I was so excited about nailing all of my goals in 2015 that I didn’t really start thinking about 2016 until it had already begun and because I strongly believe in the power of the list and tracking my goals, here’s this year’s resolutions.
New Year’s Goals 2016 | brokeGIRLrich
- Contribute $1,000 to my Emergency Savings Account – the overall goal is still to get this up to $10,000. I started out with getting it to $1,000 while I was paying off student loans, then prioritized getting it up to $5,000 right after I finished. Now I’m aiming to add $1,000 a year to it until it hits $10,000.
- Max out my Roth IRA – fingers crossed I’ve done this every year since I opened it. My first financial action for this year was to put $1,000 into it.
- Contribute $3,000 to my Down Payment Fund – this one is a stretch. I bumped it up an extra $1,000 from last year, since I’d made all of my goals by November this year. I suspect it may be the last goal I achieve in 2016.
- Contribute $2,000 to my New Car Fund – I bumped up this one too from $100 a month last year.
- Have a $1,000 Best Friend’s Wedding Fund – I already have $300 in the fund, but I’m hoping that will cover all the bridesmaid stuff, wedding shower, bachelorette party, wedding gift and hotel for the wedding.
- Buy $1,000 of stock – I have no idea which one yet, but I’ll worry about that closer to when I’m buying it. I usually get to this point in the goals around the fall anyway, so there’s plenty of time.
- Develop 2 new resume skills – I have a few ideas for what I might work on. I’ve really been meaning to actually use some of the Rosetta Stones I own that have not managed to just jump into my brain by osmosis. There are also some inexpensive OSHA courses and, of course, if I can figure out how to do it, I’ve wanted to get pyrotechnics certified for years.
- Track all the time I spent on my computer outside of work for 1 week and then go without a computer for a week and see how I use that time – so I realize this is an odd goal, but I’m like 99% sure I spend a horrific amount of time just watching TV and refreshing Facebook. I want to figure out how to track that time for a week and then see what happens when I repurpose it.
- Go on a vacation with a friend – because making time for friendship is important!
- Look for a big show to stage manage – the show I did this summer was actually a pretty large undertaking and it did have aerial acts that required a lot of supervision, but I want to work on the kind of show where people could get hurt again. It’s a different kind of skill set than smaller shows and I want to make sure it doesn’t get rusty.
- Run a 5k – hopefully in May.
I like the idea of building resume skills. People often think about money goals, but building up your resume could lead to more money-making opportunities! Best of luck in the new year!
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…January Goals: Eat Move Sleep
Thanks – that’s what I’m hoping too.
This is a great list of goals! I really like #8, because I do the same thing. Last night at 7 I sat down to type up a post up and my mom was watching family feud on the tv, when I looked it was 9 and I just had the title typed. So I think everyone should try this.
Sylvia @ Professional Girl on the Go recently posted…Net Worth Q4 2015
Yeah, I’m not sure how well I’ll cope and it’s definitely not on the immediate docket, but I think I can go technology free for a week at some point this year.
I heard about this app on the radio this summer called QualityTime. It’s supposed to measure all that for you. Could make things a lot easier! I think it’s only on Android, though I could be wrong on that.
femmefrugality recently posted…New Year’s Resolutions: Pay Off Credit Card Debt
Great List! Same as Tonya, I love #7. Learning is always rewarding and it’s a great way to “invest” in yourself. Plus pyrotechnics training!!! That has to be fun! 🙂 Happy 2016!
I hope so! It’s been difficult finding places to train and my schedule never seems to line up right to get it done, so it’s unlikely I’ll manage to make that one my new resume skill for this year. Fingers crossed though.
Interesting idea to add resume building skills. I got to be a “pyrotechnic apprentice” in Minnesota from age 18-22. It sounds cool, but really it means that my grandpa got a pyrotechnic license, and he listed me on the form so I could buy fireworks for the 4th of July. I would probably kill someone if I tried to create an actual show.
Haha, I believe it. Fireworks are intense. In NJ, you actually have to get a fireworks level of pyrotechnics license, but lots of other states have an entertainment level that’s a lot less stringent.
My big goal for 2016 is to sell my company to a larger company. I would love for the resources and services that I provide to be available on a larger scale sooner than later and I think the best way to do this is to utilize the resources of a larger firm. Fingers crossed!
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Investing Like a Pro
Wow – good luck! I’m sure if anyone can pull that off, it’s you!
It is amazing how easy it is to waste time online!
RAnn recently posted…Loyal3 Lunch: Starting a New Year
Oh my gosh, yes. I’m actually scared to find out how much time I am wasting.
So impressed that you nailed all last year’s goals! Love the set of goals for this year and I’m sure you’ll succeed at them if last year is anything to go by. I like that you want to improve your skill set, that’s such an important one that could ultimately help you progress to better things in the future.
Hayley @ Disease Called Debt recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays #124
Yeah, we’ll see how that goes. It’s a little more difficult to improve my skill set at this point in the game. You used to just go to school or get the basic certificates that you need to do your job. Now that I have all those… it takes a little more creative thinking.
You have a great set of New Year’s Goals. Your financials look fit as a fiddle. I would love to be able to max out an IRA. I’m sure you will reach them. Plus, you’ve got plenty of time to train for that 5k if you’re doing it in May!
Good luck!
Liz recently posted…Why I’m Paying Student Loans Off Last
Thanks, Liz!
I like that you’ve looked at all aspects of your life, even vacation is on the list 🙂 Improving your skill set and going after bigger shows are great goals. Have a great 2016!
Tre recently posted…Fundamental Fridays
Thanks, Tre!
Great goals! You’re already off to a great start with that Roth!
Heather @ Simply Save recently posted…Simply Save Week In Review: 1/2-1/8
I know! I’m honestly 10 types of geeky excited about that first deposit!
Great goals, Mel! I am still in the process of finalizing my goals. There is just so much I want to accomplish that I really need to set back and assess which ones matter the most. Otherwise, I’ll put too much on my plate and get overwhelmed! I think we all need to give #8 a try and it would probably scare all of us. It would definitely eliminate all my excuses of, “I have no free time!”
Tanya @ A Mindful Migration recently posted…Know Thyself: Goal Success in 2016 and Beyond
I totally feel that. I try to keep my goals down to about 10 now and, honestly, they’re even ranked in order of how important they are to achieve in my head – like I know which ones won’t break my heart if I don’t quite make it this year, and I deal with them last.
Great list! I want to save $10k in an EF and invest $20k. It’s ambitious as I’ll be moving this year and a lot will change. But I’m hoping! Love all of your goals.
Melanie @ Dear Debt recently posted…Dear Debt, I Won’t Let You Win
Those are awesome goals! I think it’s better to be ambitious than safe with your goals. I’d rather fall a little short and still have made some huge strides than to nail everything and then not know what to do.