Mrs. Rogers Frugal Neighborhood: Goals Update: April 2016

Friday, April 29, 2016

Goals Update: April 2016

April has been a wild month -- school tours are in full swing, the museum's open season has begun, plus there is something happening on the grounds every weekend, and that's only the work related items. We also now have a 2-year-old running around the house, Joe's grandfather has been diagnosed with dementia and has to have round-the-clock supervision, and Joe has dental appointments almost every week (note to self - make sure to take better care of your teeth). So, needless to say, we have been busy as the bumbles swarming on our porch. May is going to be just as bad, but that's okay, such is life as a caretaker's wife! With all that being said, I didn't get a whole slew of things accomplished in April. I have a plan in place so that I can be more productive in May, so I am hoping that I can make that happen. But, for now, here's how things progressed in April...

Personal:

Lose 20 lbs (about 1.5 lbs a month) - I have lost 10 pounds! Half-way!!! The results from the blood work indicated that my triglycerides are high, and I should eat less carbs and sugar, um, yeah, shouldn't we all? Anyway, that is going okay. But I'm still feeling crappy. I go back in a couple of months to see if the diet changes have helped. I am really wishing that I would have taken measurements before I started losing weight. Even though I'm only down 10 pounds, I can really tell a difference in how my clothes are fitting - yay!
Exercise 292 days - In April I exercised 24 out of 30 days. For a total of 97 for the year. I'm right on track with this goal! I feel great for the most part, a little sore, but great! I am really starting to notice how much more limber I am, and that my back and hip pain have decreased. These are definitely added benefits that I wasn't expecting!
Drink at least 70 oz of water everyday - I did better with this in April, especially towards the end of the month. I can do 3-4 bottles pretty steady, it's the 5th one that's hard.

Financial:

Coupon and deal shop to stick to my $350/month budget - I shared my budget update for April here. If you click over, you can see all of the great things I was able to stock-up on while still staying under budget! This included shampoos, Benefiber, frozen diet meals, and a variety of other items.
Earn at least 6 - $25 Amazon gift card through Swagbucks - No gift card this month, but I am on track to get another one in May. 2 Down, and 4 to go.
List at least 10 things per month online or 120 for the year - I sold a desk this month, but that's really it. I am hoping to sell a few sewing patterns this month on Ebay. January - Check (23), February - no check (0), March - Check (43), April - no check (1)
Set up at 6 Flea Markets/Shows to sell our wares - No shows this month, but we have one coming up in May. Total for the year = 2

Household:

Completely declutter the entire house - I still have 2 areas left. I was waiting on these until I finished some other projects, but things aren't going as I had planned, so I started chipping away at one of them this month (bookcase). I am hoping to finish the bookcase in May and move onto the cedar chest next, then I'm done!
Finish my 2016 project list - I have my project list update posted separately. However, I will share that I was able to sell a desk, purchase some new lamp shades, as well as accomplish a few other things. I shared some pictures of my progress here.

Blogging:

Post at least 3 times a week - I posted at least 3 times per week again in April. All totaled I shared 14 posts in April, which averages to over 3 a week! I enjoyed being able to share my Spring decor with you all!
Do a 31 day series in October - Not there yet. I have been working on some ideas in my blogging journal though.
Set up a Facebook page for my blog - Still not done. I looked into the process one night, and it was too much to do that close to bedtime. I plan to get this done one day in May during Howard's nap time.