August Goals Updated

Financial

- Put 15% into retirement. Thanks to our 401K plans this is easy to do. 

- Pay cash for fall semester for our son Did it. 3rd semester and still no loans!

- Pay for first part of driveway. This got pushed to September.

- Grocery Budget of $400 average for the year. I spent $392.84 

- List 25 new items on eBay and Craigslist. I sold 2 stools, a soap, a jersey, 2 DVDs, 3 CDs, a book and a Wii game. I listed over 30 items. It is amazing how much stuff we have that we don't use. 

- Work extra shifts when available. I worked the weekend we got home from vacation so that I wouldn't miss any shifts that week. I worked 9 extra shifts on top of my regular ones this month. I worked 4, 8 hour shifts. They are usually 5 1/2 hours long. In the summer there are usually extra hours available. 

- Spend $1000 or less on vacation. We came in just under $800. 

- Pay for son's college books We bought 1 new as that was the only copies available. We bought 2 used and we rented 2.

- Go over our budget with Hubby. We go over it every month. 

- Go over the kids budgets with each of them. Did it!

Health

- Go for a walk 5 times a week. Did it while we were away and when it wasn't humid. I can't walk 2 miles in this crazy humidity. 

- Lose 5 pounds. I stopped trying.

Garden 

- Weed at least 3 times a week.  I did good before vacation but it has been crazy since we got back. The humidity is nuts. 
- Plant more lettuce seeds as I pick lettuce Did it

- Plant peas and kale for fall pickings To hot.
- Dehydrate herbs as they are ready. Did some and  I have more drying. 

- Chop and freeze peppers for winter use Did it.

- Can tomatoes as them become available. I did 6 quarts and 3 pints so far

- Barter for more honey and other items. I gave a friend some garden veggies and she gave me a bunch of herbs.

- Freeze excess squash. My squash plants are doing horrible. With all of the rain we have had, I haven't gotten any. I bought some that were marked down and froze 6 of them. 

- Make pickles I did 10 pints of refrigerator dill.

Family

- Go on vacation. We had a wonderful time. 

- Go on a date with Hubby We went to see Billy Joel. We went on several walks by ourselves. 
- Go to Billy Joel concert. It was GREAT!

- Visit a college with YD. The 2 she wanted to look at in the city that we were going to look at, she decided she didn't want to look at any longer. So we didn't go to any this month. 

- Son start fall semester of college. First day was Friday the 31st
- YD take Senior pictures. They came out wonderful. She looked beautiful in so many that  it was so hard to decide. We ordered right away so we got the early bird special and free shipping. 

Personal

- Facetime with OD every week. We did the first 2 weeks. Then we went away so we didn't do that week. Then her phone got wet...We talk and text almost everyday. 

- Read 2 books. I read Dangerous Minds by Janet Evanovich. I think her books are funny. I also read Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Amazing Mom by Amy Newmark. I laughed, I cried. I love these types of books. 

- Make someone a meal that needs it. I brought a pastry ring to work for everyone. I brought waffles with blueberries and bacon to a friend.  He is a single guy and doesn't cook a lot but loves to eat. Hubby brought pickles to his boss. He loves them. Brought soup to a friend that had surgery.  

- Write 2 cards or letters. I sent my aunt, my sister and OD's boyfriend a card. 

Cleaning

- Clean out and defrost chest freezer. YD and I got it done. Everything is nice and organized. I brought older items upstairs to use up soon. 
- Clean out kitchen freezer Didn't happen

- Find 10 items in basement that can be listed online. Did it!
- Have kids go through clothes and see if they need anything for school. They are both good!

-Clean out dresser in office. Did it!

Food

- Do one meatless meal a day. We missed this twice.
 - Do one day a week with no meat at all. Did it 4 times

- Try 2 new recipes.  We didn't try any new recipes.

- Get another pantry item to 6 months. We got 5 pounds of blueberries while we were away and a gallon of maple syrup. I froze 6 packs of strawberries, 2 packs of blueberries and 5 pounds of cherries for use in smoothies. I chopped and froze 2 baggies of jalapenos which should last us more then 6 months. I also got more black beans while the coupon was good so we may have enough for the year. I shredded and froze 6 squash for over the winter. 

- No food waste. A loaf of bread went into the garbage because of mold. When we got home from vacation one of my onions was gross. I throw it away and chopped and froze the rest. 
- Use garden produce over buying. We are buying fruit but very little vegetables. I only bought veggies that I don't grow. 

Auto

- Schedule YD's road test. Did it and she passed!
- Take YD driving at least 4 times a week to get ready for road test. She was my personal chauffeur. She had been driving me to lots of errands. Hubby took her out after work to practice parallel parking and other maneuvers. 

- Add YD to car insurance. Did it . $1600 for the year. UGH!

- Get YD AAA card Ordered it.

- Get truck back on the road. Almost there
- Son get parking permit at college. Did it
- YD get parking permit at HS Did it.

We got most of our goals for August done. Hubby has run into a few problems with the truck and he has been super busy at work so it is taking longer then he planned. As soon as the truck is back on the road, the contractor will be here to tear up our driveway. YD is doing great driving and we are just sharing cars for now.