2016 Goals: Mid-Year Review

I almost forgot about this hehe.

Just like what most companies do where they have regular business reviews, I also like to have at least a mid-year and year-end review of the goals I made early this year, just to check how I am doing and ensure that I am still on track.

This year's focus will be: chill, family, health, wealth.

Statuses:

• On track - met as of time of review
• Not yet started - not yet started as of time of review
• Quite - met but there were deviations
• Not met - target not met 

1. Chill
• Mid: Quite - There were stressful moments but I just kept quiet and pushed myself to just do whatever it is that needs to be done.


2. Buy less, want less
• Mid: On track - All items bought were needed. 


3. Stick with financial budget for 2016
I made a new list specifically for my financial goals after posting my 2016 goals in January. I just feel that it's more effective and more inspiring for me if I track my financial goals separately.

• Mid: Separate update here. 


4. Get an additional income stream
• Mid: Not yet started


5. Spend more time with family  
• Mid: Quite - Spent some time with some siblings last Feb, to support my brother and his family since he lost his mother-in-law. Had a picnic at Burnham Park on Easter Sunday for my birthday celebration with family. No event in Q2.


6. Get down to my ideal weight
I really need to get serious about my health. I want a long life.

• Mid: Negative. Pfffft!


7. Start training for a marathon
• Mid: I am not sure about this anymore.


8. Push with Japan Travel
• Mid: On track. Return tickets bought, accommodations booked.


9. Go back to school
I had to stop when we lost our father in January 2015. I haven't been back since then. I would still want to complete the program. I only have 12 units left!

• Mid: Still undecided


10. Become an early riser
Since I work mid-shift, tendency is to wake up later than usual. By rising earlier, I will have extra hours to work on other personal projects, like decluttering more, cross-stitching, or working for extra income. 

• Mid: Quite - I have been forcing myself to sleep earlier in recent weeks so that I can wake up earlier. I try as much as I can to sleep by 12 AM, 1 AM at the most so that I can wake up at 7 AM, after 6-7 hours of sleep.


11. Journal more
I noticed that my memory is not as sharp as before already, hence this year and moving forward, I will write about all sorts of events, relevant or otherwise so that there is something to read back when I am much older. This is also the reason why I already have have the weekly recap in this blog.

• Mid: On track. My total posts to date are already more than my total posts for the whole year at least for the past 5 years.

That's about it. I'll do a year-end review at the end of the year.

Financial Goals for 2016: Mid-Year Review

And just like that, the first half of the year is almost over! So here's my reality check.

Statuses:

• Completed! - as in done/finished
• On track - met based on budget file
• Not yet started - not yet started based on target start date on budget file
• Quite - met but budget not followed (either there was a decrease/increase)
• Not met - target not met based on budget file

1. Religiously pay SK-LU. 5 months to go! Excited to mark this as completed!
   • Mid: Completed! - Last payment made this month! Ahhhhh, so happy happy!
2. Save 50k for processing of papers for SK-LU. After completing the payment in June, I'll have the same budget reallocated to this.
   • Mid: Not yet started
3. Religiously pay SK-Silang. 2 years to go.
   • Mid: On track - many more months to go :p
4. Save 50k for lot processing of SK-Bgo. 
   • Mid: Quite - too many reallocations
5. Save 35k for CR of SK-Bgo
   • Mid: Quite - too many reallocations
6. Increase EIP allocation to 3k/month
   • Mid: On track - started March 2016
7. Increase MF to 20k (carry over from previous years)
   • Mid: Quite - still catching up with the savings but haven't made any deposits to FAMI yet
8. Add 20k-30k to COL 
   • Mid: On track
9. Save 80k for Project BD (new in my budget file)
   • Mid: On track
10. Religiously save 3k/month for niece's tuition
    • Mid: On track - I can't wait for her to graduate hahaha!
11. Set aside a Tulong fund
    • Mid: Quite - too many reallocations
12. Continue saving for an international travel
    • Mid: On track
13. Set aside 10k for December 2016
• Mid: Quite - too many reallocations

Let's see what the year end update will look like.

