Well, this is it. The last day of 2013. I'm not really sorry to see the end of this year. For me it hasn't been particularly unlucky or bad. Actually, it was a good year because we had no big expensive household projects taking up all our time or money. We could travel at will, remained healthy, and did lots of inexpensive activities to busy our selves. And we kept our expenses in check and our net worth increased nicely. No drama, that is until a couple family issues cropped up. In August, my brother had a brain bleed and a series of strokes and is now disabled with no short term memory. His life will never be what he thought it would be. And it could happen to any of us. Any day, any time. Then in November, my mother fell again and was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and dementia. I spent a cold twenty days in Minnesota as a caretaker. It was interesting to spend that much time with my family, but I've realized I like to live across the country from family so that I may enjoy my life as I see fit. Living by family means a lot of obligations and supporting those in need, even when you don't want to disrupt your priorities. I'll admit it, I'm selfish and want to live my unusual life my way. I'l just end it with that. I know family members read this and don't want to offend.
So, hello 2014. What kind of year lies ahead for me? It probably will involve some travel since that was our biggest category of spending last year. However, we probably should replace our 20 year old roof before it becomes a problem. This major project will involve much research, planning and expense. I'm not really looking forward to it, but it must be done as we plan to live and die in this old house. We also have done some rearrangement of our budget plans in anticipation of retirement one of these years. We have a milestone to hit and when that happens, we're calling it quits.
So with that said, I guess I have some goals for 2014:
- Max out contribution to 401K and IRAs
- Increase net worth at least 15%
- Replace roof of house
- Do 1,000 minutes of cardio per month
- Keep annual living expenses under $30K
- Read 100 books, at least 10 nonfiction
- Stay alive
Happy New Year -
Wishing you a prosperous 2014 filled with joy and good health!
