It’s mid-January, but that’s a great time to still be finishing up 2019 wrap-up posts, right? Let’s get into the last 19 for 2019 goals update!
The goals:
Money
1. Max out Roth IRA contribution for 2019
Calendar year 2019 marks both the first time I maxed out my Roth IRA (for 2018, thank you tax return!) and now the first time I maxed it out before the end of the year!!
(.@Vanguard_Group why does the pretty IRA progress tracker in the app disappear when you’re done??
) pic.twitter.com/n2FW1qlDCE
— Erin | Reaching for FI (@reachingforfi) November 25, 2019
) Status: completed in Q4!
2. Change my title and get a raise
Status: completed in Q1.
3. Find another source of income
As I told you in my December spending post, my new sorta/maybe regular dog walking/sitting gig counts, to the tune of $248.
Status: completed in Q4.
4. Do two no-spend months
Hahaha. Status: not completed. (My more recent, higher savings rate months don’t count since I wasn’t actively not spending/much of that higher savings rate is due to higher income, either from my side job(s) or an extra paycheck month.)
5. Reach a 48% savings rate for the year
First three quarters of the year: 56% for January, 47% for February, and 57% for March, 44% in April, 38% in May, and 47% in June, 28% in July, 61% in August, and 41% in September, for an average of 47%.
Q4: 64% in October, 60% in November, aaaaaand 62% in December, which makes for an incredible last quarter and puts me at a 50% average for the year. Hooray!
Status: completed.
Travel/experiences
6. See tulips in Amsterdam
Status: not completed, not for lack of trying in Q1.
7. Visit Sainte-Chapelle
Status: completed in Q1.
It’s been a minute since I posted one of these photos8. Do something/go somewhere new once a month
In October I went apple picking. And also got an IUD if you wanna count that…
SO MUCH HAPPENED in November. I maxed my Roth IRA during the calendar year for the first time (see #1 above). I spent my first Thanksgiving with my partner’s family. Our parents met! I attended my first bar mitzvah. Oh and also I reached a $100k net worth.
In December I took my first (albeit extremely brief!) international trip with my partner. I went up the Washington Monument. I got a semi-regular dog walking gig (see #3 above).
Status: completed.
9. Visit a new state
Does Canadaland count? Just kidding.
Status: not completed.
10. Visit a new national park
Status: completed Q2.
11. Go camping
Status: completed Q2.
Personal growth
12. More single-tasking
Status: not completed/lol what did this even mean?
13. Go to barre three times per week
Status: not completed. Womp womp. This is definitely a goal for 2020.
14. Get back on learning languages
I’m still going strong on the Duolingo every day (aside from one heartbreaking streak-ender when I forgot to open the app before midnight over the holidays).
Status: completed.
15. Declutter my shit
I have been slowly working on it the whole year, but those couple of boxes stuffed in the closet that I keep meaning to get to are still sitting in the closet, so I don’t know that I can in good faith call this completed.
Status: not completed, sorta.
16. Average a book a week
Turns out the holidays weren’t relaxing enough for me to make this. Slash I had six books left to read in the last 2.5 weeks of the year and that was a lot (although had I been sitting on the couch home alone without people distracting me, that would’ve been easy!). I fell just short at 49 books for the year.
Status: not completed.
17. Go through A Simple Year
Not in the cards for this year.
Status: not completed.
18. Add some more recipes to my usual rotation
We were definitely eating different things, and now we’re in the process of changing our diet, which definitely means new recipes.
Status: completed.
19. Try something totally new/out of the ordinary for me
Bikeshare membership obtained, and I haven’t missed a month yet of taking 4+ rides.
Status: completed Q3.
The verdict
So I didn’t do so well on the personal goals, and not accomplishing reading a book a week was definitely something I didn’t see coming. That was supposed to be a sure thing!
But I’m not mad at how the year turned out, even though 11/19 (more like 11/18 since I tried my darnedest to see tulips in Amsterdam!) goals completed isn’t a fantastic track record. A lot happened, quite a bit that I couldn’t have anticipated at the beginning of the year when I was making these goals. Plus I blew a lot of the goals I did accomplish out of the water! And there was that bit about having a six-figure net worth by the end of 2019 as a ridiculous stretch goal for myself (not a stated goal since net worth is out of my control slash I don’t do net worth updates here). Hitting that milestone was certainly more fun than decluttering some more!
Plus just because I didn’t accomplish some of these goals doesn’t mean I can’t try them again. Or that I can’t repeat some of the goals I had for 2019 in 2020. Doing this list was a learning opportunity that’s informing the goals I set for 2020 (stay tuned for those, which I might actually post before February rolls around).
So 2019? That was pretty solid, I think. I’m clearly just so great that personal goals aren’t a thing I need!
Well done! That would have been incredible if you hit them all! So many things happen throughout the year that you can’t really expect and that can totally throw off some goals. I’m sure your partner appreciates the decluttering efforts! (Even if those boxes are still in the closet as you say… 😂)
You did amazingly well, IMO. Those are a lot of goals so anything above the 50% mark is just great.
We didn’t see tulips in Amsterdam when we visited either. Maybe it’s all hype?
LOVED Sainte Chappelle. For such a small place I was amazed at how long we spent there: so much to see in each of the stained glass panels.
Here’s to a great 2020, friend.