Goals for March 2016

While I did not do well with my goals for the past 2 months, I'm still not giving up.

For March 2016:

1. 10,000 steps a day or a total of 310,000 steps for the month
2. Kick off C25K training
3. Cut-off cable subscription by making daily follow ups with Sky Cable
4. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams
5. Change blog theme
6. Visit Pinto Art Museum
7. Finalize insurance update details
8. Fix UP AWOL status

Will update by end of the month.

Update: Goals for February 2016

Update on my goals for February 2016:

1. 10,000 steps a day or a total of 290,000 steps for the month - FAILED
2. Kick off C25K training - FAILED
3. Cut-off cable subscription. I seldom watch TV nowadays, plus I bought a TV Plus from a colleague last year and a DVD player, so that should be enough. - QUITE (Just because no one has replied yet to my email, and no one has been answering their hotline for ALL the times I contacted them. Today, I tried their Contact Us page in their website but it's returning an error that's not user friendly....hay naku! I also tweeted them. Hopefully, they will reply.)
4. Read one non-romance book - FAILED (I was into reading personal finance and Frugality blogs for the past months)
5. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams - FAILED (and I suck.)
6. Meet with insurance agent to process update of insurance details - QUITE (Since I'm still not decided whether I will have it fully paid up or not...but I will meet with her next week and hopefully, I'll have a decision by then.)
7. Plant pechay - SUCCESS (with the planting...growing it is another story...)
8. Get back to the daily bible readings - QUITE (Started it but skipped some days. Doing better this month.)

I am not quite pleased with the results. Need to have a reality check with myself.

Financial Goals for 2016

While I mentioned in my 2016 goals that I have the same financial goals as last year, I decided to make a separate post about it because it's nice to go back to it by year-end and check whether I was able to make it or not. Besides, it adds a little more pressure in meeting your goals when it's out there for the world to see. 

And so, here it is, basing it from my budget file for 2016.

1. Religiously pay SK-LU. 5 months to go! Excited to mark this as completed!
2. Save 50k for processing of papers for SK-LU. After completing the payment in June, I'll have the same budget reallocated to this.
3. Religiously pay SK-Silang. 2 years to go.
4. Save 50k for lot processing of SK-Bgo. 
5. Save 35k for CR of SK-Bgo
6. Increase EIP allocation to 3k/month
7. Increase MF to 20k (carry over from previous years)
8. Add 20k-30k to COL 
9. Save 80k for Project BD (new in my budget file)
10. Religiously save 3k/month for niece's tuition
11. Set aside a Tulong fund
12. Continue saving for an international travel
13. Set aside 10k for December 2016

I tend to use codes for my financial goals for some level of privacy still. Feel free to email me if you are curious about those hehe. 

I already have 4 months parked for my safety fund. I originally planned for 6 months because of my parents, but since they both are now with Papa God, I'll stop at 4 for now. I'll add when excess funds become available.

No room for luho. Push lang. And just to stay focused, I'll now have quarterly reviews.

Goals for February 2016

What?! Second month of the year already? And after this comes my birth month again? Tatanda na naman?! Can we have a pause button for a while? Hehe. 

For February 2016:

1. 10,000 steps a day or a total of 290,000 steps for the month
2. Kick off C25K training
3. Cut-off cable subscription. I seldom watch TV nowadays, plus I bought a TV Plus from a colleague last year and a DVD player, so that should be enough.
4. Read one non-romance book
5. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams
6. Meet with insurance agent to process update of insurance details
7. Plant pechay
8. Get back to the daily bible readings

Will update by end of this month.

