My 12 Goals for 2016 : Week 24 of 52

1. Pay Down the Mortgage

We were able to knock 4 payments off our contract in June {1 regular payment and 3 extra “principal” payments}.

2. Buy Nothing New for 1 Year. 

While I didn’t buy anything “new” this past week I did pick up a used chair at the thrift store to finish off my dining room. This was a planned purchase and let me tell you Bob, it feels great to have a complete dining room set now.

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

I am beginning to think I should just buy used wool clothing instead of buying it off the bolt for my hooked rugs. I was able to pick up 3 pieces for less than $5 and I know without a doubt there’s atleast 2 yards there. BIG SAVINGS! Once I get back home I’ll take the pieces apart, dye them up and then use the fabric in my hooked rugs I plan to sell later this fall.

4. Try 52 New Recipes.

This past week I shared a new recipe for tabbouleh. It’s a great dish to make at the beginning of the week and snack on.

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

So far I’m on track for June. Let’s just hope I can keep it that way.

6. Go on 52 Dates with the Handsome Husband 

No dates this week but I do have next week’s date all planned out!! 😉 The HH had his bandage removed the other day and the Dr. removed the stitches and said everything healed nicely. The HH says his ear is looks is little jagged but I told him I’m sure it will be fine in a few months.

So far this year we’ve gone on 14 dates and spent $191.60 out of pocket for our “dates.”

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

I am happy to report I finished 3 full sized rugs and 4 smaller ones during my stay on the east coast. I brought along 12 to work on and was really surprised I didn’t get more finished. I had hoped to be able to work on the rugs in the car but with Lucy onboard, things didn’t go exactly as planned.

I won’t be adding any new inventory to my Etsy or Ebay “shops” for a few months {it’s a slow time of year for selling hooked rugs} but my hands are definitely busy hooking away on new projects that I’ll offer up for sale in the fall.

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 neighborhood garage sale is just a few weeks away so when I get back home I’ll do one last sweep through the house to see if there is anything else to get rid of.

9. Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

I requested The Woodland Homestead from the library. I’m #2 in line for it so it should be waiting for when I get home. 🙂

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

This past week I harvested radishes, lettuce and a few herbs from the east coast garden. You can get all my latest gardening happenings over on Dig for Your Dinner.

So far this year I have harvested 7 pound 9 ounces of fresh veggies from our backyard. I spent $19.40 at the greenhouse and about $16 on mulch.

Time spent working on Vegetable Garden in 2016: 12 hours 0 minutes.

11. 52 House Projects in 52 Weeks.

My house project goals for my trip:

• Finish painting the entire downstairs
• Paint the kitchen table and chairs
• Paint coffee table
• Paint sideboard
• Stain deck
• Paint the front door {I’ve decided to do this in the fall instead}
• Paint garage trim
• Caulk the downstairs trim
• Prune all the trees and hedges 

Wahooo! I was able to get everything done PLUS finish off the dining room.

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

Nothing new to report this week.

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

~Mavis

Read About My 2016 Goals HERE.