May 2014: Goal Recap

January is always a time of reflection and resolutions. Just like many people, in January 2014 I wrote down several goals I wanted to improve upon this year. Writing down goals is one thing, while sticking to them is another. (This is why I blog!)

Here's a look back at how I've done so far this year..

 If you haven't read my original blog on 2014 goals

 click here ---> 2014 Goals<----

January Part 1 & Part 2

February Recap:Part 1 & Part 2

March Recap/Goals

April Recap/Goals

May 2014 

Career Goals

I have now been in my position at NIFS for 6 months. I feel confident in this position and truly enjoy being on the corporate side of fitness vs strictly commercial fitness. I am now ready for a more permanent position at one site now that I have had a taste of all 20 sites in the Indianapolis area. I'm keeping my eye out for any openings at the sites I would like to work at daily, but loving the change of scenery everyday.

 I also have some NEW career goals that are in the works.

 More details will be coming VERY soon :)

Wifey Goals

Prep all 10 of our lunches for the week every Sunday and plan out the week

This goal has become harder to achieve as the weather has been warmer and days longer! It's easy to want to stay inside in the winter and prep meals for the week, but now I just want to be outside, enjoying the warm, summer weather. OK, now that my excuses are out there, we have been about 50/50 this month in meal prepping. Barry typically grills about 10 chicken breasts and 6-8 turkey sausages on Sunday and we use those during the week for lunches/dinner. I have apples, carrots/hummus, protein drinks, and protein bars ready to pack for lunch and frozen veggies, sweet potatoes, and salads ready for dinners. Our meals are less formal in the summer and more easy to eat and get back outside :)

Perform 20-25 min of daily cleaning

Who wants to be inside cleaning all summer long?! Not me. I do look at my cute cleaning chart everyday, but once I skip Monday, there's a slim to none chance I'm going to stay on track. What has worked for me is setting my oven timer for 10 minutes and picking up the entire house. This forces me to be intentional and stay on track. My goal is to set my timer for 20 and get everything done on the schedule everyday... I will report back on how that goes!

Reduce our spending

This has been the focus of 2014- reduce spending and get out of debt. Every month we do a budget before the month begins and "spend" our money on paper. We have read countless books on this topic  and continue to educate ourselves daily on better ways to reduce spending/living simply.

Here's a couple ways we have reduced our spending:

Grocery shop at Costco/Aldi with cash

Cut Barry's hair (Saving us over $2,500 over 10 years)

Keep the blinds closed during the day to keep cool air in & AC used less

Find inexpensive entertainment  (ride bikes, take dog for a walk, etc)

Rent library books instead of buying new books

Future ways to cut spending:

Cutting cable ($92/month)

Creating an at-home gym ($165/month)

These two small expenses in our budget will allow us to save over $45,000 over the next 10 years if we invest this money vs giving it away. We have debated giving up cable for months, but there's no way ESPN is worth $45k in my book. 

Look for future blogs on how we created an at-home Crossfit garage gym and Part 2 of May 2014 Goals :)