Goals for 2019 – February Progress
Send one real letter a month.
I only managed to send a postcard, but at least I did that.
Sew at least one garment a month.
I didn’t finish any sewing projects, but I did baste together a pair of trousers to check the fit and cut out two knit tops — so I have plenty to work on right now. I also taped together and traced off two other patterns, one of which I hope to get to this month, too.
Send newsletter at least once a month.
Yes. Squeaked it in by sending on the 28th, but it still counts!
Make one apartment improvement a month. In February: Replace a duvet cover.
Not quite. Our oldest fitted sheet developed a rip in it last month, so I replaced that sheet set instead. I’ve decided not to replace the worn out duvet cover. We still have one perfectly good cover, and I’ve already spent all winter washing it and putting it right back on the bed. We no longer use a duvet year-round (we switch to lighter blankets when it gets hot), so I don’t think I need to store an additional cover anymore. I plan to purchase a couple of very simple hanging lights from IKEA for our dining and office areas this month.
Go on one outing with Lennox a month.
We went to see “Isn’t It Romantic.” It really cracked me up; I recommend it to anyone who secretly loves romantic comedies. It’s a send-up, but it’s not mean.
Read one physical book I already own a month.
I read Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas, which — true story — was a used paperback I bought while whacked out on dental sedatives. My dentist’s office is only two blocks from my favorite Half Price Books, and I often browse through the store when I’m waiting to be picked up after an appointment. As you may imagine, I do occasionally walk out with a head-scratcher after those visits. In my drug-addled state, I thought this book was the first one of a series, but it was the third. I had to track down the first two before I could read this one, so it stayed on the shelf for a while. I enjoyed it, though I admit it was fairly standard for a slightly naughty historical romance. It started out with a really difficult-to-like hero — a character trope I often have little patience with — but he loosened up nicely by the end. I would recommend it for Kleypas fans and fans of the genre, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it as a starting point for historical romance.
Track budget for books, clothing, and sewing.
I did okay on books last month, with only a slight overage: $62.65 out of $60.00. Not bad. I also spent $28.14 out of $60.00 on sewing patterns and fabric — a vast improvement over last month. I’ll carry forward the balance there. I spent $110.93 on clothing, shoes, and accessories in February, though. I need to analyze last year’s numbers more closely because my 2018 average seems too low. I expect a good number of 2018 PayPal purchases were miscategorized, so my projected budget average was wrong. I’m just going to tally this category instead of tracking against a budget goal for the next couple of months as I reassess this. I will almost certainly spend over $100 in March again, as I have both birthday coupons and gift certificates that I use every year. I also need to replace both my ankle boots and one pair of summer sandals, so this spending category is likely to be inflated for a while.
Track daily writing habit.
I wrote on 12 out of 28 days. That’s dismal. I will try my best to do better in March.
Post weekly IG photo.
I think I only posted 2 photos in February, so 2 out of 4 weeks.
Run robot sweeper, vacuum bedroom, tidy, and clean bathroom weekly.
I did 3 out of 4 weeks again in February, which is fine with me. Sometimes I just can’t get to it or don’t feel well enough to clean. I may have a cleaning service in for a deep cleaning later this month or in early April, too.
Longer Term Goals
Reduce fabric stockpile to less than 100 yards (plus scraps) by the end of 2019.
I ended the month with 129 yards in storage, which is admittedly only one yard less than in January. Although I cut out three things in February, I also added the flat sheet from the set with the worn out fitted sheet (approximately 4 yards fabric). It’s really soft organic cotton with a nice drape that is likely to become a summer dress. I’ll probably add some yardage in March (especially if I get a gift card for my birthday), but I do a lot of my summer sewing in April and May, so I’m not too concerned about the number growing temporarily.
Finish cross stitch and frame it.
Not yet.
Finish Baktus scarf.
Not even sure I touched this at all in February. Oops!
Have four tea parties.
I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of people, but we have a tentative date set in late March. I’d better plan my menu!
Find a way to keep performing.
Not yet.
Combine websites, transfer blog, forward other domains, purchase an SSL certificate.
I transferred hosting of my primary site, though I need to correct a few settings and get the SSL certificate up to date. I’ll keep working on this, but may not get to anything else until after the tax deadline.
My February Frugal List
I made good progress in trimming down my personal spending in February, and we cooked at home more than we did the previous month.
In detail, I:
- Reduced or eliminated most of my Patreon pledges. I felt bad about doing this, as I like to support creators, but I will be losing one of my long-term clients after April and needed to cut back in anticipation of that reduced income.
- Put Creativebug subscription on hold until May. I will decide whether to restart or cancel the membership then. It will depend on whether or not I finish the classes I already have in my library.
- Canceled YouTube Premium. I found that I wasn’t really using most of the benefits of the membership — I was only paying to avoid commercials.
- Downloaded another free book with Amazon First Reads.
- Had a free drink on my Starbucks card.
- Used free graphics (including the one above) from the Graphics Fairy.
- Read 19 ebooks and 3 physical books from the library. I also read a book I already had (as listed above), and re-read 3 Kindle books. Not bad, considering I read 34 books in 28 days this time around!
I’ve already started getting my birthday freebies and discounts and will include a full list next time. I’m also trying to figure out what I’m going to do to replace that soon-to-be eliminated income. It’s not a large amount of money, but it was a really easy gig — and I’m not sure what I’d like to do. We’ll see.