Monthly Goals-January 2021

WELCOME TO 2021!!!
I know that many of us have been waiting with quiet (or not so quiet) excitement for the last year to be over and done with! 2020 has been referred to as a “dumpster fire” year and in many ways that is true. However, I have realized that a lot of good also came out of 2020. I will talk more about that when I do my “year in review”.
Onto 2021……………………..but first let’s review the December plan.

DECEMBER RESULTS

HOME
Goodwill Run-I did so well in the last couple of months that I had nothing to take to Goodwill this month so this one is an N/A.

CREATIVE
Decorate for the holidays-DONE-As usual, I did decorate my home for the holidays. I was able to decorate a bit earlier than usual because I didn’t go to see the family for Thanksgiving.

Make holiday card-DONE-Again, as usual I made my annual holiday card. It is something I enjoy doing though every year I always think that I have more time to get them done and in the mail! And every year, I am wrong!

Mail cards by 12/12-NOPE-I did get the cards mailed out before Christmas but not by the 12th.

SPIRITUAL
Continue daily gratitude journaling-DONE-This has become a nightly habit and ritual that I plan to continue. I have read back to earlier in the year & it’s interesting to read my grateful thoughts pre quarantine vs after and now. At times, I was simply grateful to have food and to be safe in my home. I am aware though that as simple as those thoughts are for others it was not so simple.

HEALTH
Stop eating by 8PM 4 nights per week-NOPE & I stopped tracking. It just became too cumbersome as I worked on holiday projects, finishing up my Italian class and prepped to visit my family.

Exercise at least 2 times per week for a total of 10 sessions. I managed 8 workout sessions for the month.

6500 steps at least 18 days-DONE-I managed exactly 18 days!

Drink 80 ounces of water 24 days-NOPE-I managed 17 days and then stopped tracking but I’m certain that I didn’t make it to 24-maybe 20 days.

FINANCIAL
Review November budget-DONE-I had totally slacked last month on this one and wanted to catch up.

Write December budget-KIND OF-I didn’t formally write out December’s budget but I did incorporate December’s numbers as I closed out the month.

Start 2021 budget-DONE-My January budget is done and ready!! I’m using a new form and that makes it much easier for me to update and check it as needed.

Chose a no spend month for the first quarter of 2021-DONE-I have chosen January! See January goals for a more detailed explanation of what this looks like for me.

That’s it for 2020!! What a year it has been. Upcoming, I will go over my master want to do list for 2020 and review how it turned out. I will also reveal my Master Want To Do List for 2021. Until then, here are my goals for January.

JANUARY MONTHLY GOALS

HOME

*Finish Office Refresh-I started this refresh around September and it’s about 75% complete.
*Get rid of old computer armoire-this is what I used to have my computer and tech equipment stored in but now as I work from home for the foreseeable future, I needed more space. This thing is big and cumbersome and HEAVY.

CREATIVE

*Create & send birthday cards to family and friends-This was also a goal for 2020 and if your birthday was in January or February you received a card. Once the pandemic hit and we sheltered in place, my creative mojo took a hit which lasted all year. It was really hard for me to even think about making cards so I didn’t. It’s unfortunate because making handmade cards for family and friends is something that I really enjoy doing. This year, I plan to stick to it no matter what happens. I have 3 birthdays this month that I plan to acknowledge.

HEALTH

*Drink 64 ounces of water 24 days-I reduced this goal to make it more reasonable. Attempting to drink 80 ounces ultimately was not great for me overall. I usually could not finish it early enough to prevent me for having to get up 2-3 times per night and I NEED my sleep! 64 ounces is the recommended amount for hydration and I will get more through the food I eat. I will continue to monitor though to make sure that 64 ounces actually meets my needs.
*7000 steps-20 days
*Workout 3 days per week (12)
*Strength Training x1 day per week (4)

SPIRITUAL

* Perform self care by doing at least 3 masks per week (12)
FYI-I will continue with my daily gratitude journaling but it is so ingrained now that I don’t feel the need to track it. I want to find new practices to enhance this area of my life.

FINANCIAL

*No Spend Month-I am doing a no spend month this month. A no spend month for me means that I can buy necessities like fresh food, gas, medications but I cannot make any “wants” purchases. When there is a “want” that I “want” to buy during the no spend month, I write it down and then will decide in February if I still “want” it. During the no spend month, I can also do research to determine the best value/price for the item. In terms of food, the goal is to eat what I have in the pantry & freezer but I can still buy fruits and vegetables and any food that doesn’t typically last a month.
Additionally, if there are any birthdays and parties, etc… that had already been planned for then those are also allowed. However, since we are back in quarantine and sheltering in place, there will be no gatherings taking place.
And in case it’s not clear, a no spend month does NOT include your usual monthly bills. Those must be paid!!
*Track spending-Because of my no spend month, I really shouldn’t have any additional expenses to track. However, I want to keep in the habit of tracking my spending so I will track what I want to buy (and also if I break my no spend month for some reason).
*Weekly budget review-My financial life is more in control when I pay attention to my budget. I have set a phone reminder for every Monday to complete this task.
*Participate in a $2 per week savings challenge-these challenges are easy to find online at this time of year. The concept is simple. Starting with week 1 you save $2. Every week after, you increase it by $2. Week 1-$2, week 2-$4, week 3-$6 and so on. If you do this for the year, at year’s end you’ll have saved $2,756. Why not do an automatic transfer? I already do that. This is just another way to intentionally save and again pay attention to the numbers.