Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

Summer is flying by. With days spent at the water park and in the jump zones, I look forward to my afternoon naps.

In keeping a busy schedule, some of these goals were hit or miss this month. Though progress is slow, I continue to take baby steps as I grow, learn, and follow Crystal’s 12-month plan as outlined in The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.

The following is a recap of my progress in June, and my new goals for July:

Physical

Drink 4 glasses of water per day.  Success on the days I drank water. Yes, I went a few days drinking other beverages, mainly sweet tea or diet coke. Though making some headway, I will keep this goal for another month before adding another glass.

Eat breakfast each morning. I did much better this month as I chose to eat when my children ate. Though not consistent, I am moving in the right direction.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Though falling flat on my face here, I will not deter from this goal. My activity has increased running around with my children, but this goal is to build my stamina. This goal will continue for July.

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! Visited a local zoo, went tubing, helped a friend, and attended a birthday party. Love this goal, and keeping it all year.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. I find it easier to spend personal time with my kids when I’m home. However, my youngest has received the most Mommy-time when we are out. She needs more attention while my older two play together. This goal is still a priority that I aim to reach each day.

Allow children to help with a household task each week. Love it when my children finish one task and then come to ask how they can help. The initiative shown makes this momma proud. Our house is not in tip-top shape, but I’m getting there with lots of help.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. Still behind, but I did pay cash when going out to dinner with friends. To be honest, I did not feel empowered or any different from paying with the credit card. From what others share, the full-fledged budgeting is freeing. I’m not there, but I understand the freedom in having a plan.

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress made on this goal for June. Not sure when we will move our girls into the same room. Right now, there is no hurry.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. We purchased more memory this month to increase the processing speed of my laptop. We are waiting for delivery of our purchase.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. I feel like two steps forward and then catching up on this goal. When I get ahead, I end up taking a day off which results in writing one day ahead. Though not where I want to be, I am not behind. This goal remains as I work to get ahead.

Make one improvement to the blog this month. Accomplished! Though not seen from the front end, I have started making a backup of my category posts. This project is underway with completion in sight.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Half done – I read one chapter this month. With my summer reading complete, I hope to increase reading this month.

In reflecting back, I am happy with my progress. This is journey is full of ups and downs, and I’m learning what I can handle. Without regret, I am pressing on and will continue to update you along the way. Keep taking baby steps!

Question: How are you doing on your goals this year?

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I almost postponed this post because I dread the cash-only issue.

I’m not sure if it is fear of the unknown, learning something new, or changing a system that is not broken. Whatever the reason, I question my choice in making this goal to follow Crystal’s 12-month plan as outlined in The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.

Though unmotivated, I may find peace and contentment far greater than I know it now with a new system. So, I press on with the goals I made to challenge myself. I am not a quitter, and I will continue even if I fall on my face. 🙂

The following is a recap of my progress from my May goals and my goals for June:

Physical

Drink 3 glasses of water per day.  Success! I now drink 3 glasses of water each day. Aiming for 8 glasses of water each day, I will “take the plunge” 🙂 and increase this goal to 4 glasses of water each day.

Eat breakfast each morning. Finding ups and downs with this goal this month. With a new schedule for summer, I sometimes eat an early lunch and not breakfast. With each day a little different, our morning routine fluctuates. I will need to focus a bit more on this goal this month.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Back to the drawing board. I am experimenting with time slots for exercise again. With my kids home all day and the different schedules, I struggle with a consistent time to exercise. From my success during the school year, I know that the key for me is that block of uninterrupted time. For June, I will continue to work on carving out a time slot.

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! Finished soccer season and spent last weekend tubing and paddle boating. Love this goal, and keeping it all year.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Much improved. Right now, my son enjoys snuggling on the couch, my older daughter want to work on her letters and numbers, and my youngest daughter wants to play with the Daddy, Mommy, and baby figurines. Taking time to play and enjoy my children brings peace and calmness to our home.

