18 Goals for 2018

I had every intention of posting this in the new year, but since we've all been laid up with the flu ALL WEEK, and my to-be-written blog posts remain to-be-written, here it is:

In 2017, I set 17 goals for myself. Some were professional, some were financial, and some just related to our marriage and home. By the end of the year, I was happy with where I stood, even though I managed to complete less than half.

It's a new year and I've got some new goals to conquer in 2018.

Here are my 18 Goals for 2018:

PROFESSIONAL
This year will hopefully be a little less crazy in terms of my job situation. I feel like I tried every dang side job and part-time gig imaginable last year. I would love to settle into a rhythm, while continuing to bring in a little supplemental income.

1. Obtain a job that allows me to incorporate my blogging experience. I'm pretty darn content in my current part-time, marketing position. Though it doesn't provide much financially after childcare expenses and taxes, I love the work I do. That being said, I would love to find some kind of a work-from-home side hustle that allows me to do some content generation and/or marketing.

READING
I'm so thankful to no longer be a Mombie. Time to spend more time curled up in my reading nook!

1. Read 42 books. Last year I set much too lofty a goal for myself at 52 books. After balancing multiple jobs and babies, I had no time or energy left for reading. I want to continue to challenge myself, but I also want to be realistic, so I'm shooting for 42 books in 2018 (or 3.5 books per month).
2. Read 3 books published before 2000. I have a habit of sticking to contemporary literature. Last year, the only book I read that was published before the 21st century was The Handmaid's Tale.
3. Re-read the entire Harry Potter series. I haven't re-read any my favorite books in awhile and I haven't read through the entire series in years! I'm long overdue.

FINANCIAL
Last year was incredibly difficult for us, financially speaking. We became a one-income family so that I could stay home with the boys. I juggled multiple jobs, we applied for government assistance, and we were hit by a few too many curve balls. One day, maybe I'll go into the details of what made last year so tough. For now, it's still a little too soon. The shame and embarrassment still feels heavy and raw. 

That being said, being in such dire straights forced me to be on top of our budgeting and finances. The most surprising outcome was the discovery that I actually have a lot of passion around personal finance. Now that I have a better understanding of our financial standing and what we need to do to improve our situation, I'm ready to charge into 2018 full speed ahead!

1. Pay off a credit card. I'm carrying this goal right on over from my 2017 list!
2. Pay off medical bills from Crosby's birth. Due to a really stupid mistake I made regarding our insurance, we wound up owing tons more money than we anticipated after Crosby's birth. Long story short- the medical bills are still not paid off and I'm over it.
3. Complete our household budget every month. I got a lot better about working on our budget every month toward the end of last year. But there's absolutely no excuse why I didn't do it every month. This is the first step in paying off a lot of our debt this year!

BLOGGING

2017 was a phenomenal year for this little blog of mine. I had HUGE goals and even wrote about how I wanted to become a full-time blogger. Although I don't think a career in blogging will be happening any time soon, I did learn a TON about how I can improve my blog. Not to mention, I made over $2,500!

1. Earn over $2,500 from my blog. I planned on having my 2017 "income report" published by now, but taking care of puking toddlers this week kind of shifted my priorities. Stay tuned for the nitty gritty!
2. Have a post receive 5000+ pageviews. My blog is (and will likely continue to be) on the teeny side. I'm okay with that, but I would like to continue growing and figuring out how to get my content seen by a larger audience.
3. Meet another blogger friend in real life. Thanks to Dayton Moms Blog, I've gotten to know Suzanne and Jenn and consider them IRL friends. We've met for playdates and a Moms' Night Out. Suzanne's daughter Tera even accompanied us on a trip to the Air Force Museum. I'd love to meet up with another blogger friend!
4. Hit 1,000 Facebook and Instagram followers. Right now, I stand around 420 followers on Facebook. Facebook is responsible for about half of my blog's social media traffic, so I know that if I want to get my blog seen by more people, I need to meet them where they're at. As for Instagram, it's my favorite social media platform. I doubled my following in 2017 (which still isn't much) and I'd love to continue to see it grow. I'd like to do this by learning more about photography and improving my picture quality.

HEALTH

I got really serious about my health in 2017. My Dad had some major health issues, I did the Whole30 program and I lost 15 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I pretty much eliminated all carbs, sugar, and dairy from my diet and I have no intentions of going back.This year, I'd like to maintain my healthy eating habits, but vastly improve my fitness level.

1. Run a half marathon. Running was on my 2017 list, but I never managed to carve out the time to make it happen. I genuinely would like to get back into running. Running a half has been on my bucket list for years and I want 2018 to be the year I finally make it happen!

HOME

We've lived in our house for nearly a year and a half and it's ever so slowly coming together but there are a million and one things I'd like to do to make it more of a home. I have some really fun ideas (posts to come!). I'm doing things little by little as I have the time, and money for home improvement stuff and decor.

1. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom. Literally, all our bedroom really needs at this point is a coat of paint, some new curtains, and a few more knick-knacks for our walls. Easy peasy.
2. Install railing on our front porch. Our front porch has no railing keeping our babies from falling the two-ish feet to the ground. Charlie also now knows how to unlock and open our front door. We live right on a residential street so this is clearly a safety issue.
3. Paint and finish decorating our living room. Much like our master bedroom, all our living room really needs at this point is a fresh coat of paint!

TRAVEL

Our main focus this year will be on paying off debt, so I don't anticipate any kind of international jet-setting. However, now that we're out of the infant stage, we have more freedom to leave the house and explore!

1. Take the boys to Sesame Place or Planet Snoopy. One of my best friends from college is getting married in June (and just so happens to live within 5 minutes of Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA). If we can't make a family excursion to Sesame Place happen, we live within a half hour of Planet Snoopy at King's Island. These boys need their first amusement park experience!
2. Have a kid-free weekend getaway. Chuck and I need a just-the-two-of-us trip badly. I have me eye on Chicago, Louisville or Gatlinburg as potential weekend trips.
3. Have a girls' weekend for my 30th birthday. Location pending, but it needs to happen.

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What are your goals for 2018?