How'd you do on your 2008 goals?

[mnmarty03]

Hi! So I've noticed everyone posting their 2009 goals, and that got me wondering - how'd I do on my 2008 goals I set? I found the post from last year that I put mine on: What Are Your 2008 Goals?

How'd you do? Let's share!

My goals from 2008 are posted below, w/notes along side for how I did! Enjoy!

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1. Allow $10-15 per month for scrap booking I spent a good portion of the year always thinking that I would scrap book "tomorrow" or "next month" but in reality never really did much. I finally have had enough of the "I will get to it" attitude and have finally admitted that I never will. I still think they are beautiful and I dream of doing them..but I get excited to start it, then never finish. In 2008 I completed 2 "scrapbooks." 1 was a real scrapbook, the other I ordered a photo book from snapfish.com instead of making the book I've been planning for 1 year. I have 2 more scrapbooks to complete that are 1/2 done... after that I am no longer doing them. Maybe someday but not now. For my wedding coming up my fiance and I have agreed to create photo books online and order them so that we don't have to do much for them. I think this is a solution for me that works - I still get my unique memories and captions, but don't have to spend hours and hours or loads of money to do it.

2. Allow $20 per month for extras (eat out, clothes, etc) Still struggling with limiting my extra money. Sometimes I do great - sometimes I fail miserably. I'll probably always have to work on this!

3. Find full time work in animal care. Contact old zoo job about rehiring if no job by April 1st, 2008. I lived at home until the beginning of May 2008 when I finally found work. On April 1st I decided that I need to go forward in my field with a new position at a different facility than at my old zoo. I decided that going back to my old job wouldn't move me forwards in my career. I therefore extended my deadline. I didn't find a position until May. The position fell into my lab, actually after I had already begun planning a move to my dream job location (Chicago) where I planned to volunteer during the busy season in the hopes that I could get my foot in the door that way. In August 2008 I got hired at my current job in Virginia which is a permanent full time zookeeping position with a minimum 2 year contract. So this one is a success!!!

4. Move out of parents house if no zoo job anywhere, July 2008. Done, May 2008

5. Save enough money for move across country. Wasn't able to do completely since I only made $7 per hour May through mid September. I was able to pay part of my move in cash and I used some money from a loan I took out for a car. Am now paying it back.

6. Pay off american express card. Again, since I only made $7 per hour for 3.5 months I wasn't able to do this. I did switch the debt to a 0% interest card though so that helped to save some money. I also switched my other cc balance to my car loan as well (actually a personal line of credit) which has a lower interest (0% card balance wasn't high enough to switch it too to that). So I did go from 2 cc to 1. I cut the 1 card up immediately and don't even know the number - so I have ceased adding new debt to my card. The PLOC account is also not used - so I am incurring absolutely no new debt. That is at least a beginning to debt reduction. Now that I'm getting paid more I am putting all my extra money into savings so that I can pay my upcoming wedding in cash only, which limits my debt paying abilities. My future hubby and I are planning on putting one of our incomes completely to debt reduction as soon as we can.

7. Pay cash for lawyer. Lawyer was for visa requirements for future DH. We did one better and did all paperwork ourselves which cost us nothing! His interview, and our final step in the process until after our wedding is Feb. 2nd - so far all has been successful!

8. Build up EF after move. Sort of accomplished. At the end of this month I should have over 1000 in the savings account, but that is going towards our wedding. EF is first on our list once we both are working/living together/married/etc.

So - there you have it!!!! I think I did okay, overall. I'm proud of myself lately, because even with my extra spending when I maybe shouldn't, I still have been saving a good amount of money! I have also been saving for my car insurance bill coming due in February so I'm proud of that as well. By time the wedding comes I should have $1800 in the bank plus am planning on putting my tax return towards the wedding... he'll have $2000 to put towards our wedding. He's also going to be getting an inheritance soon that'll help with some moving costs (plane ticket, etc) and wedding costs.... With some help from my parents and grandparents added in - we should be able to pay our wedding in cash only - so though I have debt coming in to the marriage, we won't get any new debt first thing!!!!

How'd everyone else do in 2008?

[homesteadmamma]

You've done well. Great job!!

[Siebrie]

* get married (have fiance) we had a lovely wedding on 27 June
* have baby (it's in my belly, but have no clue as to the due date...) had babygirl on 29 June
* find home with south-facing garden (just rented north-facing studio for 1 year)moved to 2-bedroom apartment in same building, still northfacing though.
* save 6 months EF (completely down to 0 for the last 5 months - last year at university and moves to England and Belgium depleted it)was nicely up, but was spent on the move, the baby, a car and plane tickets to Africa to visit inlaws
* finish my 6-month trial period at new job unscathed done, 'to our very best satisfaction'
* make bare studio a home moved to bigger apartment, it's now nearly a home
* find salsa dance place for lessons, exercise and fun. Maybe fiance can teach there were refused at 2 salsa places due to DH's skin colour, will not dance there alone
* find church have visited a few, but am still looking

[mnmarty03]

* find salsa dance place for lessons, exercise and fun. Maybe fiance can teach there were refused at 2 salsa places due to DH's skin colour, will not dance there alone

They refused you because of that? That's horrible!

Looks like you did pretty good on your goals! I live in a studio now and was just telling my fiance (who still is in Germany and moving here in March for our wedding) that it doesn't feel like a home and I want to make it one soooo badly... but also want to wait for him to get here so we can do it together. So I definitely understand wanting to make an apartment a home!

Anyone else? Even other people who didn't post their old goals - if you just had some in 2008 and want to share how you did, please do! I love to read them and I think there's a lot to learn by looking at what was important to you a year ago.

[Sassyclass]

Mine are in my sig and I did manage to get all but 2 of them done. The "slash utilities" I'm giving until April of 2009 to see an improvement. My goal there is to spend less next year than I did this year.
I got my savings account over the $150 today!
I'm changing my target date on our savings account, it was Jan. 1,2009 but I'm changing it to April 1,2009. I started this challenge a little to late to get that account up to that figure.

Cat