9 Month Goal Update- The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Welcome to our 2016 Goal Update. I chose to title this post, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” because that is EXACTLY what it is.
I would love to say that we are crushing every.single.one. of our 2016 goals but that simply is not true. We have come a long way and have overcome many obstacles and surprises so far this year, but we are still way behind on some of our goals, as you can see if you look at the two main lists below and……… I am OKAY with that. Say what? Yep, circumstances changed, people were injured or diagnosed with serious health issues, insurance was dropped and life happened. Since people should come first, our goals have underwent some adjustments or have been postponed until 2017, and I am okay with that. Of course, I still stress a bit over things, BUT I am learning to “Let it Go”. What about you?
2016 Goal Update
9 months
The Good
We have managed to create and keep a check by check budget, but I update it regularly as we receive new medical bills, prescriptions, plus home & car repairs.
We have managed to reduce our purchase of non-necessities, more than I thought we could ever do.
We are using a weekly menu plan, AND I share it with my readers every.single.Monday. You can read those posts here.
We paid off our van!!! But I am remorse to say we have not been saving the equivalent towards purchasing a replacement, when the time comes. THIS is budgeted to change, beginning with the first check of January.
Our new wood floors are installed and paid for, and I LOVE them!!! BONUS: We found a Rhumba floor cleaner for $200 at a local resale shop, and it has made cleaning much, much easier.
We are “Controlling the Chaos” MUCH better than we have in previous years.
We had an amazing “Just Make Do January” and have continued to actively use that philosophy throughout the last nine months.
We created an “Incoming Paper System”, and it is working beautifully.
We did create our medical binders. I am sorry to say they are not as thoroughly prepped as I would like, but it is a work in progress, as our lives change.
We purged OLD files. I tackled a large portion of these ,but I still have a tote size amount to go.
We did litter train Miss Kitty.
We did get my daughter moved into her “own space” downstairs, and it is organized and beautiful. Because we have been working diligently to “Control the Chaos,” we were actually able to clean, organize and decorate her room all in one afternoon.
Our home is 1000x more organized than it was a year ago, but I must admit, as we prepare for a garage sale, in just 3 days, it isn’t as perfect as I would like it be, AND it won’t be before the start of the year because I am approaching my crafting season and will be creating my personalized ornaments, decorating for fall and Christmas, and creating printables for the AMAZING blog posts I have planned for next year.
We have reduced our preservative intake greatly and are consuming more items from their natural form.
We have been doing more freezer cooking and will continue to build on that after the first of the year.
We have been using our WEEKLY & Monthly Checklists but not necessarily checking them off.
We have been reducing, reusing & recycling as much as possible.
We have shared Linkups at both The Zippy Zebra and Treasured Tidbits. If you are a blogger and would like to join us, Sharing Saturday can be found here & Sharing Sunday can be found here.
We have increased our Facebook & Pinterest followers, email subscribers, AND opened an Instagram account,which is growing daily!!!
Goal Update
The Bad
We have not added the rock to the end of our drive, repaired the sidewalk OR installed the hand rail to our entry way.
We have not filled and installed the picture frames we have owned for the past few years. (This is now scheduled in my 2017 Controlling the Chaos schedule. A schedule I will be sharing as a FREE printable December 15th, 2016.)
We did not paint the office or “redo” the girl’s bathroom. Instead, we were asked to babysit over the summer and spent half the week hanging out, playing games and making crafts.
I have NOT kept an organized list of our freezer inventory. I started and then fizzled out, BUT we have managed to keep my basket system organized so we can see, in a glance, what we have, AND I have done great at using up the excess in our cabinets.
I have not tackled the digital or printed photos in as much depth as I would like. During the time it was on the Controlling the Chaos series, my youngest suffered another “episode” and all my time was devoted to her, her doctors, hospitals and research.
I did not give up Pepsi for very long.
We do not drink a smoothie every.single.day.
We do not eat at the table every.single.meal.
We have not kept good health journals.
We have done well with going to bed or rising on a schedule. Our health and episodes affects this greatly.
We have not spent an hour a day playing games or doing a family activity (TV doesn’t count).
I have NOT posted daily in “Controlling the Chaos” or our “Savings 2016 Series,” but I have posted monthly in the Chaos series and more in our private Facebook Decluttering group found here.
I have not posted daily on the blog, and after some deep consideration, will probably not be, except during special months such as the upcoming “Organized October”.
I have not set aside an afternoon a week to paint as I had hoped. BUT I have gotten everything stained and a plan in place, so I am not freezing my bum off in November trying to get everything sealed in time for my BIG craft show and Thanksgiving. Want to see what I create? Head over to Handmade Treasures by Tina and “like” our page. New ideas should begin appearing on October 5th along with our monthly giveaway links.
I have not spent as much time on my chronic illness blog The Zippy Zebra as I has had hoped to, BUT I have been working in the background to ensure it kicks off 2017 with a BANG!!!
Goal Update
The Ugly
Savings
We began 2016 with a goal to save $5,000-$10,000 in our emergency fund. We began the year with approximately $1,000 dedicated solely to emergencies. At this very moment we have less than $500 and actually began the month with exactly $100 in the emergency fund. Not a fact I am proud of, and certainly not what I had planned for after 9 months into the year.
But am I worried? NO!!!
Why am I sharing this embarrassing fact? Because I KNOW we aren’t the only ones.
We ALL make plans, we all have goals and dreams, but we also live in the real world. And in the real world, life happens and goals need to be altered and changed based on those “happenings”. Next week, I will share what those “happenings” are, that have been in our lives, and why I am not stressing the fact our emergency fund began the month of September with a balance of $100, and why I am still fighting the fight to live on a budget, stay out of debt and live the simple life.
How are your 2016 goals coming along? Please feel free to comment below and share a bit of encouragement, ask a question or simply let us know that this post encouraged you. It brings us great joy to hear from our readers.
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This post is linked up at a variety of link ups.
For an extensive list of the link ups we enjoy and link to, click here.
You can find our original Goals For 2016 post here.
Tags: 2016, Budget, Business, Business Goals, Decluttering, Dreams, goals, Health, Helath GOals, Home, Hopes, Organizing, Plans, Savings, Savings Goals, Spending
Uncategorized | Tina Miller | 
September 30, 2016 11:48 am
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