What are your goals for the year?

[Johnez]

It's a new year and as corny as it is many of us are starting over in a way. I've seen lots of new names and avatars lately, should be interesting to see 'em all. Grizzled veterans, what say you? Maybe some eyes can be opened to something new, maybe some old time practices will be given a new shine.

Here are mine:

Save that cash!

$12,000 in 401k
$5,500 in Roth IRA
$3,350 in HSA
$2,000 in Emergency Reserves

Total net worth goal by end of 2015 $30,000

Start a new career path!
-Schooling for becoming an electrician

Expand income and income possibilities!
-Plasma donation (netting $2,600)
-Text broker (write for other people, income varies)
-Pick up every extra shift, never call out, save it all for PTO payoff

Small time:
-Declutter my life (throwing out receipts to start!)
-Limit time on internet
-Stop biting fingernails

Big time:
Ask my lovely girl that big question. :)

What're yours? Good luck on them all, to all a great 2015!

[iwasjustwondering]

Lose: 15 lbs.  I lost 40 two years ago, and it's been creeping back on.  Need to get back on track.

Save: $18K in 401K, 3K in ESPP, $35K in two 529 plans, $3K extra toward mortgage principal, $5k toward HSA.  Company will match around $18K for 401K.

Net worth: I hadn't thought at all about my total net worth goal for end of 2015, but I think $420K is reasonable, depending on what the stock market does.  It sounds absolutely crazy, but maybe it's possible.

Travel: One week in England with SO and my kids, visiting SO's family and touring London.

Kids: Continue to do what I can to help my kids make a good transition to young adulthood.  Getting them off to a good start in life is the most important thing I can do on this earth, so I want to do whatever I can to support them emotionally, socially, financially, academically, whatever, as they become more independent and their lives get more complicated. 

Just generally enjoy my life and my loved ones.  I've been incredibly lucky so far in my life.  We just went on a hike with my sister and her family.  We're lucky that my kids are growing up very close to their cousins, who are the same ages.  We then had a NY Day dinner at my parents'.  We're lucky that my parents are alive and healthy.  We had a great time.  I'm lucky that I met my wonderful SO.  Knock wood, the goal is to cherish all of these moments and these people and be as grateful as possible for all of it.  Knowing that I'm going to be able to meet what seemed like crushing financial obligations not so long ago makes it easier for me to feel calm and happy, and more deserving of all of this incredible luck and joy. 

 

[iwasjustwondering]

It's a new year and as corny as it is many of us are starting over in a way. I've seen lots of new names and avatars lately, should be interesting to see 'em all. Grizzled veterans, what say you? Maybe some eyes can be opened to something new, maybe some old time practices will be given a new shine.

Here are mine:

Save that cash!

$12,000 in 401k
$5,500 in Roth IRA
$3,350 in HSA
$2,000 in Emergency Reserves

Total net worth goal by end of 2015 $30,000

Start a new career path!
-Schooling for becoming an electrician

Expand income and income possibilities!
-Plasma donation (netting $2,600)
-Text broker (write for other people, income varies)
-Pick up every extra shift, never call out, save it all for PTO payoff

Small time:
-Declutter my life (throwing out receipts to start!)
-Limit time on internet
-Stop biting fingernails

Big time:
Ask my lovely girl that big question. :)

What're yours? Good luck on them all, to all a great 2015!

It sounds great.  Good luck with the big question!  My only advice is that you just go a little easy on yourself physically this year.  Plasma donation, picking up shifts, never calling in sick, all add up to getting a little run down.  Yes, you want to save, but you also need to take care of yourself.  So just keep that in mind. 

[meadow lark]

1- Increase net worth by $115,000.  It's a stretch goal, and dependent on something outside my control (the market) but I'm going for it anyway.  2013 and 2014 my goals were $100k a year, and I made both. 
2 - Have more fun.  Same goal as last year.  Throughout the year it helped guide some big decisions, and I am grateful for that.

[MikeBear]

Max out my 401k to the new $24k limit, and put another $6.5k in my Vanguard Roth IRA.

I now also have an HSA, and I intend on getting $5k of my own money in it by the end of the year. My company already put $1k in it today. My $5k will be on top of that.