Allow children to help with a household task each week. Still discussing our allowance system, but I am enjoying my helpers. In taking turns, my older children bake and cook with me, help me clean and organize, and run errands. My youngest daughter enjoyed shopping at CVS alone with me. She pushed the cart (into the shelves) and chose the items from the shelf. The 15-minute errand turned into an hour, but we had a blast.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. I’m a little behind on this goal. I still have our bare-bones budget and need to create a full-fledged budget. This goal will carry over into June. Last month, I shared how I refused to use cash. Well, that decision was premature. I cannot make that decision until I have a full-fledged working budget and know how much I need in each category. Though I really hate the idea of cash-only, I do not have enough information to make that decision yet. I still need more time – lots of time. 🙂

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress made on this goal for May. Not sure when we will move our girls into the same room. Right now, there is no hurry.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. After dealing with our Internet providers’ change of contract, our computer issues might be network-based and not equipment-based. More research may point us in the right direction. At this time, I do not want to raise our utility allotment, so patience is the key.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Bombed this one again! Continuing with scheduling post topics one month in advance is working, but I am not writing any faster. I’m still keeping this goal because one day I will get ahead. 🙂

Make one improvement to the blog this month. Accomplished! Still need to update the Facebook landing pages, but I organized and updated all the posts in the Document category when repairing my web site after a file corrupted.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Failed! I’m concentrating on summer reading with my kids. For my summer reading program at the library, how-to books do not qualify. To reach my summer reading goal, I am reading other books. I hope to get back to my blog book soon.

Besides really stretching me, these goals are hard work. In using time wisely, I sometimes have to choose one goal over another. When that happens, I embrace it while making progress. If I fail, then I get up and try again next month.

These baby steps are slowly inching me closer to completing my goals. By starting, I have a better chance of finishing than if I just plan. Keep going!

Question: How are you doing on your goals this year? 

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

Though some of these goals are a real pain in my side, I made these goals after lots of thought and planning. Just because they get hard means I need to find a way to keep them.

The financial budget is really hard for me. I do not find budgeting a gateway to freedom – yet. I love my food budget, but that emotion has not transferred into our entire budget. Maybe with some practice I will get there, but for now, I am at the beginning.

I have based my goals on Crystal Paine’s book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, where Crystal breaks down the steps to reach your financial goals.

I have included my financial and other goals as I seek to change and improve. Though I do not meet every goal, I am plugging along. Progress, no matter how small, is still moving closer to my goals.

Physical

Drink 2 glasses of water per day.  Success! When the ice melts in my cup, I keep refilling ice and water. Many days I am drinking 3 or more glasses, so I am increasing this goal to 3 glasses of water per day.

Eat breakfast each morning. Yeah! I found a little secret that is working. When I make my son’s lunch in the morning, I make myself a peanut butter and honey sandwich to eat on the way to school. I know a peanut butter sandwich is usually a lunch option, but it works for me. Keeping this goal since summer is around the corner, and I might need to adjust my routine.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Fantastic progress! For two weeks I was very consistent before getting sick. After taking 2 weeks to fully recover, I am back to exercising. Designating a time for exercise has been the reason for my success this month.

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Definitely accomplished! With 4 soccer games a week, we have spent lots of time together as a family. Love this goal, and keeping it all year.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Still need more work on this goal. Recovering from my illness, I had much to do. With this goal, I will make this time a priority as I begin planning our summer routine.

Allow children to help with a household task each week. Paul and I are discussing adjusting our allowance system. Now that our children help more, we will be creating a chore list for each of them. Some chores help keep our household running and are done as a member of the family while other chores earn privileges, games, or money. This goal is a work in progress.

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. On track. Our bare-bones budget continues. This month, I need to create a full-fledged budget which I have never done. Giving myself some grace, I may take a little more time with this goal. Though I am concentrating on the budget, I have chosen not to use cash. Having used $60 in Discover rewards to grant graduation gifts, our Discover Card (which we payoff every month) continues to serve our family well. I am not ready to lose these benefits.

