March 2011 Goals: Recap

March has been a weird month for me. We are slowly starting our property search, so I’m really excited about that. Physically, I haven’t been able to work out as much as I wanted because I’ve been trying to rest a suspected fractured foot (injured it in January, but it’s getting better now that field hockey is done for the season). I went over budget (as you can see), and while I did reach my freelancing goal for the month AND I managed to save around $2,500, I feel like I’m slacking a little bit. There is more I could be doing, and it makes me wonder if I’ll ever be satisfied with my progress, or if I will always want to achieve more. But anyway, that’s a post for another day. :)

Here are my monthly numbers:

OVER BUDGET:
Cell Phone - I texted a few times and used a small amount of data while I was in New Orleans.
Internet/Cable - We rented 2 movies from Shaw on Demand.
Travel – This was my Nexus application fee
Car & Transportation – Gas prices are just getting higher and higher.
Miscellaneous – This was for a field hockey uniform, iStock credits, and the Financial Blogger Conference fee.

NETWORTH CHANGE: + 5.30%

March 2011 Goals (link):

• $650 into Retirement Portfolio. CHECK! I saved $700 into my RRSP and TFSA.
• $200 into Travel Fund. CHECK! I saved $345. I need to start piling more money into this fund.
• $100 into Emergency Fund. CHECK! I saved $450. I’m so close to maxing out my EF for the first time EVER.
• $555 into savings towards $1,180 initial payment towards braces (due April 4, 2011). CHECK! I saved $1,075. I now have more than enough to cover my down payment, and going forward I will have to make quarterly payments of $725.
• Make an additional $1,500 above and beyond my FT job. CHECK! I am happy to report that I destroyed this goal by making $3,444.68. :)
• Sell at least 1 thing on eBay or Craigslist. FAIL! I have a list going of things I want to sell, I just haven’t gotten around to posting them anywhere yet.

Ongoing 2011 Annual Goals:

• No buying lunch, snacks or coffee during the work week. CHECK! I was tempted a few times this month, but held strong.
• No buying clothing, shoes or accessories until May 19, 2011. CHECK! I am currently creating a master ‘wish list’ of things I would like to buy while I’m in NYC. The list is surprisingly small, and I’ll post it on here within the next few weeks.
• Work out at least 3x/week. FAIL! I worked out a total of 5 times this month. But in all fairness, I’ve been trying really hard to rest my foot.