Update: Goals for January 2016

Update on my goals for January 2016:

1. 10,000 steps a day or a total of 310,000 steps for the month - FAILED (Had to prioritize getting better as I got sick at the start of the year)
2. Kick off C25K training. Target 3rd or 4th week of January, in the hopes that my cough and colds will be gone by then. It sucks to be sick at the start of the year, but grateful that it's not something serious. -FAILED (Because of weekend travels over the last 4 weeks, getting better took longer than expected)
3. Cut-off cable subscription. I seldom watch TV nowadays, plus I bought a TV Plus from a colleague last year and a DVD player, so that should be enough. - QUITE (Already sent a request. Sky Cable's hotline sucks. No one's answering. Let's see if my email gets a reply.)
4. Read one non-romance book - SUCCESS! (Read Stock Smarts - Stock Investing Made Easy)
5. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams - FAILED (Too many things going on on and off work. I want to do this when things have settled down so that I would have full focus on it)
6. Meet with insurance agent to process update of insurance details - FAILED (Too many things going on. I have to make a decision on one of my policies, but not until I do some computations.)

What happened with the first month?! Gone by too fast and I failed in most hehe. Well, February is here for another chance. 

2016 Goals

Better late than never. I just realized that I should do this in the last quarter of each year, before Christmas holidays take over.

This year's focus will be: chill, family, health, wealth. 

1. Chill
The past 3 years has been the hardest in my adult life, losing both parents less than 2 years apart. I would say I have not been living since then, just surviving. This year, as a gift to myself, I will just be chill and not get too stressed in all areas in my life. Enough with the drama. I have been practicing since for weeks now, and so far, so good. I get stressed a little but I don't dwell on it much and just focus on what interventions I can do to address a current issue. I hope to keep this up.


2. Buy less, want less
I am not an impulsive shopper by nature but I think I have already accumulated too much over the years so this year, one of my goals is to just buy what I need. I won't be in a strict "no shopping ban" since I can easily walk out from a mall empty-handed if I know that I don't need anything at the moment. I just need to be more conscious of my purchases.


3. Stick with financial budget for 2016
Since I get a regular income, I already have a fixed budget. This year is almost similar to last year's, even with my financial goals, except for a new line item, which I call it Project BD at this time. I'll only be able to readjust after completion of all my payables. One is to be paid up by mid year but I still need to save for the processing of papers so that will be until end of this year still.


4. Get an additional income stream
I will start working on this, this year. 


5. Spend more time with family
Most of my nieces and nephews are still young so might as well take advantage of that while they still want to be with tita hahaha! We had 2 last year so I already have an idea how much to budget. The plan this year is to have quarterly picnics for all of us to bond. They are already expecting one on my birth month which is this Q1. 


6. Get down to my ideal weight
I really need to get serious about my health. I want a long life.


7. Start training for a marathon
I really want to do this. Target is 2017 so I must start training this year and so, I must really work on #5 so that it would be easier to run hehehe.


8. Push with Japan Travel
As of this time, it's still a go. This is the only travel I'm doing this year. My financial goals are still my top priority. Note to self: save up for all kinds of kitkat hahahaha! 


9. Go back to school
I had to stop when we lost our father in January 2015. I haven't been back since then. I would still want to complete the program. I only have 12 units left!


10. Become an early riser
Since I work mid-shift, tendency is to wake up later than usual. By rising earlier, I will have extra hours to work on other personal projects, like decluttering more, cross-stitching, or working for extra income. 


11. Journal more
I noticed that my memory is not as sharp as before already, hence this year and moving forward, I will write about all sorts of events, relevant or otherwise so that there is something to read back when I am much older. This is also the reason why I already have have the weekly recap in this blog.

That's about it. My monthly goals will then be in support of these goals. And, I'll do quarterly reviews to keep track.

Goals for January 2016

I'm continuing the monthly goals which I started in October last year, just for me to become more accountable with my goals.

For January 2016:

1. 10,000 steps a day or a total of 310,000 steps for the month
2. Kick off C25K training. Target 3rd or 4th week of January, in the hopes that my cough and colds will be gone by then. It sucks to be sick at the start of the year, but grateful that it's not something serious.
3. Cut-off cable subscription. I seldom watch TV nowadays, plus I bought a TV Plus from a colleague last year and a DVD player, so that should be enough.
4. Read one non-romance book
5. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams
6. Meet with insurance agent to process update of insurance details

Will update by end of this month.

