oh gratz arian!!! I didn't relized that DB ment your dear boyfriend, lol. From reading your older post I always thought DB ment dear brother!!! I always thought well isn't that nice how well she loves her brother!!! Again gratz and I hope you love or learn to love all of your big changes

cyn

Well I have squeezw tight save 1,200 this year and got rid of my old rattle trap of an old pick up of mine blew the gasket didn't want to attempt to save it again so down the road it went those were the accomplishments..

1. I started the year by actually writing down our debts and totaling them up. I came up with a plan to pay them down because the total made me sick to my stomach. I knew a trip to Disney was coming and I needed to pay down cc because trip was going on it. 2. I made a list of our monthly bills just to see what the total was. We discovered that if only I was working, we would have about $300 at the end of the month for groceries, gas money, insurance, credit card payment and anything extra. That was scary too. 3. Our debt has gone down some, and should start going down more once I finish making payments on our Disney trip in February 2010. 4. We started eating out a lot less this year. Last year we were eating out 5 or 6 nights a week, plus DH eating out for breakfast & lunch, me eating out for most lunches and a few breakfasts. I started eating oatmeal for breakfast, packing lunch, and making dinner at home more. At the best points in this year, we were down to eating out 1 or 2 times a week, no breakfasts or lunches out for me. I've slipped up on this point and will try to do better. 5. We cleaned out a closet full of boxes and I found things I've been looking for since we moved here in 2001! Took part in a yard sale and did well, clearing many boxes out of the house. 6. Replaced an old, leaky toilet. 7. DH got free firewood last winter, which helped with the high winter power bills. Looking back, I did better than I have in past years, but not as well as I could have these past few months. Looking forward to doing better now that most of my Christmas shopping is now done!

Well, for starters, I always make too many resolutions and then never fulfill them all!!

At the end of 2008, I was just barely pregnant (6 weeks) and going through what I thought was a miscarriage but turned out not to be . . . after spending last year's holidays on bed rest and have quite a few struggles on and off with the remainder of my pregnancy, I can say that I accomplished my main goal for 2009 . . . carrying and delivering a healthy baby.  She's 3 months now, sitting right next to me.  It was a rough year in that sense.  I am soooooo grateful!

That has taken precedence this year.  Financially, I did ok but didn't meet my goals, backslid with medical costs.  Household goals and plans really went out the window.  Other projects and ideas were put on the backburner too.

So I guess I reached my main goal that I started out the year with.  I'm looking forward to 2010 though . . . we have lots to be thankful for and I am eager for the holidays.  But, we also have a lot of work to do come 2010!

 JL-

I think you had the best goal reached so far, I love babies!  

I didn't meet financial goals, but met other goals I didn't know I had at the turn of the year-

I am finishing 17 credits in prenursing, and applying to two nursing programs.

I lost 10 pounds, due in part to my nutrition class.  I am in the healthy zone of the BMI, for once.

I am almost caught up on medical and dental care, my insurance ends at the end of the year. The kids are almost caught up. 

I organized the clothes in bins, and have been giving away the baby clothes. 

I am learning more patience, as I go through family changes.

We are further in debt, but spending the least we ever have.

The kids have transitioned to free schools, and done well.

 

 I'm alive, mostly happy as is my family. 

 I got myself a new job which I like very much and can do until I retire.  I have no debts and have started to re build my credit back up(after bankruptcy a few years back).  I have savings in the bank to use as a down payment on a mobile home that I have found and hope to get. This by way of money via Dear Old Dad and Step Mum.  She handed each child (4from Dad, 4 from her) a cheque for $20 thousand dollars after he died.   I got new glasses paid for by Dad and am getting my teeth fixed (finally) in December again paid for by Dad. 
If you had told me back in March how far I would come in 6 months I would not have believed you.  I was literally staring death in the face as I contemplated suicide- I was so down and disheartened, I could not see any other way out.  But I confessed to my doctor my thoughts and she upped my medication for depression and also gave me Vitamin D to take which really helped.  As well as clinical depression I have, SADD, low Vitamin D levels, low B levels, diabetes.  My D levels should be around 100, mine was 25.  Really really down in the dumps LOL.  Life has changed and I have changed with it.  I may not have a guy in my life but don't really care about that anymore.  I am making my own way ahead on my own  and it is full speed ahead, and d*** the torpedoes as Dear Old Dad would say LOL.  He was in the Royal Navy.  Hugs to all Sally.

  After a year of dodging layoffs, and seeing our income reduced by furloughs and pay cuts, DH and I decided to get serious about training for new jobs. So, we both started taking classes.

   

Pat:

Meet any goals you'd set?

 

I had six financial goals for 2009, four of which were related to replacing retirement funds. 

#1 was to add $3,000 to my Roth IRA before April of 2009 & I accomplished this. 

#2 was to help oldest DD by paying for her last 6 credits to finish her associate's degree.  This is also done, & those 6 credits cost almost $3,000 - - with 4 children and DSIL's school loans, she wouldn't have been able to finish any other way.

#3 was to add $6,000 to the Roth IRA for 2009, & this did NOT happen, mostly because the interest rate for the Roth IRA went below 2%, and it was better use of the funds to work on paying down cc debt & putting extra on the mortgage, which is at 5.5%. At the current rate we are paying, the mortage will be retired before we do. 

#4 was to fund a $500 CD for my oldest grandson.  His big sister already has one, pulling 4.5%, but again, with the CD rates under 2%, this didn't happen. The rates are back up to 3%, & if they go to 3.5%, I will be heading to the credit union to move $$.

#5 was to pay off the Citi bill, which I did one time, but emergency surgery happened & it is back up where it needs paid down again. 

#6 was to have at least $13,000 more in my 401K at work.  Again, the emergency surgery impacted this, but I am over $10,000 & may make $11, 000 before year's end. 

In addition to the hard goals, I also planted more fruit trees, filled all my canning bottles, & worked on some of the landscaping.  My closets have a lot of wasted space at the top, & I don't have enough storage space, so as I can acquire the lumber from freecycle, I am working on putting an extra shelf above the existing ones. I have the lumber for the the supports & the shelf for the kitchen pantry closet & painted them today.

 Sally, good work getting some things done, sounds like it has been a tough year.