Lose 20lbs, minimum, 30lbs stretch.

[Retired To Win]

Now that I have been financially independent for a while, my goals for 2015 are more about enjoying my financial freedom than about piling on more cash.  But still...

Basic Living Expenses -- To continue "budgeting by exception" so I can optimize my annual costs another 10% beyond my present $13,800.

Discretionary Spending -- To spend a minimum of 50% of my surplus passive income (over and above my basic living expenses) on trips and other ways of having fun.  (Hard to believe, but I have to "work" at spending this money!)

Traveling -- Schedule, plan and do at least one multi-day trip every 3 months.

Health -- Keep the 50 pounds I lost a year ago OFF.  Get/Keep my blood chemistry numbers under control.  Finally start using the gym equipment I installed in the basement last year. (!!)

Blogging -- Restart publishing one article a week, now that my blog's structure is finally coming into shape.  If necessary, hire a virtual assistant to get the articles actually posted. (I already have a substantial backlog.)

Intrinsic Motivation -- Focus on getting that pumped up by maximizing the time I spend doing things I enjoy for their own sake (hiking, writing, studying history, watching great movies, photographing, playing heavy-strategy pc games, reading mystery fiction).

And a BIG thank you to the OP for getting me thinking about this!

Happy New Year!

[MatthewMortensen]

This may sound silly but my goals for the year revolve around my spouse.

I am a creature of habit and have been doing the same thing, living the same routine, and varying ever-so-slightly for years now. So I can humbly say that I want to continue the progress I am making on my current goals; however, I would like to support my girl with her goals.

Her main goal is to get back into teaching. She taught second grade for a number of years, and had to leave it because she wasn't paying the bills. With my support I hope she is able to get back into teaching and doing what she loves.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Financial:
-Continue living on frugal autopilot and save 65%+ of our incomes again this year
-Contribute federal max to both of our 401Ks again this year
-Don't mess it up!

Life:
-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)
-Explore the New England region more
-Learn more about gardening and forestry (in prep for our early retirement plan of homesteading in 2.5 yrs)
-Learn to play banjo (husband)
-Play more/better piano (me)
-Figure out how to sing while I'm playing piano and husband is playing banjo (I'd consider this a stretch goal ;) )
-Enjoy the present while working towards our aggressive FIRE goal
-Other things I probably haven't thought of yet

[alsoknownasDean]

Saving: I'd like to get my total savings/investments (excluding superannuation) to around $25K, some of which is invested in places that aren't low-interest savings accounts. I'll be getting some investments started in the next few months as a matter of priority. :)

Health/Fitness: I lost about 25kg throughout 2011, and have since put almost all of that back on. Time to get off my arse and fix that.

Travel: I'll be heading to Hawaii later this year for a mate's wedding, and I'm planning on spending a few weeks in the States after the wedding. This'll impact a bit upon the savings, but oh well. From now on I'd like to do at least one international trip a year.

Career: Start learning new things at my current job, and commence training for other certifications which will be of use to me long-term (might be difficult due to travel plans interrupting the study).

Of course, I want to spend quality time with family and friends, learn new things, meet new people, and focus on what makes me happy :)

[mattm]

House: Pay off mortgage around the April/May timeframe.

Finances: Once house is paid off in the Spring, max out 401k, Roth IRA, and set up a new Vanguard fund for whatever is left over.

Health: Start walking more...a LOT more. Aiming for at least 5 miles a day to start.

[Bikesy]

Financial:

401k - 18,000
IRAs - 11,000
HSA - 6,650
Taxable - 15,000

Personal:

Have a healthy baby in March!
Buy my wife a car.
Transfer with my current employer back to my home town to be near family.
Edit and publish my book!!

