It’s nearly April (seriously!?) which probably means that it’s time to see how our annual goals are going.
Money:
1) Continue to save, save, save with focus on the mortgage, moving abroad, travel and our house. Yes on track. We’re 25% of the way to completing a move to Portugal fund and we’ve saved enough to pay for two new windows, our main house expense this year. We’ve also saved a little towards travel, although this is on the back burner for the first part of the year. On the mortgage front we’re restarting small over payments again in April.
2) Continue to work towards a 50% net income saving rate {currently 37%}. Work in progress! So far in 2011 we’ve saved an average of 41% of net income.
3) Continue to use a cash budget system. Yes mainly. This now works for me..finally!
4) Continue to meal plan every week. Yes every week.
5) Stick to our budget 100% with no unnecessary, unconscious spending. Not wanting to put the mockers on this but so far so good with this goal. It’s hard sometimes, especially when shopping in London with fellow bloggers 
, but I’m determined to stick to this.
House:
1) Totally complete all repairs and decorating. In progress.
2) Learn about renting out your house…legals, tax etc. Um no, not yet.
Personal:
1) Lose 30lbs. Fail! I’ve put on 5lbs and not lost anything. Time to regroup I think!
2) Eliminate my iron deficiency. Yes, although I need to go back for regular checkups.
3) Teach myself to sew {better}. Not yet. I need to borrow a few library books and get started on this goal as I especially want to be able to make my own curtains…properly. I can make them just not very well!
4) Reduce waste bin to 25% full every fortnight {currently 50%} Completed. It’s amazing how easy this is to do when you really set your mind to reducing the packaging you buy and then recycle as much as possible.
5) Keep everything simple and organised. Yes 
6) Go to the Design Museum and the Tate in London. Not yet although I did visit the Tate Modern briefly during the blogger meet up.
7) Have a spa day with eldest daughter {graduation celebration}. Not yet.
Apart from my weight loss, I’m really pleased with my/our progress this year and now it just a case of keeping the momentum going to complete all the goals.
How are your annual goals are going? Have you been making progress?
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Amazing job. You’re an inspiration, all around.
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:30 am
Thanks Karen! Now if I could just get this weight loss under control…
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Great job Laura! I’ll need to focus on dropping some weight here soon too. I’ve been so focused on ditching debt, that I’ve neglected to focus on the 15 extra pounds I’m still carrying around from my pregnancy with my now 18 month old. Oops. Thanks for the reminder!
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:31 am
@Jenny Thanks! I found it impossible to pay of debt and diet at the same time…the trouble is I still find it difficult to tackle the weight!!
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Hi Laura!
! DD2 is graduating from college in May, and I hope to take her to NY for a couple of shows!
Gosh, I wonder why it took me so long to find you other blog! Sorry for the delay!
I love your goals, especially the spa day!
Question for you. Why Portugal? Just curious!
!
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:40 am
Hi Sharon and welcome! NY for a couple of shows sounds like a great idea.
Portugal: 300 days of sunshine/lovely climate, 3 hours from the UK, the lovely people..overall it’s a beautiful country
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Sharon Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Ah, sounds beautiful! I had no idea it was only 3 hours from you! My geography was never good. I would LOVE 300 days of sunshine. How is the cost of living?
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Congratulations on doing so awesome. I am wanting to focus on weight too. Maybe with summer coming it will be easier to shed some pounds in the heat. I hope anyway.
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:33 am
@Niki that’s what I’m hoping too! why is it so difficult?!?
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Seems there are a number of us who would like to lose a few pounds. Why oh why is it so hard? Maybe because I love to eat! Oh well, I’ll keep plugging along. As far as financial goals I’m right on track. Just like you!
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 7:36 am
@Jane Yay for being on track…with the finances, as for the weight..lol…I love to eat too..therein lies the problem lol
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I’m bobbing up and down on my weight too. I dread stepping on a scale.
Saving 37% of your salary is great. I have a goal of being able to save my complete salary but I haven’t tracked it that closely. We seem to have money leftover at the end of the month nowadays and that’s the first time ever that it’s not been immediately earmarked for something else. I need to be a little more structured with that stuff.
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
@FirstGenAmerican I’m thinking of putting my scales away..it might stop me obsessing! Being able to save your complete salary would be awesome…but money left over is always a good thing
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Oh good job on – well everything!
I continue to glare balefully at my neighbours over-limit garbage.
I’m not even sure where I’m at since we have a 2 bag allowance every week, I sometimes go 2 weeks without having anything to put out there and sometimes have one, so I guess I’m somewhere around 25%. I kind of blame the cat for having even that much though. And the fireplace. There’s only so much ash you can put on your lawn before you muck up the pH.
Good job on the iron levels. I think I’m finally back to normal (which is better than normal since I was probably anemic for years before going to severe) – isn’t the difference in peppiness levels awesome?
I’m still trying to find that magic way of eating wherein I don’t have to count and obsess over it all the time (not that I obsess, but I don’t want to even have to think much about it). Eating using a fast-5 approach works for me (if I make my “eating window” noon-5) but that means I don’t eat dinner with the kids. Once I’m not working or commuting, I’ll probably go back to it since it was so easy to follow.
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
@Jacq I glare at one of my neighbours too!
Yes, I feel a lot better since my iron levels returned to normal, I even sleep through the night….now I just need to decide on having an op or continuing with the tablets for 5-10 years! As for the eating..who knows how to deal with that!?! but I’ll keep trying
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Nice work! I love how focused you are. Your lists is where I want to be once we are out of consumer debt (target end of 2012).
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Thanks Rachel! The time will fly and you’ll be debt free before you know it!
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You are doing awesome! You’re saving SOO much! Wow! Still plenty of time for your weight loss goal!
You can do it I’m sure!
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Laura Reply:
March 29th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Thanks Carla I sure hope so. Hopefully April will see me turn the corner
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Wowzers that’s a long list of goals, good on you for setting and reaching them all!
Can I just say that for me the one about reducing your waste is the most inspiring for me – mainly because I’ve always been so poor at recycling/reducing my waste, so congrats to you for hitting 25%, thats amazing!! (yep I know, inspired about rubbish, thats me all over!
)
Do you find like I do that once you’ve put down one goal, that the 2nd is easier, then the 3rd even more so – and it’s like a snowball of things you want to achieve/do?
I find it’s the same when completing them too, once I’ve done one, and then another, each one after that seems to get easier!
Anyhoo, thanks for putting this list up, it’s given me plenty of ideas for next months goals for me and Dena!
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Laura Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 10:14 am
Hi Mike
Having a master list of goals is a great thing because it keeps you focussed and you’re right it works like a snowball…I’m currently working on a life list, sort of a bucket list…I have a travel bucket list but it’s things outside of that that I’m concentrating on. I think you have to keep working everyday to achieve your goals/dreams….time really does fly by and we owe it to ourselves to live the best life we can.
PS. I get inspired by rubbish too
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