Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year! 2013 Goals

Source
Eat, drink, and be merry...then get sick!

That is the theme of this holiday season, unfortunately. After spending a week with family and friends, I caught a nasty cold that forced me away from parties on New Year’s Eve. But, being sick allowed me to catch up on some writing for this blog, so here is the first installment for 2013: Goals for the new year!

Financial Goals
My current debt is around $21,000. This is a HUGE reduction from this time last year, when I had approximately $42,000 in student loan debt. I’ve reduced my debt in half in only one year!

2012 saw a lot of financial changes. I landed a full-time job right out of graduate school, took a second job as a waitress, sold items I didn’t need, and implemented a budget. These are all financial pluses. The one minus is that I’ve moved into a more expensive apartment. But this was a decision I made that was not only healthy for me emotionally, but one I could afford to make after paying off a loan and generating more income. So what are my 2013 goals?

1. Pay off remaining graduate school debt. The current balance is just over $4,000. I’m definitely going to pay this off in 2013, it is just a matter of when. My goal is to have it gone by May. Think I can do it?

2. Reduce my remaining undergraduate loan to $10,000 by year’s end. The current balance is just short of $17,500. After I pay off the $4,000 loan mentioned above, I can start tackling this one with more intensity. If I can get my undergraduate student loan debt to around $10,000 by the end of 2013, then I will likely be able to pay off the entire loan by the end of 2014. I might be debt free in two years! Yeehaw!

Health Goals
Aside from eating well, I’ve really neglected my health this year. I used to be addicted to sports and exercise, but like anything you do too often, you get tired of it. This year, I need to pay more attention to taking care of my body. Here are my 2013 health goals:

1. Run a Warrior Dash. A friend of mine peer-pressured me (yes, this still exists in your 20s!) to sign up for the Maryland Warrior Dash in May. This was a good use of peer pressure, because I really need a reason to be in better shape. The race requires me to be able to run a 3.5 mile obstacle course. Thankfully, there are trails near my apartment that require me to jump over logs and such while running, so I should be able to prepare in time. I’m going to start training for this in March. In the meantime, I have two other exercise-related goals from now until March....

2. Do yoga twice a week. This doesn’t sound all that difficult, but when you work two jobs, it is.

3. Use the gym in my apartment building at least once a week. How can I not do this? The gym is right in my building. No more excuses.

Random Goals
1. Improve my guitar skills

2. Continue to decorate and take on DIY projects for my apartment

3. Do not slack off on blogging!


What are your goals for 2013?

No comments:

Post a Comment