2008 Resolutions and Goals

Now that I am publishing this list, I have no choice but to follow it. I began creating this list around Thanksgiving and now that we’re 10 days into 2008, I can honestly say that so far I have been doing a pretty good job keeping up with it. The reason for the two sub-headings is that the first are things that I want to change from last year and the second are brand new challenges for me to overcome in the course of the next 12 months.

Resolutions:

1) Read 1 book/month- Many of you might think, 1 book, that does not seem like very much but given the fact that I am always on the go, I have to set the bar low. When I do have a free moment, I prefer to lie on the couch and sleep or else flip channels. These are bad habits, but I vow to follow through with this and read more than the 6 books I read in the past year.

2) Work out 5 times a week- So far, so good. This is one resolution that I am telling everyone so that if I stop following it, I will look like a fool!

3) Eat healthier- Enjoying cooking has helped me progressively eat better however I need to rid myself of the many chocolate chip cookie packages in the fridge. But herein lies the problem; I hate wasting food so I cannot just throw the cookies away but at the same time, I really shouldn’t be eating them. I also need to stop eating the candy out of the candy jar at work.

4) Better track my finances- I am a spreadsheet junkie. I love seeing my cash inflow and outflow so on top of owning quicken, and using Mint, I have tons and tons of excel files. When I told my roommate of this resolution, he looked at me strangely and asked me something to the effect of, “don’t you already obsess over that?” BUT this year, I will keep better track than last year!

Goals:

1) Create a blog- I am publishing this, right? It’s a good first step.

2) Begin courses so I can sit for the CPA- My company covers the cost so I would be foolish not to take advantage of it. My undergraduate degree was in finance and I am now working in accounting so these classes would not only help me to earn that valuable title but it would also help me in my day-to-day work.

3) Take other certification tests- There are many other licenses which I can get that I would not have to take many classes to be eligible to take the test. There is one certification in particular that I recently began studying for so this is the year to get it done!

4) Fully fund my 2008 Roth- I just recently funded my 2007 Roth and I am now trying to save in large chunks so I can fund my 2008 relatively soon. Instead of waiting until January 2009, I am trying to fund this by June 2008 at the latest.

5) Purchase a condo/townhouse- Alright, this is a lofty goal. This falls more in the range of October 2008- March 2009. Still, the sooner I can buy the better. The real estate market is down right now and I really want to take advantage of it. And I know the pride I will get from purchasing my own place will make me feel like a king. This is not something to rush into but I anticipate the day when I am handed the keys to my new place. Now, that will be a huge rush!

As I think of new challenges for the year, I will be sure to post them. What obstacles/new challenges are you hoping to overcome and face during the year 2008?