March Goals

1.      Budget – Stick to my spending limits and adjust accordingly.  As I mentioned in my goal review for February, I did decently in sticking to my limits, but I was unprepared for the jump in gas prices so I went majorly over budget.  I need to continue to stick to my limits, but I also need to watch how much I’m spending and make adjustments as needed.  For example, I budgeted $200 for groceries for February, but I only spent about $130.  So I will lower my grocery budget to $150 a month (the extra money is to account for anything unexpected like a party or a really great meat sale). 

2.      Food – Bust out the cookbooks.  I have a fairly large collection of cookbooks and I love to read cookbooks for fun.  Sometimes I read them just to read them, but mostly I’m reading them looking for and marking new recipes to try.  I have all these cookbooks with tabbed recipes sticking out, but I never get around to cooking them.  I would like several of my new recipes to try for the month to come from my cookbooks.  I have a feeling this is a goal I’m going to have to work on for a while.

3.      Blogging – Dedicate some time each day for blogging.  Work got in the way of doing quality blogging last month, but added to that, when I get tired or stressed, I tend to let things slide.  And one thing I tend to let slide is blogging.  I have lots of ideas for posts and guest posts, but I just haven’t had the time or energy to work on them.  But like everything else, I need to carve out some time, limit my distractions, and spend a half hour or so (not a work!!) blogging.  If anyone has any advice how they maintain a good blogging schedule and rhythm, I would love to hear it.

4.      Social – Establish a balance.  I think I went overboard on social events last month.  A, I’m spending a little more money than I would like, and b, I rarely, especially towards the end of the month, was home.  I felt like I was neglecting Caty, and neglecting myself.  I need to work on finding a balance between being busy with friends and staying at home/spending time with my family.  I have lots going on during the weekends of March, so I would like (at least partially) to limit the amount that I go out or do stuff during the week.  It’s all about finding a balance.

5.      Personal – Read 4 books.  I have been neglecting my reading list lately I think.  I’ve only read one book off of it in the last few weeks, and I really need to get back to it.  Also, thanks to Cate, I have some excellent nonfiction selections to read, so I would also like to make headway on that list.  I don’t think reading 4 books is out of my range, especially as there is 5 weeks in March and I’m already listening to one in the car.  Audio books count right?  Well, I’m making them count.

What are your goals for March?