Hello dear ones!
It’s been a very hectic start to 2016 for me, but I’m not surprised! I always have great intentions of sitting down and writing blog posts, but I am easily distracted with other projects, but no more! Today, you get a doozy of a post!
GOALS FOR 2016!
Since I’m getting this post up at the END of March, I’m going to skip listing anything for January, February, and March. For most months, I’ve got a goal that I wish to have accomplished or at least have made direct and marked progress toward.
January: Skipping
February: Skipping
March: Skipping
April: Pay for my weeklong vacation in cash. This was a goal last year and one that I successfully achieved. I don’t have regrets for trips that don’t add to my debt load. I budget for the trip, I save for it, and I always look for deals and freebies! I’m already counting down the days until I leave – less than a month to go!
May – July: At this point, I don’t have anything for here financially. Got some ideas for me? I think the summer months might be a good opportunity for me to focus on some side hustle things for myself. Since my side hustle income varies greatly, maybe I can set a goal for a certain amount of money I plan to make each month. So I’m open if you have any ideas. Giving is also huge to me, so I have also thought about dedicating a certain amount of my side hustle money specifically for a tax-deductible gift. My goal for giving could also be put in one of these months.
August: Based on my rough 2016 budget, this would be the soonest month that I could have BOTH of my credit cards completely paid off. As soon as my April trip has past, the majority of my extra income will go to knocking this down.
September: By the end of September, my goal is to have added $500 to my general slush fund savings. I may be able to hit this one earlier based on how I’m saving now, but I think September is a safe place to put this goal. Pending no major needs to pull from the account, of course.
October: In October, I plan to make the last of my 2016 contributions to my nephew’s 529 account. I’ve highlighted how I do this already, but based on how I’ve (roughly) budgeted for the year, the last contribution should come out during the month of October.
November: Something I plan to achieve in/by November is to bring down the balance of my smallest student loan significantly. I want it to be UNDER $2000 before the end of November. I don’t care if the balance reads $1999, that would still be under $2000. Click here for my current debt standings.
December: This is a month that I think will be big for me, both professionally and personally. By this month, I’m hoping to have a new job and to have moved to a different city, but LOTS of things will have to go down for this to succeed.
If you go back and look at my 2015 goals, you’ll see that some of these are exactly the same. I think those unmet goals have obviously inspired my goals for 2016!
Stay tuned for the updates!
One more BROKE TWENTY-SOMETHING 
Better late than never when it comes to goals I say! 🙂 And I love how you contribute to your nephew’s 529 plan, that’s so cool! Good luck with everything! – Erin @ Stay at Home Yogi
Yes, the sooner I get those goals out there, the sooner I will be more accountable to them. I think his 529 is my favorite investment! 🙂
Good luck with the goals! I think 3 months of focusing on side hustling are bound to pay off!
I sure hope to see some side hustle progress in those three months! 😉
Maybe drive for Uber or Lyft in the summer months, then once your credit cards are paid off invest the Uber money in stocks as a base. After that start paying your monthly credit card payments to your retirement account.
I actually used to drive for Uber/Lyft, but my market is so saturated that the money isn’t worth it. But still a good idea!
I did drive for Lyft at one point! However, our tiny city is saturated with drivers and eventually it got to the point where I was no longer breaking even, so I decided to drop that. But your idea is a good one.