Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Goals for July 2008

On the first business day of every month, I post my update for the previous month's progress, and set goals for the month to come.

I got side-tracked from my blogging duties in June, and didn't end up posting monthly goals, so let's see what I've got in mind for July:
  • Reduce my revolving debt to $18,500 (currently at $19,236.45) - This is not a big reach; I'm just trying to keep my progress strong, and avoid any delays to my debt elimination.

  • Grow my Emergency Fund to $1,450 (currently at $1,405.76) - I'm getting close to my year-end goal of $1,500, so I think a little pressure is in order to accelerate this one. $1,500 would cover our fixed expenses for one pay period, and although that only represents two weeks, it's still a very significant milestone in the climb off the treadmill. If I hit $1,450 this month, I should be able to make $1,500 by the end of the summer.

  • Decide whether I will convert my retirement portfolio to ETF versions of the index funds I currently hold. My portfolio is pretty much at the point where lower MERs would offset the commissions from buying ETFs, so I need to come to a decision on whether this is the time to re-configure my investments.

  • Update my Equifax credit file with my correct postal code - This one is nagging at me, so let's just put it to bed.

  • Continue to walk to and from work every day, and pack my lunch at least 20 days this month. This month has 22 business days (including today), so I'm basically giving myself a little leeway, and allowing myself two days of buying lunch. This will allow me a couple of social lunches out with colleagues, which is a good step in maintaining the social side of my career development.

  • Blog 31 times in July - With a grand total of 12 posts in May and June, I have some ground to make up. Let's get back to an average of one post a day.
This looks a lot like my May goals, but I'm trying to get back on track, so I have to start somewhere. A month of housekeeping should put me in a good position to try some new challenges in August.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the time it took you to blog about changing your postal code with a credit agency, you could have done it already.

Anonymous said...

Touché. Just think what I could have accomplished while responding to your comment.

Thanks for the kick in the butt. I'll go over the paperwork tonight.