Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

2013 is almost over, completed, bid adieu. We stand on the brink of a new year, a new start, new resolutions (if you make them) or new goals. We have survived for another year, another turning of the calendar. Tomorrow, the sun will rise on 2014. Some of us will be awake to see it.

2013 was not a bad year for me, not at all. I learned a lot about myself in 2013, and I made a lot of progress on my goals. 2013 was supposed to be the Year of Completion, meaning to clear my plate of "Maybes" and "ToDos" for 2014, but as journeys go, this one will take a bit longer than one year. I can't say I spent the entire year mindful of my goals, but I think I did pretty well.

I had two books published in 2013. I finally was able to afford to put on a new kitchen roof in 2013. Unlike this time last year, I have money in my savings account, and all of my bills are current, plus I was able to buy Christmas presents this year without much difficulty, financially speaking.

I have about $4,000 left in consumer debt. Considering how it looked this time last year, I think I did pretty well with that, too. I did not reach my goal of getting everything paid off by the end of this year, but I am pretty confident that (barring unforseen expenses) I will reach my goal of March 31, 2014.

Consequently, to help me reach my goal, I am declaring a moratorium on all 'wants' until March 31, 2014 or when I pay off the last credit card, whichever comes first. I have two purchases already budgeted for, one of which was ordered in November and another that I am bidding on via Ebay. (If I don't win the one on ebay, I will get one eventually, so I'm not that worried.) Groceries don't count, obviously. General stuff from Amazon, however... yeah. That counts.

To help me reach my goal, I will be posting auctions on ebay, of course. And, if I come across something sellable at a good price, well, don't be surprised if I buy it to further my goals.

I want 2014 to be the Year of Freedom. I need to be debt free for that to work, however, so that is my #1 New Year's Resolution.

2014 Resolutions/Goals:

--To be debt free (not counting the mortgage) by March 31, 2014, or, failing that, by December 31, 2014 if there are unforseen expenses that get in my way.

--To continue the Year of Completion, which turned out to be more of a Year of Reflection and Pondering than anything else, along with a Year of Cleaning and a Year of You've-Complained-Long-Enough-About-Not-Having-Enough-Time-To-Do-What-You-Love-To-Do-So-How-About-Putting-Some-Of-That-Time-Spent-Complaining-Towards-Actually-Doing-What-You-Love-To-Do? And, of course, the Year of Slowing Down.

--To continue to look for a new job that is closer to my home.

--To continue to bake and cook and experiment with new food combinations. To eat more actual food, and to cook and bake more from scratch.

--To can jam and jelly, now that I've actually made some (and to not buy a jar of jam or jelly all year long unless it's something really special.)

--To have a substantial emergency fund in place by 12/31/14.

--To expand my gardens a bit for 2014, and continue cleaning up the debris from neglect and inattention.

--To be more patient, even though I've done pretty well with that this year, there is still room for improvement.

--After my credit cards are paid off, to only place orders from Amazon or other online retailers once a month--or less, excluding Christmastime.

--To continue to be more active and mindful of my health and flexibility/strength.


Comments

Grey Walker said…
Good goals!

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