It’s time to check in on my 2025 goals. How are things going? Let’s review!
HOME
1) Itemize everything in my home. No progress made. (I did make a video of my bedroom, but that is all.)
2) Buy a new area rug, coffee table, bookshelf, and throw pillows. I bought a new area rug in Q1 so I’m on track!
3) Move to a two-bedroom apartment. No progress made. My lease is up November 1st so this will be a Q4 goal.
4) Stick to a weekly cleaning routine. Somewhat complete. I’m working on it! I usually tick through the most pressing things on my cleaning list, but I’ve only had a few weeks where I get everything done.
5) TBD – still not sure on this goal; will probably be related to my move
ADULTING
1) Change my primary email address. I figured out what my primary email address will be, but I have not changed over any of my accounts yet.
2) Spend 50% less in online takeout from 2024. My goal is to spend less than $100 a month in online takeout. So far, it’s been a struggle:
- January: $78.38 ✅
- February: $205.51 ❌
- March: $173.07 ❌
3) Pay off my LASIK bill. Complete! This was only possible because I got a bonus this year.
4) Save $3,000 in my emergency savings. No progress made. What I need to do is set up an autodraft to my emergency savings account instead of acting like I can make this happen on my own.
5) TBD Complete the “I’m Dead. Now What?” book. I bought this book last year, filled in two sections, and then stopped. It’s not a fun thing to complete, but it is a necessary thing so I’m re-commiting to filling out this book.
HEALTH
1) Improve my posture. No progress made.
2) Lose 20 lbs. I’m down 4 lbs from the beginning of the year so I’m feeling good about where I’m at right now.
3) Move my body every day. Ooh, no. I’m meeting my gym goal (4-5 workouts a week), but I am not going for walks on my non-gym days, which I need to work into my schedule.
4) Work on my daily routines. I feel like I am doing a lot better with my routines, specifically my morning routine. Setting up the Downtime feature on my phone helps with this a lot because I know there’s nothing exciting to do on my phone! I still need to work on my evening routine. It takes me so long and that’s because I take breaks.
5) TBD Be able to do a sit-up without help. We do sit-ups all the time in HIIT class and I just cannot do one on my own (i.e., without someone holding my feet). Everyone else does them just fine, but I have zero core strength to do one myself. It’s something I’m working on in HIIT class and might as well put it on my 2025 goals list.
HOBBIES
1) Read one 500+ page book every quarter. (1/4) In quarter one, I read The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (★★★☆☆).
2) Go to at least 6 Silent Book Club meetings. (0/6) My social anxiety is really wreaking havoc with this goal.
3) Read 125 books. (27/125) I am a few books behind on this goal, but hopefully my reading retreat in Q2 will allow me to catch up!
4) Remove all the spammy links that have been added to my blog. Gosh, there are so many spammy links. I have no idea how they got there, and it’s really creepy, honestly. I’ve gone through my blog posts through 2020 so I’m swiftly moving through this goal.
5) Complete the Taylor Swift reading challenge. (11/25) I’m zooming through this reading challenge. Right now, I can work in what I’m reading (without seeking out specific books) to fit some of the categories, but I know there will come a time when I will need to actually put some effort into finding books to fulfill the prompts.
FUN
1) Watch four movies – one from 1987, one from 1988, one from 1989, and one from 1990. No progress made.
2) Take a Virgin Voyages cruise Take a trip to London. I’m switching out this goal since my mom and I are planning a fab trip to London in the fall! (And yes, I took copious notes from Kae’s recent trip!)
3) Watch the entirety of these series: Suits, New Girl, and a TBD series. No progress made.
4) Repierce my nose. Complete! I got this done early, in February!
5) Do one new thing every month. Making progress!
- January: Tried mushrooms, decided I didn’t like them
- February: Visited a romance bookstore
- March: Went to a new-to-me grocery store, Aldi (successful trip, although there are definitely certain items I’ll still need to use Publix/Target for)
What’s something new you’ve done this year (big or small!)?
I took notes on Kae’s trip too! I always say that I’m not super interested in going to Europe because there are so many places that I want to go here, but after reading her series I am interested!
I have an idea for your emergency fund. Remember how I’ve been opening new checking accounts to get the signup bonuses? You have to do direct deposit to get the bonuses, and usually it’s not a ton of money, but I’ve been finding that it piles up pretty fast – automating your savings is definitely the way to go. On top of that the bonuses are between $300 to $500, so a couple of those will help you get to $3,000. Let me know if you want specific banks, but honestly just googling “new checking account bonus” will probably get you the same names.
Something new I’ve done…hmm….at the moment I can’t think of anything I’ve done ever. So maybe I should come back to this!
You are making progress on your goals! You can do it!
Stephany, I have a confession to make- I also have a VERY hard time with sit ups! I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that, because I’m always talking about the core workouts I do- but they don’t contain sit ups. When I am confronted with it, it’s VERY hard for me! What is wrong with us??? I actually haven’t tried in a while, so I’m going to try tomorrow and I’ll report back. We can be sit up accountability buddies.
I’m trying to think of something new for this year… I joined a new gym? OH I KNOW! I went to a cat cafe! I’ve never done that before : )
I think crunches/bicycles might have something to do with the geometry of your body, to be honest. Maybe try doing them standing instead. I have tried super hard to move all my ab work to standing/deadbugs because the floor ab exercises hurt my back/neck. I think it might be because I actually do not have core strength, but it might also be because my body is just not shaped the right way. Anyway, I have lots of thoughts about this.
I have been to TWO new-to-me museums this year and been to a new-to-me fitness class. That’s pretty good for new things in my world. My husband and I are vowing to diversify our meals, too, so I’m going to work on one new meal every week. We’ll see how that works out.
I am too lazy to try crunches or situps, but I really should do them. I know core strength is so important. I cannot do a full pushup and that is definitely one of my goals. I can do modified (with my knees on the mat), but I would love to be able to do just one full pushup. That said, I’m not sure if I care enough to really work on it? Fitness goals are tough because I want to do things for the right reasons. I’ve had a lot of issues with diet culture in my life, so I’m always conscious of my reasoning behind fitness and nutrition decisions.
I’ve never been to London and Kae’s post has very much made me want to change that!
Okay, that Taylor Swift reading list made me laugh. It’s kind of inspired!
I tried a few new recipes so far this year, some better than others. I’m also trying to knit a hat for the first time. It’s not going well, but I figure each time I rip it out and start over, I make fewer mistakes.
You know, the NY Times had an article this week about the worst habits for your back, and doing a sit up was on that list – so maybe don’t beat yourself up too badly about that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/well/bad-habits-back-spine-surgeons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.804.Bxad.omkg2zytvowm&smid=url-share