My 12 Goals for 2016 : Week 13 of 52

1. Pay Down the Mortgage

We were able to knock 5 payments off our contract in March {1 regular payment and 4 extra “principal” payments}. I was able to use my “rug hooking money” to go towards the extra payments this month as well as move some money I had leftover for miscellaneous/household/car/clothing/medical expenses that were not used in January and February towards paying down our mortgage.

2. Buy Nothing New for 1 Year. 

Some weeks I have cravings and other weeks I totally forget about my whole buying nothing new for a year deal I made with myself. I do think though, once garage sale season comes around, I’m going to be kicking myself. Also, it’s really hard driving past the nursery and not stopping.

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

This week I gave the HH a trim and held off buying more trim paint until it goes on sale {usually around Memorial day}. I also prepared a bunch of meals using items I already had on hand, paid bills online, borrowed books from the library, borrowed a tool from a neighbor and reused some packaging so I didn’t have to buy any.

4. Try 52 New Recipes.

In case you missed it, I made Roasted Beets Tossed in Balsamic Vinegar with Pistachios this week.

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

So far in March we’ve spent $94.51 on groceries.

6. Go on 52 Dates with the Handsome Husband 

Yesterday the HH and I went up to the tulip fields and let me tell you, it was the best $10 we’ve spent in awhile.  So far this year we’ve gone on 10 dates and spent $109.52 out of pocket for our “dates.”

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

I was able to make a few extra bucks this week turning my rug hooking hobby into cash. I sold 4 small hooked rugs this week on Ebay for a total for $109.92. I haven’t been adding much inventory to my “shops” lately because I’ve been busy dyeing wool and working on some fall/winter pieces. Late spring and summer is usually pretty slow in terms of selling finished rug hooking pieces and I am totally okay with that.

So Far in March I’ve sold $799.53

In February I’ve sold $1077.27
In January I sold $1563.92

8. Get Rid of 1,000 Things. 

I was able to purge 29 items this week. I keep thinking I am going to run out of things to add to my yard sale pile but each week somehow I come up with more stuff. 😉
9. Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

I’ve been craving a good sugary dessert lately so I checked out a few recipe books and grabbed a few books that were on display at the library as well.

• Desserted {I found some recipes to try!!}
• Sugar and Spice {Can you tell I like desserts?}
• Lee 
• Simplicity

I’m still waiting to read A Man Called Ove and I am currently #47 of 56 in line on the library request list. C’mon people…. hurry up!
10. Track Hours Spent Working on My Vegetable Garden and do a Cost Analysis at the End of the Year. 

Lucy and I puttered around the garden this week planting carrots, peas and lettuce seedlings. You can read about my latest gardening adventures HERE.

So far this year I have harvested 6 pound 2 ounces of fresh veggies from our backyard.

Time spent working on Vegetable Garden in 2016: 6 hours

11. 52 House Projects in 52 Weeks.

This week I worked mostly on decluttering and a few maintenance projects.
12. Make all Birthday and Christmas Gifts This Year or Acquire Them for Free.

I didn’t make anything new this week to give as gifts but I am plotting a way to earn a few Target gift cards for the kids. I just noticed you can trade 6500 Best Western points for a $25 Target gift card. The HH usually stays at a Best Western Hotel when he travels to a specific location for work so instead of redeeming them for Starbucks cards like I usually do, I think I’ll redeem the points for Target gift cards instead.

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

~Mavis

Read About My 2016 Goals HERE.