Goals Update: November

Welcome to December! :)

My on-going goal (since August) has been putting extra money toward my mortgage principal, and here's my final tally for 2013:
I am thrilled to have been able to send an extra $1550 to the loan company, especially since that exceeds my original goal of $1k!

Now, let's talk about November:
Yoga: This one's complicated. I found 4 nearby yoga classes. But two of them cost $5 for the hour-long class, and the other two are $15 and $20 for an hour-long class. Easy choice, right? Between the two $5 options, there were 5 classes in the month of November (the class schedules were cut short by Veteran's Day and the week of Thanksgiving). Then two were cancelled! I decided not to fret. I could've gone to one of the more expensive classes, but why spend $20 on one class when I could just wait and use that same amount for four classes next month? So, technically, I failed for the purposes of this goal, but I'm counting the 3 yoga classes I made it to as a win. ;)

Internet-free: Going internet-free was much more difficult than I imagined. Staying busy with a good book, chores, and a long writing project definitely helped! I think one internet-free day per month is more reasonable (or the leeway to excuse the internet usage that's required when I'm at work). 

New recipes: I made Pioneer Woman's Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole (delicious, but don't pre-cook the broccoli or it'll be mushy) and for Thanksgiving, corn dip and cookie dough truffles.

And, some coming attractions:
Less sitting: After seeing this disturbing infographic (maybe on Iowa Girl Eats, but now I can't find the post), I really want to make an effort to sit still less often. Just like everyone else, I have long meetings at work and evenings on the couch when kitty cats fall asleep on my legs and I don't want to disturb them, but otherwise this goal is about making an effort to not sit still for more than an hour at time. 

No-drive days: This was a goal of mine back in March as well (inspired by Laura), and even more important to me in a month when we'll be doing a lot of extra driving for holiday gatherings. It'll be tough, but it's worth a try!

Declutter: Because of Christmas I have a week off from work (isn't it lovely when a holiday falls on a Wednesday?), and I want to put it to good use! The attack plan is to take everything out of both rooms and only put back what really needs to stay. 

How did your goals go last month? What are your plans for December?

Comments

  1. That's fantastic to exceed the mortgage goal! Congrats! You did well on the November goals, too. And I love the December ones! I also try to have regular "no internet" or "no car" days. The sitting thing is something that really worries me. I have a "cubicle" type of job (for only 2 weeks more!) but there's a huge amount of sitting involved.

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    1. I find that if I don't plan at least some of my errands for after work, I end up using the car every day of the week. Yeah, my job involves a lot of desk/computer work as well. Today I tried going to ask questions of people rather than sending them an email . . maybe not the most productive strategy, but it was nice to get away from the computer. :)

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  2. Congratulations on beating your mortgage goal - I love your graph! Good luck in December :)

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    1. I'll join you on some of those - I need to sit less (I write this sitting on the sofa for a second episode of Homeland, rather than catching up on my daily walking). I sit at work, and a drive to site, and briefly not sit when I go to visit something. I'd need a measurable goal to lessen sitting...

      As for decluttering, I think in terms of smaller spaces - drawers or shelves. If I can't clearly recall everything in there, it needs a work over, a tidy, and a thin out if possible. Currently thinking the drawers in the coffee table and the small appliances drawer need work. I'll check back in a month with you on how these go for me too.

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    2. My comments have been buggy this week - sorry!

      Yeah, the sitting goal is vague. It would be very difficult to track how much time I spend sitting each day. I really can't reduce my sitting time at work since I do a lot of computer tasks. I'm mostly trying to not sit still for long periods by getting up and moving when I notice it's been more than a half hour or so. Your walking program coincides nicely so that will help!

      The two rooms are spare bedrooms that we're not using (yet - but we hope to have kids someday) and things have a way of just being put in there when we're not sure what to do with them. We'll see how it goes. I might cut it short if it's too much and just tackle a smaller space like you do :)

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    3. I did feel 'proud' for ironing whilst watching TV rather than slothing it!

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