September New Year's Goals Check In

-




It's that time of the month... time to check in on goals you know? :) Have you been sticking with it or have your goals fallen by the wayside? Here's where we at Thriftism stand:
  1. Take 6 Courses Online (3 of 6)
    1. Teach English: Foundational Principals (Completed FEB 2016)
    2. Teach English: Theories of Second Language Acquisition (Completed MARCH 2016)
    3. Teach English: Lesson Design & Assessment (Completed MARCH 2016)
    4. I need to get back on track with my classes, but have had trouble between working, starting to tutor and preparing for travel I haven't found time. I will definitely put this in focus when we return from our trip.
    5. Check out Coursera for a wide variety of free courses or Duolingo for language learning.
  2. Install Kitchen Backsplash and Cabinet Pulls
    1. INSTALLED!!! We finally put our backsplash up in May. We have to grout one more section, but it looks pretty sweet. See the how-to videos below if you're looking to put up backsplash in your home.  We also put in all the cabinet pulls. It sure is nice to have a handle on the drawers. :) 



      
  3. Construct Captains Bedframe 
    1. The main frame and drawers have been constructed. Now we just have to add the facing and get drawer pulls. I'd say about 60% done. This is the same as in April, but now we are using the bedframe and use it as our dresser. Still no facing so have to be careful not to snag clothes on the rough outer surfacing. 
  4. Read 12 Books
    1. Down by the River - Robyn Carr  
    2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
    4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    7. Happy Potter and the Half Blood Prince
    8. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
    9. Friday Night Lights (30% complete)
    10. ~10 magazines/month (want to get free magazines? Try out rewardsurvey to earn your favorite magazine as a reward)
  5. Visit London
    1. TICKETS ARE BOOKED! We saved over $1500 by watching the tickets and buying one day when they went half price. Guess that pays for Mexico this year right? Also used ebates to get an extra 10.5% back. Itinerary planning is in progress. We have narrowed down to visiting the southern coast and possibly taking a train to Manchester. If there's time we will rent a car and try to visit the locations where Pride and Prejudice was filmed. :) Only three weeks until take off! We will be doing travel posts while we are overseas. Be sure to follow us on YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram for pictures and updates. We will update the blog when able.
  6. Paint Office
    1. Office is painted! Trim is about half way done. Will be ordering bookshelf this week!
  7. Workout 4 Days/Week
    1. I havent been walking or working out as much. Last weekend for tailgating we did walk almost 8 miles though! Hoping to push myself to be more active in the weeks leading up to the trip so we can have fun and not be dragging the whole time.
  8. Save $10,000 Save 50% of our income
    1. We have been putting in some overtime and really cutting back on our spending. The garden really helps reduce food costs. This has helped us get back on track with our saving and we're sitting at ~21% of our annual income saved. Almost halfway to our goal. While we may not make 50%, we are still saving big time making our future goals more achievable. We are going to wait until after we get back from the trip to add money to our savings just in case we have an emergency. Then when we get back, it's back to the grindstone to push towards our goal.
  9. Lose 10 Pounds
    1. Still only down three. Seems like even eating healthy and exercising more hasn't been paying off yet. I won't give up yet though.
  10. Knit/Crochet 10 Projects
    1. Soap Saver, Will be creating a DIY post of this in the coming weeks!
    2. Owl Bib, Pattern taken from Lions Brand Yarn website
    3. Frog Bib, Pattern taken from Lions Brand Yarn website
    4. Shamrock Headband, Instructions on how to make on our blog!
    5. Sheep Backpack, Just started hoping to finish this month to give as a birthday present when my niece turns one next month. 
    6. Soap Saver
    7. Soap Saver
    8. Soap Saver
    9. Soap Saver
  11. Publish Blog Posts Twice a Week
    1. August was a rough month. We will continue to work harder to get posts out on time. While we are out of the country coming up we may not post regularly. We will try to give great travel tips periodically, but be sure to subscribe to Thriftism's Channel to stay up to date with  our travels and more money saving tips/tricks as well as some DIY projects and yummy recipes. 
  12. Learn How to Can Vegetables
    1. We have canned 12 quarts of green beans, 4 quarts tomatoes, 2 quarts salsa, 1 pint of jalapeños, and 12 quarts of pickles. See our video below on how to can green beans. Watch for more videos on storing vegetables coming out soon!
How are your goals coming along? What are you doing to stay motivated? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thrifty Crafter: Natural Egg Dyes

-
Image
Spring has sprung and Easter is around the corner! Such a fun time, filled with bright colors, candy, family, and more. It can also be a scary food time -- candy filled with corn syrup and other artificial ingredients, eggs dyed with petroleum products, and thousands of empty calories to name a few issues. I can't stop you from overindulging on your ham dinner, but I can help out reducing some of the artificial ingredients you're putting at your table this year. Colored Easter eggs have long been a staple at Easter time, whether you hide them for a Easter Egg hunt or put them out as decoration. Coloring Easter eggs is also just plain fun! That is until you start looking at what is in that dye you are using. Yellow 5, Red 40, blue 2.... Does that sound like something your body can digest well? If you dig a bit deeper you find that these colors are actually petroleum based and are known carcinogens. Yet we use these on food we are feeding our families. This year you can ...
Read more

Sour Milk Chocolate Cake

-
Image
Got sour milk? There's not much worse than pouring yourself a bowl of cereal only to find the the milk has started to turn. Well maybe there is... finding out the milk is starting to turn after eating a bit of the cereal and realizing you still have over half a gallon of milk left. What a waste!! As you've probably figured out if you've been following the blog or can surmise from the name, we don't like waste here. Good news is that you don't have to throw out sour milk. If it's got chunks- it's too late and cut your losses, but until that point there are loads of great ways to use up sour milk. Here is one of our favorites. The best part? No one will know you used sour milk unless you tell them! Sour Milk Chocolate Cake What you'll Need 2 Cups Sugar 0.5 Cup Shortening 2 Eggs 2 tsp Baking Powder 2 Cups Sour Milk 3 Cups Flour Vanilla Preheat oven to 350 Cream shortening and sugar Add remaining ingredients (sift if need...
Read more

Simple Slow Cooker Broccoli Rice Casserole

-
Image
Colder weather has arrived as have an abundance of school and work activities. The extra to-dos that come with fall make cooking a healthy and still budget meal much more challenging. Enter the crock pot or slow cooker. Slow cook meals can be both a time and wallet saver, not to mention the benefit of having home cooked meals most nights. Slow cookers allow you to set and forget and can work around everyone in the family's schedules. Scroll to the bottom for a printable recipe. What you'll need 1.5 Cup Rice 6 Cup Broccoli (Chopped) 1 Medium Onion 1 Can Cream Soup (Mushroom, Chicken, Celery, Your choice) 1.5 Cup Milk 3 Tbsp Margarine 3 Cups + soup can Water 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese (your choice of flavor - cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella) 6 Qt Slow Cooker Start by combining the ingredients except the shredded cheese in a 6 qt slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Add cheese and continue cooking until melted.  Printable to lett...
Read more