Year End Milestones

Today I am reflecting on the past year, which has been a rough one, and trying to look at the positive things I have done. Some are financial and some are personal goals that I met. It is a good feeling to reach a goal and be able to move onto the next. Here is what I have to report for 2009:

• Paid off Prosper loan: I had a $1,500 personal loan that I paid off early
• Bought a house: Aside from the $6,000 tax credit I gained equity and a lot of knowledge from a major remodel. I also lowered my total expenses with a roommate.
• Emergency Fund: I finally have 2 months of take home pay in savings to lean on if I need it. This mostly came from the refund mentioned above.
  
• Overseas Travel: This year I visited Colombia and Thailand. Thanks Skymiles!
• IT Certification: CompTIA Network+. I recently passed this exam to make myself more marketable in the job market.
• I still have a job: This is saying a lot for some folks. A lot of my friends were laid off this year and I am happy to still have my job. It is a rough job market out there right now!

Even though 2009 was a rough year I am still keeping my chin up and pushing forward. I don't do New Year's resolutions but rather update my goals for the next year. They may or may not get completed within 1 year's time but I have to have a sense of direction. Here is what I wish to accomplish:

• IT Certification: MCITP, Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional. This will greatly help my future job prospects.
• Debt Consolidation: Once the house remodel is complete (by Feb) I am going to consolidate everything in to lower, tax-deductible (interest) loan.
  
• Debt Pay Down: After the house work is complete I can focus on putting every extra dollar towards my debt. Any extra bonuses or side work will go to debt payments.
  
• Travel: I would like to see at least 2 more countries this year. Travel is my passion!
  
• Health: I am going to focus on eating less and eating better. I want to lose some weight and feel better. This is going to be a tougher goal as I love all kinds of food!
  
• Consulting: I am going to work on my network of people and side jobs to earn extra money and stay on the path to self employment / IT Consulting.

I am sure that my goals will change as the year goes by. I will have to make some difficult adjustments to parts of my life. Being stubborn about my goals and honest with myself is the only way I can get ahead. Hope everyone has a great New Year's holiday and weekend!