So, I have met my goals so far in the first month with varied success. If YNAB has taught me anything (and wow! it has) it is to roll with the punches and not get discouraged if you are not getting everything 100% right. Keep going; even if you are only making progress half the time, it's more progress than you would make without even trying.
Here is how I stacked up in January:
- Work toward Rule 4 (Age Your Money) as the final Rule to embrace (see youneedabudget.com for more details)
- I went from my Age of Money at 1 day to 4 days. Not great, and still have a long way to go, but made some progress.
- Do a daily devotional
- I chose Melody Beattie's Language of Letting Go. I've stayed up to date with it, only missing a day once and then catching back up the next day!
- Exercise
- 2 x per week minimum This is one I struggled to make time for. I'm counting the 3 times I went line dancing and the 4 times I did yoga which makes me a little behind 2 x/week. Really need to make time for this one!!! (Plus I did spend about and hour and a half shoveling one day, so I think that counts, too!)
- Read for pleasure
- Average one book per month So, I went a little bit overboard here (maybe if I would have read less, I could have exercised more ;)). I read the following books: (1) The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd; (2) So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson; (3) Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, (4) Cold Treachery by Charles Todd, and (5) An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd. What can I say, I like early 20th Century mysteries! You can check out my Goodreads page for some brief reviews.
- Go on a date with Jason
- At least one time per month We did go on a date in early January. Our intention was to go see a movie, but even though we arrived more than a half hour early, it was already sold out! So, instead we went and spent some of our Target giftcard (on Mexican Train Dominoes!), had dinner at Five Guys and then did some shopping at Meijer together. Not the most exciting of dates, but it was quite nice to be able to just spend time together. This month's date will be much more exciting ;)
- Have a "no screen" weekend
- Haven't done this yet. Have talked about it with the girls and while they aren't excited about giving up their own screens, they are excited about mom and dad giving up theirs.
- Clean and organize basement
- Toy room and storage room; no progress yet. I'm doing some pre-planning and we have talked about the need, especially for the toy room, to be cleaned an organized.
- Travel somewhere in Northern Michigan
- Not yet; Annabella is studying Michigan in school right now and the U.P. so there is interest there and we've been talking about the Bridge and Mackinac Island.
- Travel to Denver, Indiana and Washington, D.C.
- Not yet; plans for Indiana in April, D.C. once this month and once next month, and Denver in early June!
- Try out 12 new dinner recipes
- This one is going well! I tried (1) Crock Pot Stroganoff, (2) Sweet-Potato Hash with Bacon, (3) One-pot Pizza Pasta Bake, (4) Oven-roasted Sausage and Potatoes, (5) Smothered Chicken Casserole and (6) Cheddar Ranch Chicken this month. All were good and you can check out the recipes (and the ones I've yet to try) on my Pinterest board.
- Try out 12 new dessert/cookie recipes
- Again, going well! This month I tried (1) Twix cookies (spoiler alert...these are AMAZING!), (2) Brownie Mix Cookies (just so so), and (3) Microwave Mug Double Chocolate Brownie (urgent attempt to eat chocolate!). You can check out these recipes on my Dessert and Cookie Pinterest board.
- Do not use credit or obtain any additional debt
- So, I knew this one would be a challenge and as I thought more about it, I became convinced that this might be my hardest (and most rewarding!) goal that I have set for myself. I did make one rather large purchase in January using a credit card but it was a conscious purchase for a 'greater good.' I am really working on putting my money where my priorities are and working on being patient with not being able to reach all of my goals in the time that I would prefer them. One thing that I am proud of is that we were able to pay off our washer and dryer before any interest was charged! It was so tempting to spend that money on other things and just pay the interest, but we kept on it and I'm so glad that we did!
