Resolutions

I’ve been thinking about some goals for 2009, but first I thought I would look back at my 2008 goals and see how I did.

Money Goals
1. File taxes early this year.

Grade: A. I filed in March …good thing, because I had a baby the first week of April!

2. Track spending.

Grade: A-. I’m definitely missing some cash and DH’s spending, but I made big strides this year. I thought I would try Quicken or Mint.com, but I did it all in a spreadsheet, which actually worked out pretty well. We used a debit card for most purchases made things easier, and I dutifully downloaded account activity monthly. The amount we spent was shocking (!), but seeing it in black and white helped me identify places to save.

3. Save for Retirement / Max out both of our 401Ks.

Grade: A. Although, with the drop in market value, I almost wish I had used this $ to pay down some kind of debt. Oh well ….

4. Pay off all debt with an interest rate exceeding 6%.

Grade: B. We paid off over $12K on our Home Depot card, which was used to finance new windows at 0% interest. Yay! But I racked up a balance of $5K on the personal card I use for business expenses. Boo!

4. Increase earned income by 25%.

Grade: A However this was from a REALLY low base in 2007. I made 2 times what I made in 2008 back in 2008. AND, I just got laid off. Sigh. But the goal was to beat 2007, and I did by 49%. (And in 11 months – I took one month unpaid maternity leave!)

5. Open up a 529 Plan for the boy.

Grade: A. DH’s parents contributed a nice chunk to get it started, and we have been automatically contributing $50 per month.

6. Buy a home in Brooklyn - or not. The objective was really only to monitor the situation, which we did. We actually moved to a new rental with more space at the same price. Grade: B.

7. Establish a 12-month Emergency Fund.

Grade: D. So NOT done. Although we still have maybe a six month cushion, we really didn’t save any new money, and the investments we had lost value. Sigh.


Personal Goals
1. Health. Cook at home 4x per week and cut my sugar intake. (Will need help from DH here). Exercise 4x a week for at least 20 minutes. (This sounds modest, but hey, I’m pregnant.) Reach pre-pregnancy weight by the end of the year.

Grade: B. We ate at home a LOT more this year, in part because of the baby, in part to save money. The new neighborhood Trader Joe’s helped a lot! Hmm, I am less than 10 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight. Not ideal, but at least I fit into my old clothes! And I kept exercising up until maybe a few weeks before DS was born. Definitely proud of that.

2. Marriage. Take a trip together (maybe just a weekend) sans baby. Eat dinner together nightly - exceptions for friends, work stuff, etc are ok. Do outdoorsy things together - going for walks, bike rides and to the beach are always good times.

Grade: B+. We’ve had a few dinner “dates”, and that it good enough so far.

3. Friends & Family. Stay in touch. Email my email friends. Call the 'rents. Host a get together sometime this year. Go to my college reunion.

Grade: B+. Never did have that party, but did make an effort in the other areas.