Sunday, January 8, 2017

NEW 2017 GOALS! - A Frugal Family's Journey

NEW YEAR means NEW GOALS!!

2016 was a decent year for our family but you wouldn't have come to that conclusion based on the percentage of our goals that we had accomplished this past year. 

In all, we managed to accomplish 7 of our 15 goals last year. 
  1. We finished the year with 370,402 total all-time page views.
  2. We finished the year with a total of 1,376 followers on Twitter.
  3. We increased the value of our retirements to $453,633.
  4. We ended the year with a mortgage balance to $291,145.
  5. We tried out 37 new restaurants and/or dessert places.
  6. We completed a total of 55 hikes.
  7. We took the kids to 3 new parks.
But as I stated in our recent post (2016 year end recap), even though we only completed 46.6% of our goals this year, I still considered this past year a success! Here is why:
  1. Our total dividends, albeit not as much as we would have liked, still grew.
  2. Our dividend stocks account, although didn't reach our goal, still saw a roughly 26% gain year-over-year!
  3. Even though we did not post as much as we had hoped, our blog continues to reach more and more readers.
  4. I was able to get outside and enjoy various places around me. The sights, sounds and taste that I experienced on my restaurant trips and hikes were quite memorable.  
  5. I took my kids on am amazing road trip that include a total of 4 different states and 5 State Parks! We did, however, stay at 7 different hotels (which we learned that we will never do again). haha
  6. I learned that blogging is fun but it isn't the end of the world if I took a break from it. 
  7. And best of all, I can still say that our family remains on track to pay off our home and retire in less than 10 years!
    Overall, whether the increases are big or small, the main goal is to keep move forward. Personally, I've been writing both annual and long-term goals since my early twenties. I can say with confidence that our family would not be were we are today without having accomplished the short term goals along the way. Sure, like everyone else, there were setbacks along the way.  But the goals have always helped us get back on track.  They keep us accountable and help ensure that we always progress.

    I'm not sure if it is a renewed sense of motivation, or maybe its just the beginning of the year, but we hope to have an even more productive year in 2017!! 


    BELOW IS A LIST OF OUR NEW 2017 GOALS!!
    Similar to last year, we have split up our goals into different categories. Once again, we have a few "fun" goals in the list. :)

    DIVIDEND STOCKS:
    1.  Earn $3,550 in dividend income.
    2.  Increase projected annual dividend income to $3,750.
    3.  Bring value of dividend stocks accounts to $90,000 total.

    BLOG:
    4.  Write at least 100 posts (8.33 posts/month).
    5   Reach 575,000 total hits by end of the year.
    6.  Reach 1,800 Twitter followers by end of the year.
    7.  Reach 400 all-time earnings from Google AdSense.

    FINANCIAL MILESTONES:
    8.    Increase value of retirement accounts to $500,000.
    9.  Increase Net Worth to $675,000 (excluding home equity).
    10.  Reduce mortgage balance to $270,000.

    FUN GOALS:
    11.  Try out 12 "new" restaurants/dessert place.
    12.  Go on 26 "new" hikes (1 every other week).
    13.  Visit 3 new parks.
    14.  Volunteer for two project/event (ex. beach clean up, clear hiking trail, race event, serve food, etc.)
    15.  Get kids outside more - A total of 52 activities (run, walk, hike, etc.) as a family, with a minimum of 1 mile and 30 minutes each.

    We have created a landing page for our 2017 goals and plan to provide quarterly updates.  Please feel free to follow along and see our progress!!



    12 comments:

    1. Hi A Frugal Familys Journey!

      I agree with you that your last year was really great even thought you missed some of your goals. I am confident that you will complete more goals this year!

      Good luck and I´m looking forward to follow you during 2017!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thank you Dividend Producer. Hoping to be able to write "accomplished" a few more times this coming year.

        Best wishes and success on your goals and personal journey! AFFJ

        Delete
    2. Happy 2017 to A Frugal Family's Journey :)

      Love the goals and I know its a financial blog but if I had to weight the goals I think the family Fun goals are the most important. Keep the faith

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. We certainly enjoy the "fun" goals the most! :) I hope that the times spent with our kids now will be remember and cherished by all for years to come.

        Thanks you for visiting and leaving a comment. Regards, AFFJ

        Delete
    3. I think it is excellent that you have quantified your goals ahead of time. To me, that's the secret sauce for actually accomplishing them. Too many people have nebulous goals like "improve the blog" or "do fun things with the family" and they never get done because there is no way to measure it and keep track. I approve of your process.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thank you. We believe it has and continues to be our "secret sauce" :)

        I plan to continue writing measurable goals well into retirement. The only different then will be more fun goals than financial goals. ;)

        Best wishes my friend. AFFJ

        Delete
    4. You have the right mindset, forward progress is all that really matters. I like your goals for 2017. Best of luck reaching all of them.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thank you Investment Hunting. We appreciate the vote of confidence and truly hope you follow our journey to see the results.

        Best wishes in your personal goals and overall journey as well! AFFJ

        Delete
    5. Great goals AFFJ. You guys rock and I know 2017 will be successful for you like 2016 was!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thanks Passive Income Dude. Appreciate the vote of confidence. We certainly hope your right!

        Please stay tuned as we plan to report quarterly result this year! ;)
        AFFJ

        Delete
    6. Nice to see the fun goals too! Many parents nowadays forget about their kids and are just working all time.
      Good luck!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Yes, we value accumulating wealth and early retirement but we also value the kids early childhood experiences. They are only young once. Not only do we want them to experience as much as possible, we want to share that experience with them: :)

        Thanks for the supportive comment. AFFJ

        Delete