A year ago, I established the goals I set for the year for 2012. In June, I checked in to see what progress had been made. Now for the final analysis…
- Set up an emergency fund. Thank goodness we set this up! November was a financially strapping month, and if we didn’t have this fund, we really would have been up the creek. Speaking for someone who a year ago did not have an emergency fund, I cannot stress the importance enough, of having one. December looks to be a tight month as well, so I am glad we have this money set aside. If you do not have an EF, start one today!
- Decrease our grocery bill to $250 a month. *snort* Um, no. This did not happen. Maybe I was idealistic when I came up with this number? Who knows. But no, I did not accomplish this goal, also known as “epic fail”.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. Yup, I rocked this! Even back in June, I could give myself a high-five for getting more fruits and veggies in our diet.
- Start a 529 plan for my daughter. Did not accomplish this, but I will make this a priority in 2013. Luckily, my daughter is only 2 so I still have time to get the ball rolling on this.
- Get rid of any excess junk/clutter. Woo hoo! We sold stuff, we did it, we sold stuff, oh yeah!
Junk and clutter are annoying, so buh-bye stuff! - Pay off credit card. As I mentioned before in my 6 month recap, I may have overreached in the time I assumed I would have this card paid off. Unexpected purchases crept up a lot this year, and extra money that I could have thrown at this debt, was instead used to pay for the unexpected. I am not worried though, because I know I will pay off this card, and when I do, I will scream it from the rafters!
Did you accomplish your goals for 2012?
Not bad! I think the emergency fun is a big one, and one that I have focused a lot of time and attention on myself. I have yet to examine my big year goals. I’m almost afraid…lol. I need a better tracking system.
Yes, I need a better tracking system too! If you come up with one, please share. It is so frustrating that I missed the mark on some of these
Not bad at all! Great for you in getting an E-Fund set up, those can be a lifesaver. We need to set up some 529′s as well, but may not be for another year or so.
Thanks John! The EF was a big one, and to me, the one I am most proud of!
It’s good thing you set up an emergency fund. Not a month goes by where I don’t think about “what if this and that happens, do we have enough money to survive?”
I’m curious about your grocery bill. What kind of cut backs are you trying to make? Cheaper stuff or less food?
Yes, I am so glad we have an EF. It has truly been a lifesaver!
As for our grocery bill…it’s a mix of stuff. Meal planning helped lessen the bill the most, and I try and stretch meals. I try to purchase items that are on sale or generic brands. I think what I really need to do is analyze these receipts and see what it is that is costing so much. It’s not like we are eating steak every night or drinking $20 bags of coffee… So frustrating
We’ve had those moments. You go shopping, think you’re getting all the deals then look at the receipt and get shocked! What cost so much?!?! Turns out it’s every little thing combined haha. Do you buy foods that you have to prepare from scratch, or things that don’t take as much preparation? There might be some money savings to have there if you don’t already. When I realized how much boxed food cost (even the healthy looking stuff), it’s easy to see why it costs so much more. We can buy some stir fry for $7 per bag, but if you get the same ingredients and spend $7, they can last for 3 meals instead of one, costing just a third of pre-made stuff. We try to do this kind of math in the store and weigh it against how energetic we feel about cooking. Once in a while though we like to buy some easy to prepare frozen food (for those days when you just don’t feel like cooking).
Most of our dinners I make from scratch, but there are some meals that are frozen for those days when like you mentioned, you are just too tired to cook. That’s interesting what you said about the stir-fry; that’s a good point. I’m going to just take a hard look at these grocery receipts and see where the money is really going.
Great job on getting an E-Fund in place. I really need to step it up in the fruits/veggies consumption department in 2013!
Thanks! I’m so glad we have an emergency fund. Fruits and veggies were definitely easier to eat in the summer, but luckily we’ve continued to do well with this! It helps, if you can sneak them into meals!
You did awesome! Defiitely set up a 529 for your daughter. When we started ours, we could only contribute $25 per month. Plus we put in all of her birthday money and gift money. It really does all add up.
Great job!
Thanks Holly! Yup, the 529 is definitely being added to my 2013 goals! It has to be done.
Yay for the e-Fund! Happy to hear it helped you through. Nice work overall!
Thanks! I still can’t believe I had never had an EF until I actually made it a priority to set one up!
Congrats on your emergency fund. Does it help you sleep better at night? I know mine does. When you get the credit card paid off, so shout it from the rafters and tell us how you did it.
It totally helps me sleep better at night! I wish it was bigger than what it currently is right now, but that’s okay. Baby steps, right? Oh, I will definitely shout it out when I get that card paid off!!!!
Great job! Re: the grocery bill, just keep in mind that cheap crap is only cheap in the short term.
That is so very true.
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Congrats on the EF! It is a big deal. About your groceries, have you tried dedicating one day to cooking every week, or even every month? You can enjoy bulk promotion on meat or vegetables with a short lifespan, and make a lot of frozen meals for those days you don’t feel like cooking. I also try to make meat last longer, putting more vegetables and beans or rice in the recipe.
Thanks, I’m glad we have an EF too!! It really is a load off my mind
I really want to try batch cooking so that I can cook quite a few meals and then freeze them. Thank you for reminding me about that option!