[Emilyngh]

Financial:

- continue with 401k contributions as set
-make extra money through side gigs and stash as much of that as possible by increasing 401k contributions accordingly

Work/personal

-work on getting closer to working only on those things that I truly value and/or are absolutely necessary as efficiently as possible

[Jon_Snow]

Keep growing our net worth. It won't be growing exponentially as it did when I still brought home a pay check, but as along as we end 2015 with our NW somewhat larger... I will be content with that. Of course, if investments outperform and we end the year with an surge in our NW, I will take that too! ;)

[freeedom]

My goals:

Financial:
$13,000 401k
$5,500 Roth IRA
Payoff last $10k in student loans by June (writing a 6k check next month)
Finally move to a lower cost of living area
Increase my salary 30%
Generate $200 through passive income sources (blog, software I create, etc)

Life:
Read 30 books
Ride bike for 25% of 2 mile travel or less

Much of this is related. When I move I will be right next to work, and in a much nicer climate so I plan on riding my bike significantly more. I will also be getting a bonus to move, which I will use 1/2 to finish paying off my loans.

[NinetyFour]

Financial:

~$88,000 take home income

$14,000 everyday expenses
$15,600 mortgage, insurance, property tax
$24,000 to 403b
$14,400 to 401a
$6,500 to Roth
$13,500 to taxable account

Health/Fitness:

eat only REAL FOOD:  plants and grains

Lose 20 pounds, mostly by walking, biking, and hiking.

Climb 30 peaks, and maybe also the 7 peaks that I didn't get to climb in 2014.

Get out of my shell more and stay out of it for longer periods of time (I am a Cancer).

[SailAway]

Max out 457b and both IRAs. Save an additional 10k.

Work all OT possible.

Track spending on YNAB, using it to cut grocery, fun, and beer spending.

Be nicer. (I tend to struggle a bit with this).

Lose the weight I've been putting back on. Worked out yesterday and today. Hubby is in agreement with new eating plan.

Eat down our pantry and freezer some.

Travel someplace fabulous without breaking the bank.

DIY backyard remodel. Also without breaking the bank.

Ooh, I had more resolutions than I thought. :)

[rocketpj]

Unlike most years I've been thinking about this a lot this time around.  So here goes:

1.  Eliminate all non-mortgage debt within the next 3 months.  Selling the boat will do this.
2.  Six pack by summer.  I lost 25 lbs over the past 6 months, I need to lose another 30 or so by summer.  To do that I need to up the ante a bit on exercise and what I eat, but I'm well into healthy habits and it is more a matter of degree right now - 1 more workout a week and remove the last of the unhealthy food bits.
3.  LEAVE MY JOB by the end of June.  I've been building a business on the side for 3 years.  It now makes about $2k/month (shared with bus. partner) but we are right on the brink of boosting that by about 400% if we do the next 3 months right. 
4.  Assuming 1 and 3 go as planned, I intend to put at least $20k into each of our RRSPs (mine and my spouse) (we have the room).  Another 10K or so into RESP (kids education funds). 

When I do leave my job I may have the option of converting my (defined benefit) pension into my RSPs.  I need to think about the pros and cons on that one.

[bacchi]

-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)

SOLO is in the New England area and they run a good course. The cert is also accepted by NOLS.


My Goals:
- Renovate the garage apartment and move into it.
- Rent out the house, completely eliminating the PITI payments.
- Prepare for a year+ of travel by deciding on things to do and see.

[RetiredAt63]

We used SOLO Canada at work - it was very good.  They started in the U.S. so there is probably something available in your area.

Life:
-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)

[NinetyFour]

My Goals:
- Renovate the garage apartment and move into it.
- Rent out the house, completely eliminating the PITI payments.

Bacchi--I recently did this.  Have you checked with your city/town to make sure it is legal?  Also, my insurance had to be changed significantly (fortunately not pricier, though) because my main house was no longer "owner occupied".  Good luck!

[Jon_Snow]

My earlier post contained my main FINANCIAL goal for the year.

Non-financial goals for 2015:

Learn how to Eskimo roll with proficiency. (along with other general paddling skills improvement)
Run a few half marathons. (I'm booked for one in April)
Start an extensive garden and orchard.
Decide on plans for our future cabin.
Get underwater GoPro footage of local orcas (with underwater vocalizations)
Achieve basic Spanish speaking skills
Set up of my own personal sawmill and produce my own timber
Spend at least 2 months in Mexico. This might be a stretch, considering my wife still works ;)
Continue with my healthy eating/fitness regimen.
Read more
Start a blog

This should keep me busy.

[Indexer]

Financial goal for the year: 
Bike to work.

Non-Financial goal for the year:
Bike to work.

