Seven Months In // 2016 Goal Progess

In order to keep up with my goals for 2016 a little better, I have been trying to do monthly mini goals. :) See my 2016 goals here. 

July Goals: 

1) Read 5 Books - ideally 2 from Netgalley and 1 classic

Fail - I finished 3 books in July; The Tumbling Turner Sisters, Austenland, and The Cuckoo's Calling. I am almost done with Gentleman Prefer Blondes. So that's 1 from Netgalley, and 1 classic. Not too bad so far for the year though, as I am still ahead of schedule on my overall goal.

2) Try 5 New Recipes

Fail - Another month when we were pretty busy all things considered. I only tried 1 "new" recipe, which was my mom's mac and cheese. :) The good news is, we made lots of old favorites that were quick and easy. We have been living off this dinner: Rotisserie Chicken + Corn on the Cob + Red Grapes + Watermelon + Fresh Veggies. YUM! - though it doesn't have me trying new recipes. I feel ok about this since the main reason behind this goal is to eat out less and spend less... which we are mostly still doing. Plus I'm ahead on my yearly count!

3) Create a "savings plan" for the rest of the summer. & make some progress!

Check! - KC was a math major in college, and he works in math right now... so stud that he is, he took some time to comb through our expenses and pick a better "monthly budget" for different categories. This gives us a clear amount for "extra" spending, etc. So we should be able to become more mindful of our spending and saving. That started last week and so far, so good. It will allow us to save a couple extra hundred dollars each month. I have high hopes to come up with more little savings strategies along the way as well. :) 

4) Plan Our Upcoming Trip to VEGAS!

Check! - We are getting ready to go to Vegas and I am super jazzed. We hadn't had a lot of time to plan it what with taking #allthetrips and everything. Savannah and Nashville were great, but I'm looking forward to doing something really different! :) I finally got a chance to look over my lists, pins, and a guidebook some more and I can't wait to explore! :) 

5) Investigate and Try Out Marie Kondo Method of Tidying Up! #declutter

Fail - bhahhahahah - this did not happen, though I think it would be a good plane read! So we'll see if I can do this in August.

6) Send 2 surprise pieces of mail! 

Close Enough - I sent a postcard to our Airbnb hosts in Nashville, which they probably did not expect. Other than that, I haven't sent anything that wouldn't be expected. : / - though I guess Ashley didn't know what all would be in her giveaway package, and my friend Juliet doesn't know what's in her bday package! So maybe that can count as 2? *photo credit to Ashley's IG here. :)*

7) Make Dental Appointment... 

Fail - *sobs*

8) Watch 4 Disney Movies.... go big or go home!

Fail - I definitely should have set this lower. We watched all of the Pirates movies... haha but I am really only counting cartoons and/or princess movies here. I did see Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time though. 

9) Hop back on that workout train! 

Fail - but better than nothing - I did not do great at DVD workouts this month, but KC and I did take quite a few walks during the work day. It's not the most exercise, but it is better than nothing and probably relieves some of that work stress! I also continue to take the stairs nearly always. Which is usually 4-6 flights. :)

10) Figure out how to get a new mattress delivered... previous plans fell through! :( 

Fail - Nope... not yet. We may look into purchasing something in our city so that we don't have to worry about it.

Total: 3/10

Extra Goals:

11) Plan 2 Date Nights with KC - even if they are for later months.

Check! - I did a little digging one day and put some post-it's in my calendar related to fun movie dates, musicals, plays, ballets, etc. It includes cost and date ranges so maybe we can pick out a few that we want to do for sure! :) We also bought tickets to three shows at a local performance arts center for later in 2016 and early 2017. So we have those to look forward to for sure. I would still like to plan some fun fall/winter dates though. :) 

12) Make pinnable images for existing posts! (I love the way Ashley does her travel ones!) 

I didn't do this at all yet... though I did draft ALL of my MANY San Francisco/California Coast posts! - which is insane! whoop! whoop! :) 

Extra Credit Total: 1/2

Overall Total: 4/12

I didn't do the greatest on July's goals, but I did feel like I got a lot done this month, and that August has been off to a good start for sure! :)

August Goals:

1) Read 5 Books - ideally 2 from Netgalley and 1 classic
2) Try 5 New Recipes
3) Try Zumba DVD
4) Watch 2 Disney Movies
5) Pick Two Specific Ways to Save More Money and Try Them Out!
6) Try a Really Interesting Restaurant or Cuisine in Vegas!
7) Make Dental Appointment... 
8) Read Some Non-Fiction I Own - Start - to - Finish!
9) Finish Working out Details of "Book Ban 2016" - more on this later.
10) Try One New Dessert Recipe.

What have you guys been up to in July? Did you meet any of your goals? 

What are you hoping to do this Summer? - There's still a little time left!

Are there any goals that you are really slacking on so far in 2016? Read my half-way point goal check-in.

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for, What's New With You?



XO,

Alexandra