Review of May 2012 Goals:
- Blog my little heart out. Done! I feel like I wrote some worthy posts this month, and I also enjoyed guest-posting on a few other blogs (and hosting some guest posters here). I also secured a longer-term (6 month) freelance contract, so I’m very excited about that. Best writing month ever!
- Earn $500 in side-income. Done! This goal was mostly out of necessity since my income is taking a serious hit. I managed to bring in an extra $579.50 this month through freelance writing, blog advertising, and selling items. I am thrilled! I should try pushing myself to earn more…
Success!
- Spend less than $250 in Vancouver. Really nearly done! If you remember, I came in at $263 =) I’m pretty happy with that, so I’m going to cross this off anyway. Sadly I’m still waiting for my reimbursement from work so this is still hurting a little.
- Finish plans for Germany. Done! All my hostels & hotels are booked, and I bought my Eurail pass. All that’s really left now is to pick up some travel books so I can plan what I want to see, then convert my CAD dollars into EU and I will be set! Maybe I’ll do a minimalist packing post too, since I’m going to try to take the absolute least I can on this trip. Can’t believe I’m leaving in NINE DAYS!!!
- Update my resume & cover letter. Done! This was a way bigger undertaking than I first planned, since my skill set has basically exploded since starting at my job last September, but I put together a pretty decent updated resume and cover letter template. I can probably leave this alone for a year now, unless something in my job changes.
June 2012 Goals
- Visit 3 castles. I’m a princess in Europe for the latter half of this month, so I feel this is a worthy excursion. Why go to malls when I can see old palaces? Looking forward to some day trips to the German countryside!
- Don’t run out of Euros. I’m taking $500 EU cash with me on my trip, and hoping I don’t spend it all by the end of this month — especially since my vacation ends in the ever-expensive Switzerland. As I mentioned before I will be using my credit card for most purchases, but I’m generally partial to cash for small purchases on the go (coffee, tourist attraction fees, transportation, etc). What I’m really trying to do by watching my EU spending is making sure I don’t blow all my cash AND max out my credit cards.
- Make a 5-year plan. Didn’t see this one coming, did you? My vacations are pretty laid-back, but that doesn’t mean they’re unproductive. I used my month in France last year to reinvent myself after a horrendous break-up only a month before I left, and even though I’m not experiencing any emotional distress right now, it doesn’t mean it’s not a good time to take inventory of where I’m at and where I want to get to. I’m nearly a year into my professional career, about to enter my late 20′s, and pondering what I want out of life. A 5-year plan will outline my professional and personal goals from now until age 31. I’m a pretty ambitious person and I’m wholly committed to leading a fabulous life, so I feel like this will be a strong list.
…and that’s all I can think of, so only 3 goals this month!
You did great in May! I hope June is good for you.
Good luck with the 5 year plan and have fun in Europe!
I’ve been trying to work on some future planning too, but it’s hard. It’s not so difficult to set career goals for me, at least a timeline for the next promotion, but personal goals are harder. Thanks – you prompted me to actually sit down and right some goals down somewhere where I might find them again, lol.
I love life planning while on vacation too – that’s what I’m doing right now :) I’m curious to see what you come up with!
Damn…if I could make that freelance writing, I wouldn’t have to get another “job.”
it wasn’t one thing.. I sold 2 dresses, an old Apple TV, an old vanity from IKEA, had a sponsored post on the blog, traded in some Swagbucks for $10, received a $25 bonus from ING for someone using my referral key to open account… it was really a lot of little things that added up, freelance writing was only a small part.
And YES YOU WOULD HAVE TO GET ANOTHER JOB. $579/mo is not enough to live on and pay off your debt. It’s practically nothing; that sum doesn’t even cover my rent =\ I also generally dislike freelance income because it’s so varied every month. I’ve made hundreds of dollars one month and then zero the next. I love having a job with fixed hours and a fixed salary so I always know how much I get.
You rocked your goals! Where in Germany are you going? I went there a few years ago…stayed mostly in Bavaria…
Frankfurt, Stuttgart & Munich are my main cities and I’m going to try to fit in some side trips to Trier and Cologne and various countryside castles =)
Bavaria has some beautiful places, I’m definitely looking forward to visiting!
Holy cow you hit these goals out of the park for May. You deserve a pat on the back! I hope you enjoy your time in Europe. Was totally LOLing at the castles/princess tweet today.
I need to update my resume/cover letter too since I’ll be quitting my job soon. Gotta do that when it’s still fresh in my head. Also I have to start keeping stuff that I want to brag about in my portfolio for later when job hunting time comes around again.
BF and I also discussed a 5-year plan as well as a 1-year, 2-year and 3-year plan. A bit obsessive so we’ll see how that plays out.
Yes I was more successful than I expected, especially with the extra income (boo yeah! treated myself to some pricey new sunglasses)
1-year, 2-year and 3-year plans are too hardcore for me haha I already have enough anxiety over potential failure when making a 5-year plan =\
Nice job with your goals! Have a great time in Europe. It sounds exciting!