I'm also going to do things like max out retirement accounts, but I already do that. 

[bacchi]

My Goals:
- Renovate the garage apartment and move into it.
- Rent out the house, completely eliminating the PITI payments.

Bacchi--I recently did this.  Have you checked with your city/town to make sure it is legal?  Also, my insurance had to be changed significantly (fortunately not pricier, though) because my main house was no longer "owner occupied".  Good luck!

Yeah, I'm meeting with the city this week to see about the permits. There's already an apt. dwelling so it'll only be a matter of bringing it to code (I hope).  Thanks for the reminder about the insurance. I need to call about that.

[NinetyFour]

My Goals:
- Renovate the garage apartment and move into it.
- Rent out the house, completely eliminating the PITI payments.

Bacchi--I recently did this.  Have you checked with your city/town to make sure it is legal?  Also, my insurance had to be changed significantly (fortunately not pricier, though) because my main house was no longer "owner occupied".  Good luck!

Yeah, I'm meeting with the city this week to see about the permits. There's already an apt. dwelling so it'll only be a matter of bringing it to code (I hope).  Thanks for the reminder about the insurance. I need to call about that.

I just changed insurance agents and the new agent said the previous policy I had was set up all wrong.  So now I have two separate policies--a Homeowners Policy on my accessory dwelling unit (in which I live) and a Businessowners Policy on the main house (occupied by the tenant).  Also, the underwriter balked at insuring my ADU because it only has a gas stove for heat.  The agent had to scramble and find another underwriter who would insure it.  I hope you don't have those kinds of issues with yours.

[DollarBill]

Chill out for a while ;). Figure out life.

[MikeBear]

I just set up a transfer for $500 into my Vanguard Roth VGSIX for 2015.

Only $6,000 more to go!

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)

SOLO is in the New England area and they run a good course. The cert is also accepted by NOLS.

Awesome, thank you and RetiredAt63 for the recommendation! I really appreciate it.

[Cromacster]

415lb backsquat, 500lb Deadlift, 300lb clean and jerk.

Title my dog in IPO1

Oh and financials....55% savings rate

[Ascotillion]

It's my first employed year since I quit in 2012 to go to university, so my main goal is to save and avoid spending my new money on lovely things. I have a plan for a 66% savings rate, and it's looking pretty fine so far!

[Eric]

Financial goal for the year: 
Bike to work.

Non-Financial goal for the year:
Bike to work.

Do it!  I rode everyday but 2 in 2014.  I can't imagine not riding now, when in 2012 I didn't ride a single day.  (Granted, a different job further away, but still...)

-Learn to play banjo (husband)

Me too!  This is my only real goal for 2015.

[MikeBear]

Financial goal for the year: 
Bike to work.

Non-Financial goal for the year:
Bike to work.

Do it!  I rode everyday but 2 in 2014.  I can't imagine not riding now, when in 2012 I didn't ride a single day.  (Granted, a different job further away, but still...)

-Learn to play banjo (husband)

Me too!  This is my only real goal for 2015.

Dueling banjo's? lol...

[Less]

Learn to fly

[Sid Hoffman]

Pay off my divorce debt, which is the last of any kind of debt I have.

[JLee]

My biggest goal is convincing my employer to let me work from Canada during the summer.  The next goal is to increase my savings rate while simultaneously putting 15% of my net income into an employee stock purchase program (12mo delayed 33% match).

[desk_jockey]

Financial:  Grow net worth, maxing out 401K and post-tax IRA plus >$20K in non-retirement account savings.

Family:  Facilitate successful step-daughter’s transition to first-year of Medical school in the fall (on her nickel)

Heath:  Improve my discipline for more regular exercise habits

Mental:  get to basic proficiency with a 3rd language

Travel:  visit a country that I haven’t previously visited (20+ years running)

[desk_jockey]

And get my "Handlebar" on the MMM forums.  I've been a lurker since summer of 2012.

[Frugal Consumerist]

Financial goal of the year: Pay off the $20,000 in convenience check debt we borrowed (at 0% for 14 months) to fund DW's solo 401(k). That allowed us to reduce our taxes this year by ~$6K...so I guess it's only $14K in convenience check debt factoring in the tax savings. :-D

Non-Financial Goals: Get my meditation up to 30 minutes a day, consistently and stick with the blog I started at the end of last year (trying to decide if that means X posts per month or some less concrete metric).

