also saved 10% of my salary every month to my retirement. And I paid $300 per month on my car loan, as promised to myself. We managed all this despite replacing our broken TV and DVD players, getting in two hit-and-run accidents (in less than 3 months with my new car!), and paying for a pet surgery this year.

So in all, I don’t have much to be bummed about! Sometimes it just takes a nice reflection of the year past to remind me how blessed I actually am.

The post New Year’s Eve Reflection…Ready for 2012! appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.

September has brought other changes, too. My dad retired this week, and me, B, my mom, brothers, sister-in-law and nephew joined him on a Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. to celebrate. He works midnights, so 7 a.m. is his regular “happy hour.” It was great to meet all his co-workers and share in his joy, if not a bit odd to be drinking beer and eating pizza and meatballs when I’m usually waking up. But such is the life of a shift worker. I will be interested to see what he does with his “new chapter” in life. Right now, the possibilities are endless. Plus, I think he’ll get a little bored just sitting at home after the newness of retirement kicks in.

My dad’s retirement has me thinking a lot about my current situation and that of an entire generation of workers missing out on years of savings due to unemployment or underemployment. I’m in a good place, but I admit, even though I’m saving at all the recommended levels, it’s difficult to imagine a situation where I ever will be able to retire comfortably. And with B being SUPER underemployed right now and not saving at all, it just adds another level of concern. Moreso, I worry that my youngest two brothers, in their mid-20′s with no real work experience, tons of loan debt, and no savings, will continue to be a drain on my parents finance and eventually on mine if the trendline continues. I love them dearly (and I know they sometimes read my blog because they helped create it, so I hope this doesn’t offend them) but if I stop to think about their situation for too long I become immensely panicked and uncomfortable. There’s nothing I can really do about it, other than what I’ve already done (helping with networking and resume building), and I have no real responsibility for them at the moment, but it’s scary to think that they could be 30 and have no full-time employment history. From this vantage point, it’s best to take it day by day and not worry too much about it. Eventually, they’ll find work. They have to. Eventually they’ll all find work.

And eventually they’ll retire, too. I hope there will be some sort of infrastructure ready to support those for whom this economy has simply crushed and those who are missing prime years of personal savings, not because they want to, but because the work isn’t there. But now, it’s best to focus on today, because we simply can’t control the future, no matter how hard we hope and try.

The post Mid September Update appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.

FINANCE

1. Savings Account – Save $1,000/month. I’ve put more than half of my goal amount into my savings account this year, which means I have 4 months to save the rest And with no big trips planned between now and then, this should be doable. I also have some side project work coming up in October that should help move me toward this goal. I really have to stay focused in order to meet this, but I’m still right on track.
2. Retirement – Continue to invest at 10% all year. I fumbled in January due to a technical glitch with my HR team — not my fault — but I did make up for the difference by saving 15% for two months straight. Thankfully I found the problem quickly and fixed it. I’m back on the 10% per month train and have been able to hold steady at this rate since fixing the issue in early spring.
3. Auto loan – Pay $300/month. No problems here, been doing good on this.
4. Attend a home buying 101 class. Did not do this yet. Kind of forgot I listed it. Must do this at some point!
5. Complete a free online tutorial for investing  (@ Kiplinger). Did not do this yet.
6. Create a new budget and stick to it! Didn’t really create a new budget, but I did update some categories in Mint so I think that qualifies. I haven’t really been sticking to my clothes budget at all this year, but I did in July and (so far) in August. $150 per month does NOT go a long way for clothes and shoes anymore. Must do better.

FITNESS

1. Stay healthy! No injuries in 2011. So far so good. No new injuries, though I was seeing a chiropractor to get weekly massages for my IT Band in May/June, and I will probably go for a few weeks once my half-marathon training really increases. But I made it through my 10-miler and Olympic Distance tri with lots of injury prevention tactics such as strength training, stretching, and foam rolling.
2. Complete an olympic distance triathlon. Done! Loved it!
3. Complete a half marathon. In progress. Set for October 23rd in St. Louis, Mo. Just completed week 3 of training and it’s going well.
4. Add strength and stretching to my workout schedule EVERY WEEK. With few exceptions, I’m on top of this. I feel extremely guilty if I don’t get my strength work in, whereas before my big injury last year strength was the first to get dropped if I was lacking for time.

BLOG

1. Connect with more finance bloggers in 2011 via comments, link love, and twitter. I have made more connections, but there is more work to do. It’s hard to find the time to read all the blogs I like. But I need to get better about using my Google Reader to stay updated on everyone’s work. There are some great PF blogs out there.
2. Post every week, no excuses. Clearly I have fumbled on this goal, but I’m still posting so that’s progress
3. Research how to get ads on the blog. Have not done this yet. I’m not sure what my problem is.

Well, now that I have reviewed my progress, I do feel better. I have really no reason to feel anxious about my own finances. We are doing fine, and as long as we stay frugal through man-friend’s unemployment saga, we should be OK. I really need to keep saving though, so that after this period ends we can throw a wedding and maybe even buy a place, wherever we end up. Now that I can see I’m doing OK, I just need to stay positive for him and support him mentally where I can.

The post Goals Check-In appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.

FINANCE
Savings Account – Increase by $12,000 ($1,000/month)
Retirement – Continue to invest at 10% all year
Auto loan – Pay $300/month
Attend a home buying 101 class
Complete a free online tutorial for investing  (@ Kiplinger)
Create a new budget and stick to it!

FITNESS
Stay healthy! No injuries in 2011
Complete an olympic distance tri
Complete a half marathon
Add strength and stretching to my workout schedule EVERY WEEK

BLOG
Connect with more finance bloggers in 2011 via comments, link love, and twitter
Post every week, no excuses
Research how to get ads on the blog

There you have it. It’s a lot of goals but I think most of them are doable. They just require commitment and discipline – both of which I can do, provided life doesn’t get in the way.

Now, for a relaxing end to the night, I’m off to go work on a knitting project I recently started. Gotta love those cheap hobbies

The post Recovery – And a few goal-setting thoughts appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.