As has been customary in recent history, I finished doing all my finances yesterday. That has typically been the time when I am able to determine any trends that are developing in my spending habits, which I normally would not be able to ascertain just from daily activities. It was particularly useful last year, when I noticed that I had been spending a shocking amount of money eating out. It was something that needed immediate attention, as for the first time since I started working, I was feeling like I was hitting the limit in sustaining my lifestyle. Thus, at the end of last year, I had determined to cut back on eating out. I am satisfied with how the year went. I didn't implement austerity immediately, but only started tapering off how much I was spending eating out gradually. It wasn't until the latter half of the year when I started cutting back in earnest. While this has yielded tangible fruit to the tune of more than $2k saved, there is still much more room for improvement, before I return to a more sustainable level of spending. On the upside, I spent more than $4k more on paying off the house. I was encouraged that I was able to maintain this consistency, albeit I had to cut back on that in the last two months, to make room for some obligations. Nonetheless, I am on track. With that, here are my goals for this year:
Finish paying off the house
Continue cutting back on excessive eating out
Finish my mobile app, and put it into the store
Make good progress on my life-study reading
Maintain a healthy workout schedule
Start saving for and researching the next car I should buy to replace my aging 2001 Toyota Camry
While the present seems promising, and it is likely I will accomplish many of these goals, there are indeed some risks, such as potential job loss, sickness, accidents, or unforeseen events. But, for now, it looks like this year will be more of the same, a trend I've seen in two articles thus far - one for the company I work at, and the other for political expectations for the US. I am looking forward to the culmination of a few activities that have been ongoing for a few years.