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress made on this goal for April.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. We received the laptop for parts, but the seller did not include all the pieces advertised. This purchase was a $30 gamble. We learned, and continue to save for another upgrade.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Bombed this one! With the illness, I fell behind, but I am almost caught up. Having my monthly blog schedule saved me from falling further behind. In fact, I adjusted the schedule by adding a Quick Tip Week, and this change worked beautifully. Thanks for sticking around during the lack of posts. My readers encourage me every day! You still read even when I post late. Thanks! I am keeping this goal and will continue to strive for one week of posts written and scheduled.

Make one improvement to the blog this month. Accomplished updating Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page! I hope you like the uniform look. I still need to work on the landing pages, so I will keep this goal for another month.

Read two chapters of blog book each month. Failed this goal in April as I did not read any business books. I did read my first Boxcar Children book and loved it. My son read it on his teacher’s recommendation, and I wanted to learn about the series. I really like this series, and I hope my son becomes a fan because it will make summer reading a blast. 🙂

My goals are working for me. With some easy and others challenging, the goals keep me on-task. By plugging along slowly and steadily, I am making progress. If you are struggling with your goals, then adjust. Small steps are still steps in the right direction. Keep going!

Question: How are your goals coming along?

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)

The first quarter of 2012 is behind us. Whew . . . that went fast! Though I am not where I want to be, I am not where I started. Though I have setbacks, these goals focus my attention on my priorities.

I have based my goals on Crystal Paine’s book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget, where Crystal breaks down the steps to reach your financial goals.

By documenting my financial and other goals, I seek to change and improve. Though I do not meet every goal, I am plugging along. Progress, no matter how small, is still moving closer to my goals.

Physical

Drink 2 glasses of water per day.  Much better, but I’m keeping this goal for one more month before adding another glass.

Eat breakfast each morning. Good, but I still need more work.

Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Keeping this goal though I have not succeeded yet. 🙁

Family

Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! I love this goal! Our family enjoyed lunch during a field trip, hosted a dinner party, surprised Daddy at work with strawberry lemonades, planted our garden, and shopped together. Keeping our family relationships close remains a top priority.

Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Need a little more work on this one. I get into project-mode, because I am task-oriented, and spend lots of time with them one day. Then I get busy and forget that one-on-one time. My girls naturally get more Mommy-time, but I get that special time with my son during homework. However, he needs more time than just work time.

Allow children to help with a household task each week. Our home has stayed relatively picked up this month. My helpers are hard at work, and I really appreciate their efforts to keep our home tidy. Allowing them to work beside me and teaching them is already paying off. Keeping this goal – for sure!

Financial

Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. On track. I have documented our household, grocery, and restaurant receipts for the year in this spreadsheet. Because I have added the household items, including diapers, to our food budget, I am averaging $85 per week for our family of 5.

I have not raised the budget amount from $80 to $85 yet. Simply put, we had extra expenses in January and February, and March was on budget. For April, I plan to check our bare-bones budget that we have in place and adjust our system to Crystal’s recommendation.

Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress made on this goal for March.

Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. Instead of purchasing new, Paul found a laptop for parts that is the same make and model as mine. Per the tracking information, the laptop should arrive tomorrow. This cost was $30 (the exact amount we had saved). I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Business

Write posts one week in advance. Making progress! I am still writing hours before publishing the post, but I have a plan. Having decided and recorded on my blogging calendar, I know in advance the topics for my posts throughout April. Though I have not made progress in writing the posts early, my blogging time has increased in productivity because I don’t have to brainstorm for a topic each day. This one change has made a huge difference in using time wisely.

Make one improvement to the blog this month. For March, I hosted my first guest post. Yeah! Though I did not see a spike in activity, I enjoyed Jim Wang’s article. I also created images for guest post, register review, and my garden. Now to get my Facebook page updated. 🙂

Read two chapters of a book each month. Accomplished! I read more than two chapters because the e-book I read did not have chapters, just sections, and I listened to Crystal’s The Money Saving Mom’s Budget audio book. 🙂

My goals are working for me. With some easy and others challenging, the goals keep me focused. By plugging along slowly and steadily, I am making progress. If you are struggling with your goals, then adjust. Small steps are still steps in the right direction. Keep going!

Question: How are your goals coming along?