My 12 Goals for 2016 : Week 44 of 52

1. Pay Down the Mortgage

We were able to make 7 additional principal payments towards the mortage for October.

2. Buy Nothing New for 1 Year. 

Last week was an easy peasy one in the do not be tempted to buy any crappity crap you don’t actually need category. I did however take advantage of the free blood pressure machine at the grocery store. Maybe it’s a sign I’m getting old, but I think these things are fun. Have you taken your blood pressure lately?

3. Track Spending and Figure Out New Ways to Cut Spending Even More.

I love a man who can cut a straight line {and save me from paying $40 for a simple haircut}. Apparently when I asked the HH to “take an inch off” he heard “take 3 inches off.” Whateva. It will grow back.

4. Try 52 New Recipes.

Fail. I was going to try out a new sweet potato recipe but got distracted and painted the ceiling and cleaned out the storage room instead. My brain. It’s pretty much mush these days and I get sidetracked easily.

5. Keep My Grocery Budget Under $100 a Month.

Ya. So not so much this month. 😉 But next month will be better, I promise.

6. Go on 52 Dates with the Handsome Husband 

Mexican food rules and it’s always the biggest bang for your buck.

So far this year we’ve gone on 28 dates and spent $436.22 out of pocket for our dates

7. Turn My Wool Stash into $5,000.

I’m back on Etsy and Ebay and this past week I sold $59.90 worth of my hooked rugs. So far this year I have sold $6132.93 worth of arts & crafts. I am working on one more round of holiday {Christmas} rugs and then I’ll be done listing for the year. Yee-Haw!

In October I sold $1073.95
In September I sold $1259.27
In August I sold $329
In April I sold $29.99
In March I sold $799.53
In February I sold $1077.27
In January I sold $1563.92

8. Get Rid of 1,000 Things. 

The Girl and I finally finished going through the last remaining boxes in the storage room and were surprised to find the vintage wool kilts in there. Since they were purchased when the kids were in elementary school {and no longer fit} I think I might try and sell them on ebay. Anyone know what the best time of year to sell a kilt is?

Although we donated most of our finds to the thrift store we did hold back 2 packages of copper foil, 3 beer pulls {from the HH’s grandfather’s place} a flannel shirt that doesn’t fit anyone in the house, some paper and a few notebooks.

So far this year I’ve gotten rid of 1142+ things.

9. Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

Last week I read Mud Season by Ellen Stimson. The first half was funny, but the second half? Too whiny and I wouldn’t have wanted her for a neighbor. I give the book a 3 out of 5.

10. Track Hours Spent Working on My Vegetable Garden and do a Cost Analysis at the End of the Year. 

Last week we harvested some squash, a few beans {they are still going strong!} and a couple of beets. Lucy ate the strawberries again so even though we’ve been getting some, we haven’t been able to enjoy them.

So far this year I have harvested 143 pounds 8 ounces of fresh veggies from our backyards. I spent $19.40 at the greenhouse, $10.40 at Wilco and about $16 on mulch. You can read all about my gardening adventures at Dig for Your Dinner.

Time spent working on Vegetable Garden in 2016: 21 hours 40 minutes.

11. 52 House Projects in 52 Weeks.

I was trying to take a picture of our cleaned out storage room and guess who just had to be in the picture. 😉 Seriously. That dog is such a ham.

12. Make all Birthday and Christmas Gifts This Year or Acquire Them for Free.

The girl needs a big hook to knit the chunky hats she plans on giving away for Christmas but doesn’t want to pop for one. So she has decided to do what all resourceful college students do and try to whittle a hook out of wood. I’ll let you know how it goes.

How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2016? How are they coming along?

~Mavis

Read About My 2016 Goals HERE.