As I mentioned in yesterday’s What I’m Reading post, it’s been a crazy week. Good in some ways (actually to the child search part of the adoption process), stressful in others (cash reserves are pretty much drained coming up with $18k for the refinance), but overall we’re on the path we set out for ourselves. And that’s a good thing.

Blogging

The purpose of these two goals is, yes, to grow my blogs, but also to support and highlight blogs and bloggers I enjoy. Just like I will be posting 2 new to me blogs every week in my round ups, the point here is to draw attention to blogs that others might not be familiar with. (Blog swaps will not count toward either of these goals.)

Write one guest post per month. January- yes

Publish one guest post per month. January- yes

 

Writing

Writing fiction is my side hustle, though I have yet to make any money from it. I’ve found that I devote much more time to the blogs than I do my fiction, though, because I am on a schedule. I feel accountable to my readers to get posts up when I say I will. And because I am a procrastinator, deadlines are a must for me. I get the energy I need to work on something from an impending deadline.

I am hoping to transfer the power of those two things- accountability and deadlines, to my fiction this year.

Submit at least one piece to a paying venue per month.

December: Yes

January: Yes

February: Yes

Complete the first draft of my novella and start edits. I wrote a little bit today and got another piece submitted, so I’m calling that a win.

 

Finances

A lot of financial goals will actually end up as floating goals- ie they will be things I expect to complete well before the year is out. But I do have some long term financial goals that I think will work for year-long tracking.

Create and track a practice stock portfolio. Post 2 went up on Thursday.

End the year “on budget” in the categories I’m tracking.

February Numbers

Category	On Budget
	Month	Year
Groceries	Yes	Yes
House	Yes	Yes
Eating Out	Yes	Yes
Allowance – E	Yes	No
Allowance – C	Yes	Yes

 

I’ll stop being over for the year on my allowance on Friday when I get reimbursed for the work expenses.

 

 

Floating Goals

Refinance the house. Gathering all the cash we need to make this happen. Should be done by the end of the month.

Replace all the windows in the house. This may be put off until fall because we need to get a plumber out to look at a myriad of problems that are slightly more urgent than the windows.

Publish new photography/flash fiction book. My artist completed her own successful Kickstarter project. I am very excited for her. We’ll take more after her big convention at the beginning of March.