1. Pay Down the Mortgage
We were able to knock 4 payments off our contract in February {1 regular payment and 3 “principal” payments}. I was able to use my “rug hooking money” to go towards the extra payments. Wahoo!
2. Buy Nothing New for 1 Year.
Just because I’m on a no spend year, doesn’t mean I can’t drool over stuff.
Black Dinah Chocolatiers Farmers Market Collection. I left subtle hints {for Valentine’s day to the HH} but he didn’t pick up on them. I think The Girl and I are going to have to go to Kate’s shop while we are in Maine next month. If we do that, it will come out of our vacation “food” budget. Because hey, a girl has to eat, right? 😉
Capiz 3 Tier Chandelier OH.MY.WORD. It’s glorious.
3. Track Spending and Figure Out New Ways to Cut Spending Even More.
- Paid bills online
- Borrowed books from the library
- Found a better deal on a hotel reservation and canceled then rebooked it
- Made homemade bread and rolls instead of buying them
4. Try 52 New Recipes.
I did try a new salad dressing recipe and a new variation of my crock pot chicken soup, both of which were delicious.
5. Keep My Grocery Budget Under $100 a Month.
So far this month I’ve spent $67.20 on groceries.
6. Go on 52 Dates with the Handsome Husband
This week we decided to stay in and watch a movie. The plan was to watch The Age of Adaline. But I forgot that we don’t own a dvd player anymore {I usually watch movies on my laptop}. So the HH picked out a movies for us to stream on the tv. Hoffa and Instrasteller. So ya, not exactly the romantic comedy movie night I was going for. 😉
Oh well, at least the Quinn popcorn and red vines I bought with our “date money” were good.
So far this year we’ve gone on 7 dates and spent $74.52 out of pocket for our “dates.”
7. Turn My Wool Stash into $5,000.
I had a good week turning my rug hooking hobby into cash. I sold 9 hooked rugs. 5 items on Ebay and 4 on Etsy for a total of $389.76 {before fees and supplies were factored in}.
So far in february I’ve sold $504.56
In January I sold $1563.92 {wowza!}
8. Get Rid of 1,000 Things.
And the decluttering continues!
9. Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
What I picked up from the library this week:
- Food Gift Love – Lot’s of crazy good and simple gift ideas.
- Harvesting Color – Excited to try some of these recipes out this summer!
- The Plain Choice – Not quite what I thought it would be, but interesting.
10. Track Hours Spent Working on My Vegetable Garden and do a Cost Analysis at the End of the Year.
I picked out a beautiful 4-way apple tree and planted it next to my other espalier trees along the fence. The apple tree was one of my original exceptions to my no spend year.
I also harvested more beets, carrots and potatoes from the garden, planted more seeds and got to enjoy some nice weather this week {finally!}.
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: 3 hours, 15 Minutes
11. 52 House Projects in 52 Weeks.
This week I worked on painting the trim and doors in the master bathroom. I’m almost done.
12. Make all Birthday and Christmas Gifts This Year or Acquire Them for Free.
Last week I made a boatload more of firestarters. I think I’m up to 100 so far. My plan is to make a crate out of an old wood pallet and stuff it full of fire starters and gift it to my brother for Christmas this year.
How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2016? How are they coming along?
~Mavis
Read About My 2016 Goals HERE.
Kellie R says
I’ve had really good luck with dipping pinecones in wax to use as fire starters. My husband said they’re the best fire starters he’s ever used. They might make for some nice visual contrast and variety.
Mavis Butterfield says
Great idea! Thanks Kellie
Cheri says
Where does all the wax end up? Does it all burn off or does it end up at the bottom of the fire pit? I’m not understanding how you light these or use them, though I love the concept.
Mavis Butterfield says
The wax evaporates. You light the twigs or paper that have been added into the firestarter.
Andrea says
Although I have fallen behind on most of my goals due to sickness, the one thing I doing well on is decluttering. The sheer amount of stuff we have is shocking. I have a car load of stuff to give to the local thrift store. Growing up with an entire family of people who saved everything (grandparents grew up on Great Depression) it is a constant battle. But this year I’m cleaning all my stuff out.
Mavis Butterfield says
Good for you Andrea, and I hope you are feeling better soon.
KCB says
I have a fence question. I’m getting an estimate from the company that put up your fence. Did they stain & seal it? If not, do you know if they will do that? Thanks.
Mavis Butterfield says
We stained the fence ourselves, but you could ask the fence company if they would do that for you. If not, I bet you could pay Orlando to stain the fence for you. I think we bought {2} 5 gallon buckets of stain from the Home Depot and still have about 2 gallons left after staining the fence front and back.
KCB says
Thanks! I’m calling them tomorrow to get an estimate.
Mavis Butterfield says
Also, I think we paid $18.50 a linear foot {gate and arbor was extra}. Drop Chino the handyman’s name. 😉
Leanna says
How did you like Interstellar? I really enjoyed it. The oldest started watching about a third of the way through and he finished it with me. He’s nearly 17 and getting him to watch a movie with me is rare.
Barb says
Did you like Interstellar? My husband and I saw it when it came out in the theater. I had high hopes, but I felt it was 2+ hours of wasted time I’d never get back. I wish I could have slept through it.
Mavis Butterfield says
As soon as the movie ended I turned to my husband and said “I wish I could get the past 2 hours and 40 minutes back. 🙂 He liked it though.
JC says
What did you think of Intrastellar? My husband and I just watched it a couple weeks ago, and it started this huge ongoing conversation with another couple about the loopholes in the story, the plausibility of multiple dimensions and yadda yadda, we are dorks (all STEM based carreers). But seriously that movie messed with our heads.