Goals for 2008 Recap

Here's a look back on what were my goals for 2008 and how well I did or didn't do.

FINANCES
1. Increase my 401K contributions - did not happen
Given the state of the stock market I decided to just continuing contribution 6% of my salary and not increase it to 10%. My Personal Rate of Return from 01/01/2008 to 12/31/2008 is -45.3%. I don't have money to lose like that so I'm just going to keep steady but increasing my contributions is just not a good option. I'll stick to maxing out the company match

2. Rainy Day Fund - took a serious hit
I had one too many rainy days so the growth of my rainy day fund took a serious hit. I went through several months of problems with my house in Atlanta where I had to go through several evictions so I had to use my rainy day fund to pay the mortgage. I'm hoping that now I have a stable, reliable tenant in my home I can resume building my rainy day fund.

3. Pay Down Debt - on track but didn't beat the deadline
I wanted to have my debt consolidation loan paid off by December 2008 but again the issues with my home in Atlanta prevented me from doing this. But I'm not discouraged. It will be paid off by September 2009, the original end of the loan date. Maybe I will be able to pay this off a few months sooner than 9/09 but again I'm not disappointed or discouraged. I know when the end is near and I can even circle the calendar on my date. Beating the deadline is just part of me being Type-A.


CAREER
I changed jobs in January from Sports Illustrated to InStyle but career goals remained the same.

1. Enroll in management classes and training programs - I did it
I actually was selected for a management training program through my company, Time Inc. I took one class in the series but because of financial concerns the classes have been put on hold. I'm going to look in to other management training programs outside of the company.

2. Classes, classes and more classes - took more Mediabistro classes but not ones outside of MB
I took a lot of classes through Mediabistro.com. And as long as I keep working there I hope to take more. I didn't end up taking the writing class at the New School but maybe I can enroll some time in 2009.

3. Take control of my workaholism - 50% achieved
This is probably not the time to be quitting gigs, even if they are part-time. But earlier this summer I finally quit the speed dating job and it was such a huge relief. I had to work so hard for the money I made and I honestly don't miss it. I just adjusted my spending. I've transitioned at Mediabistro in to teaching online classes. I hope to do more of that in 2009. But as a result of the economy my hours as a night assistant have been cut in half. I am contemplating quitting the night assistant position to focus on the teaching. But we'll see about that because I am such a workaholic I always have to fill my time with money making opportunities.

4. Get Published - I didn't even try
I have resumed blogging on a more regular basis but I gave up completely on trying to write and get published. The industry is shrinking so I'll leave the freelancing to those who are passionate about it and have the time to focus towards doing a good job at it.

HEALTH & FITNESS

1. Get back in shape - did not achieve
Santa got me a Wii for Christmas so now I don't have to spend money on a wasted gym membership. So I didn't exercise much in 2008 but I know I will in 2009.

2. Keep on cooking - I did but I know I can do even more
I am proud of how much cooking I did this year. It was a heck of a lot more than in 2007. So I'm happy with my progress on this and I want to do even more cooking in 2009.

3. Read more books - did not happen
In 2007 I read 15 books and in 2008 I thought I could fit in 30 books. But I read the exact same number as the year before. For me it's hard to balance reading the newspaper every day with reading books. Then throw in all the free magazines I get from my job and it gets overwhelming. So I read a lot but I didn't read all the books I intended to read. I'm going to try again in 2009.

If I had to give myself a grade for how I progressed on my goals in 2008 I would give myself a "C." I made progress on some things but I know me and I know I can do better and I can do more.

What resolutions/goals did you have for 2008? Did you achieve them? Check back tomorrow for my goals for 2009.