[LalsConstant]

Lose 82 more pounds by August 1.  Come off all prescription medications.

Become debt free again by May 1.

Increase 401k contributions another 5% by year end.

Start saving to buy another car with cash in 10 years.  Start saving a house down payment.

[MandyM]

Lose 82 more pounds by August 1.  Come off all prescription medications.

Become debt free again by May 1.

Increase 401k contributions another 5% by year end.

Start saving to buy another car with cash in 10 years.  Start saving a house down payment.

Wow, now those are goals. Best of luck!

I'm aiming to save about 55% of my income and to learn a new lift skill. I haven't decided what my new skill will be yet...but I have a few months to figure it out. Probably something with plumbing as my long term goal is to eventually re-plumb my house DIY.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Financial goal for the year: 
Bike to work.

Non-Financial goal for the year:
Bike to work.

Do it!  I rode everyday but 2 in 2014.  I can't imagine not riding now, when in 2012 I didn't ride a single day.  (Granted, a different job further away, but still...)

-Learn to play banjo (husband)

Me too!  This is my only real goal for 2015.

Dueling banjo's? lol...

Hah, yes! Though as we don't even own a banjo yet, we're sure to lose..

[Aprés-ski]

415lb backsquat, 500lb Deadlift, 300lb clean and jerk.

Jealous!

- 2015 -
Fun stuff
Break into that 1000 lbs club. Get my deadlift to 450lb and squat to 350lbs.
Get consistent with sending V.11s
Get a few good backcountry powder days in.

Money stuff
Max out the tax advantage accounts.
Keep the 60% savings rate and help the GF get up to speed. (She is on board!)
Grow that savings for a duplex!

[Schaefer Light]

Play more golf than last year.

[highcountry]

-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)

WMI of NOLS offer excellent wilderness medicine courses and are basically the standard setters for wilderness medicine training.  They are national, and I would be very surprised if they do not offer classes in your area.  They offer weekend, ten day, and month long options, which leave you certified in Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and W-EMT, respectively.

[Tortoise Banker]

This may sound silly but my goals for the year revolve around my spouse.

+1 on this. I'd like to help my wife see through her new career start, as well as welcome a healthy baby in June, and finish my in-progress MBA by June 2016!

If we can save some money along the way, that's a bonus!

[rocketpj]

I think I'll add a couple to my post above.

1.  Help my wife get her side business off the ground.  (in exchange, not that we need one, she is going to handle promotions for my own business launch in a month or so).
2.  Do the Powell Lake Loop with my kids.  Canoeing goodness.
3.  Prune out at least 30% of the time wasting activities I currently am stuck doing.  Number one is the commute, but that relates more to my first post.  Others include the last bit of television.
4.  Get that third intense workout into my week.  I've had 2/week plus biking for almost a year and it's been great, but now I need the third to really round things out.

[Stachetastic]

Financial:
Obtain and maintain reliable tenants for last rental vacancy.
Obtain employment for DH (been laid off since May 2014). Bonus points if it's more $$/in a field he loves.
Pay off last 19k of student loans in the next few months. (have the $ in savings now, but waiting to finish probation at new job, just in case)
Build savings back up once SL is paid.

Life:
Keep working on home improvements without breaking the bank.
Take a family vacation. Somewhere, anywhere!

[dplasters]

Play more golf than last year.

Agreed.

[Jaguar]

Increase net worth by a minimum of 8%, but targetting 12%

T minus 3 years to go

[prudence]

     - 18k in 401k
     - 6.5k in Roth
     - 6.9k in 529s
     - pay additional 3k on car loan
     - add 3k to emergency fund
       

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

-Take a wilderness first aid course (does anyone in New England have a recommendation for a good one?)

WMI of NOLS offer excellent wilderness medicine courses and are basically the standard setters for wilderness medicine training.  They are national, and I would be very surprised if they do not offer classes in your area.  They offer weekend, ten day, and month long options, which leave you certified in Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and W-EMT, respectively.

Great to know, thank you!