Welcome to my first 2015 goals update! It took me a while, but I articulated some goals that I want to focus on this year and posted them a month or so ago. Now that we’re a quarter of the way through 2015, there is no better time to look at my progress thus far.
As to be expected, I’m lagging in a couple of goals and doing well in a couple others.
1. Pay off my remaining private student loans
In my last post, I mentioned that my focus for the year is to pay off my two remaining private student loans. I started the year with $21,205 in private student loans (across two loans). I’m now at $17,859, which means I’ve paid off $3,346 in principal on my private loans since the beginning of the year!
While this is pretty exciting, there is still a long way to go. The large progress I made is due in part to committing some of my tax refund to the payments. Unfortunately, I don’t get windfalls like that every month, so we’ll just have to see how my progress shapes up.
2. Contribute 25% of my take home pay to savings and extra student loan payments
In an effort to make sure I’m staying on track with my savings goals, I am aiming to save 25% of my take home pay this year. This 25% is comprised of savings that go towards my emergency fund and my extra student loan payments.
For the year, I’m proud to say that I have a 33% savings rate. This number has been helped by the fact that I received a tax refund, which I completely put towards savings and student loans (at a 30:70 ratio). In January, I saved 28%; February, I saved 20%; and March, I saved 57%. The difference between February and March is explained by the fact that I received my tax refund in February but did not make a payment on my loans or savings until March.
3. Take at least 20 days of PTO
So far, I have taken zero days of PTO. Considering I just posted about work life fit last week, I think it’s time to start planning some time off!
4. Be a backyard tourist in DC at least once a month
One of my goals for the year is to make a concentrated effort to get out and explore my new backyard. Unfortunately, I didn’t get out to explore in January or February (too cold! hadn’t articulated goal!), but did get out and do something in March.
Richard and I took a jaunt out to the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly this past weekend, which is a satellite location of the Air & Space Museum. Get excited for an upcoming post with a breakdown of the experience.
5. Work out 200 times
In an effort to focus on my health and fitness, I decided to add a workout-focused goal. I didn’t articulate this goal until February, so I’m a little behind the game. Good thing there is plenty of time to catch up! As of today, I’ve worked out 27 times in 2015.
If you’re interested in a breakdown of how I’ve been working out: I’ve bouldered/rock climbed 15 times, ran 10 times and lifted weights twice.
I’ve also decided to fully commit to the Tar Heel 10 Miler that takes place this month. I was waffling a bit even after posting about how much it would cost to participate, but decided to bite the bullet and go for it!
2015 Goals Update: Looking Good!
Overall, I’d say that things are looking good! It’s still too early to assess if I will or won’t achieve some of the goals, but I’m happy with the progress that I’m making so far. In 3 months, I’ll be back with another update.
How are you doing on your yearly goals?