Financial Goals for 2015: Year End Review

I have been delaying the reality check for the goals I've set in 2015 mostly because I know I haven't met most of it hehehehe. You see, right after publishing my goals in 2015, life happened.

• A piece of land called my name, the payment terms are easy, and I went ahead and bought one parcel. And this impulse decision impacted my goals early on hehehe.
• As per tradition, we had to do something for mom and it was unexpected, and entailed a big amount. While she still had remaining money after her burial, it was not enough to cover all the expenses so I had to take some from my safety fund.
• A day after the traditional ceremonies for our mother, our father was rushed to the hospital, and then we eventually lost him. Incurred a lot of hospital bills and burial expenses, which was thankfully covered by the donations we've received but it was still not enough so I had to again take some more from my safety fund. 
• Admittedly, I resorted to retail therapy partly to cope with all the stress at the start of last year. I don't regret my purchases though because most are things that I need and still using until now. 

And now, here's my reality check.

1. Complete safety fund (6 months' worth) by June 2015 - FAILED (At 4 months by year end. Reevaluating now, given that I don't have parents to take care of anymore)
2. Religiously pay SK LU. 18 months to go - SUCCESS! (6 months to go!)
3. Save a total of Php 61,500 by end of the year for lot processing/housing fund - FAILED (All funds reallocated to something else)
4. Maintain 2k/month allocation for BDO EIP until June. Increase to 5k/month by July. - FAILED (Had to retain 2k/month until year end)
5. Increase MF to 20k - FAILED
6. Add 10-20k in stock market - SUCCESS! (Added a total of 12k. Small, but every amount counts!)
7. Save a total of Php 40K for continuation of house construction - FAILED (All funds reallocated to something else)
8. Attend at least 2 financial seminars - SUCCESS!
9. Allocate a daily allowance and put all extra in a jar. This will be used for wants. - QUITE (Was able to save some from my allowance. Still not spent and will still be for wants)
10. Continue donation for church construction in my hometown where my mom was active on her last few months with us - FAILED (All funds reallocated to something else)
11. Set aside a Tulong fund for those unexpected expenses. I have been getting surprise requests since my mom died and it screws up my budget and stresses me out most of the time (all my income down to the last centavo is allocated to something so I really don't have any extra fund which I can let go of anytime). Might as well be ready for things like this. QUITE. (Was able to save some on some paydays but still reallocated to other things. I was firmer with my NO this time, without feeling guilty over not being able to lend (aka give) money to borrowing relatives)
12. Start saving for an international travel (planning to do backpacking in Europe as a graduation gift for myself when I complete the MTM program). Will initially set aside 2k/month for this. - QUITE (But for a Japan trip this year. Europe would have to wait but still in the list)

Too many reds, but this year is another chance to be better.

Update: Goals for December 2015

Update on my goals for December 2015.

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 310,000 steps for the month - SUCCESS! (101.94% completion and it was really a conscious effort to complete the 10K steps per day)
2. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book) - FAILED (Read 2 books but both romance hehehe)
3. Maximum of 15 Uber rides - FAILED (Exceeded by 1 ride, and partly glad that the holidays are over as there are no more frequent and exceedingly high surcharges!)
4. Declutter clothes cabinet - SUCCESS! (Will do this again after 6 months to purge more)
5. Review 2015 financial goals - FAILED (Medyo scared because this will entail going back to one of the saddest events in my life last year, but will eventually do it later)
6. Prepare 2016 financial and non-financial goals - QUITE (Would need to revisit the list)
7. Draft a simple plan for an online shop - FAILED (Was always on the go last holiday break and did not have the chance to sit down and think through but I'm not complaining :))
8. Cover the books - SUCCESS! (All boxed. Question now is...how to bring them home? Courier is too expensive so for now, I'll try to carry as much as I can every time I go home)
9. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams - FAILED (Holiday activities prevailed :p. Lesson learned...will not set these types of activities during the holiday break)
10. Clean the yard at the Sayote Kingdom - QUITE (Still not done. Will try to continue in the next three weekends that I will be going home for some errands)

Goals for December 2015

Goals for December:

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 310,000 steps for the month
2. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book)
3. Maximum of 15 Uber rides
4. Declutter clothes cabinet
5. Review 2015 financial goals
6. Prepare 2016 financial and non-financial goals
7. Draft a simple plan for an online shop
8. Cover the books
9. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams
10. Clean the yard at the Sayote Kingdom

Items 8 to 10 are spillovers from November, which I need to complete. Will report progress by end of December :).

*****

On another note, December is really truly here! Got my first gift from a friend this evening. She was so early in giving gifts :p. The first week of Kris Kringle in the office was also last night. So I brought home two gifts, both I liked, both tied in a red ribbon :).

Which reminds me...I need to put up my super tiny 7 year old Christmas tree! Ok, this week.

Are your Christmas trees already up? :)

Update: Goals for November 2015

Update on my goals for November 2015 (November went by so quickly!)

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 300,000 steps for the month - FAILED (92.99% completed, an improvement from October's 81.15%)
2. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book) - FAILED (read 2 books but both romance hehehe)
3. Maximum of 15 Uber rides (applicable both for going to work and going home from work/grocery) - SUCCESS!
4. Cover the books - FAILED (Ran out of plastic cover. Few more pieces to go)
5. Declutter book shelf - SUCCESS! (All books and magazines to be brought home already in a box. Thinking of the cheapest way to bring them home hehehe)
6. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams - FAILED (Will complete it this December)
7. Attend a seminar on personal finance - SUCCESS! (Attended the Fundamental Analysis and Technical Analysis webinars offered by PSE scheduled last November 6 and 13, 2015)
8. Start planning for December calendar (non-work related events to attend to, not that there's a lot but I just want to ensure that I do/accept those that are relevant to me) - QUITE (While I would like to stick to the 2 events I've committed to date, there may be other events that I need to attend. As of now, I have to decline an invite to a friend's wedding because of conflicts in schedule with family affairs.)
9. Clean the yard at the Sayote Kingdom - QUITE (Was able to start during the APEC holidays but not enough free hours to finish it all. Will continue this December)

Still many reds than greens but it's okay. At least there are still green items.

Goals for November 2015

Goals for November:

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 300,000 steps for the month
2. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book)
3. Maximum of 15 Uber rides (applicable both for going to work and going home from work/grocery)
4. Cover the books
5. Declutter book shelf
6. Complete The Project Management: The Basics for Success course at Coursera.org and pass the weekly exams
7. Attend a seminar on personal finance
8. Start planning for December calendar (non-work related events to attend to, not that there's a lot but I just want to ensure that I do/accept those that are relevant to me)
9. Clean the yard at the Sayote Kingdom

Will report progress by end of November :).

Update: Goals for October

Updates on Goals for October:

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 310,000 steps for the month - FAILED but still an improvement as compared to previous months
2. Do the 7-minute work out daily - FAILED
3. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book) - FAILED (was able to read 1)
4. Renew passport - SUCCESS (for pick up by November 24)
5. Maximum of 5 Uber rides going to work - SUCCESS 
6. Bring packed dinner every Tuesday and Thursday - FAILED 
7. Cover the books - FAILED

Goals for October 2015

Starting this type of post this October. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with this on a monthly basis.

Goals for October:

1. 10,000 steps a day or total of 310,000 steps for the month
• Action plan/s:
• Walk 10 rounds every morning
• Walk to MRT and LRT
• Ensure that step counter is running to monitor progress
2. Do the 7-minute work out daily
• Action plan/s:
• Do it after morning walk
3. Read 2 books (at least 1 non-romance book)
• Action plan/s:
• Read at least an hour a day
4. Renew passport
• Action plan/s:
• Do not cancel schedule on October 29, 2015
5. Maximum of 5 Uber rides going to work
• Action plan/s:
• Commute to work unless really unavoidable (raining and it's not practical to walk)
6. Bring packed dinner every Tuesday and Thursday
• Action plan/s:
• Prepare menu
• Cook in advance
7. Cover the books
• Action plan/s:
• Cut covers
• Cover at least 2-4 books per day

Will report progress by end of October :).