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Goals and Accomplishments from 2025 and Future Goals for 2026

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

2026 Goals

2026: Describe what you want in 3 words: Balance, More, Less
2026: Describe yourself in 3 words: Busy, Behind, Creative
Theme for 2026: Balance

 

2025’s vision board reflection goes like this…

I went on my first work trip on the first full week of January and then went on a short work trip to our distributor in Georgia the following week!

I lost my English Wordle streak at the very beginning of the year 1/9 and again in July, but I am currently on day 160 (with my max streak at 173). January was a big month for us. We took a quick trip to Dallas the second week of the year because Jon wanted to go to Microcenter and also planned a date at the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament! It was very much Disney for jousting, but it was different and fun and played up. We took that time in Dallas to go to a fun Canadian restaurant called the Maple Leaf Diner for a Maple Latte, Chicken & Waffles, and Poutine (see my review on Yelp here), among other fun stops.

We saw snow just before my birthday in Austin! We ended the month seeing Kumail Nanjiani live at the Paramount in Austin on 1/30 (Yes, he is still buff) and Hans Zimmer live at the Moody Center in Austin for the second time.

In February, I performed for the first time on my mini-lyra, and it was amazing! I was Snorlax, and the stage was set up in the middle of the audience so I could orbit to my heart’s content. It was super fun putting together the choreo and figuring out the costume. Everyone at the Jungle Movement Academy is so supportive, and I was very happy with how the piece turned out and how the performance went.

Jon and I traveled to Seattle for a quick trip so he and my dad could watch UFC live. I was able to go to my old dance studio, Ascendance in Renton, and take a class with one of my previous teachers. We did a Tomb Raider-themed escape room with family and friends, and we had a nice dinner with our ex-roomie and her mom. I was able to visit my grandparents. Jon and I went into Seattle for fun treats like Pie Bar and our favorite artisan pizza place, Delancey (we inadvertently played chicken on an uphill single-lane road in my dad’s van with some other idiot in a newer car who wouldn’t pull over). We also were able to hit up our anniversary dinner place in downtown Bellevue (Din Tai Fung).

One of the coolest surprises this year was going to see an “Early” screening for Novocaine at the Alamo and ending up at an actual premiere – we saw Jack Quaid! I spend a lot of time and mental space planning many different aspects of my life, so these happy surprises don’t have as many opportunities to come along. I don’t remember too much about the movie, but the flip in my brain from wow, it’s crowded, and they have some fun marketing stuff outside the theatre to OMG, this is a real event is something I’ll remember for a long time.

Jon and I spent the second weekend in March playing through the video game Split Fiction together.

This was the year for quick trips! Jon was invited to visit Apple HQ in California, and we made a meal out of this snack! We arrived in San Francisco on a Monday and spent 3 days there. I was able to visit one of my company’s customers to assist in a software update. I found my new favorite viral treat: The Cube Croissant. And we went into San Francisco via public transit to visit the city for an evening. We even took a trip in one of the driverless Waymos there.

We then took our rental car down to Anaheim to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure that weekend. I love how plannable a Disney trip is, and we made the most of our trip. We went to most of our favorites: beignets at the Mint Julep Bar, Oga’s Cantina, Space Mountain, Rise of the Resistance, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Galaxy’s Edge, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Incredicoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more. We tried some new fun things: Pym’s Test Kitchen, a Cuban at Earl of Sandwich, Tiana’s Bayou (seated in the back, we didn’t get wet). It was great seeing the Avengers Campus (opened since the last time we went), seeing the new cast members, and seeing some of the shows.

Back home for a week, we went to a Mexico QC soccer game in Austin, and then I went back to Littleton, CO, for a work trip. I colored my hair in anticipation of our big Japan trip. My intention was to create a ‘walking’ cosplay (what I would call cosbounding) of Sabine from Star Wars, and instead of wearing a wig, I attempted to dye my hair to match one of Sabine’s many colorful styles. You can see my outfit in our Disney day trip pictures. You can read all about our epic Japan trip with Star Wars Celebration weekend on my blog here or my shorter summary here.

When we got back from Japan in early May, we started looking for good sushi in Austin in earnest. I’ve eaten so much sushi in the past 8 months! We tried out Endo Sushi, Miyo Yakitori & Sushi (5 stars), Aburi Oshi Sushi at a street festival (just okay), Tatsumi Sushi (4 stars), Uroko (wouldn’t recommend 3 stars), Craft Omakase (5 stars), Tsuke Edomae (best ever 5 stars), Bleu Bear Sushi (Dallas 4 stars), Sushi Warriors (5 stars for AYCE), Ichi Umi (4 stars), Umi Hotpot Sushi & Seafood Buffet (some of the worst sushi I’ve ever had), Fukumoto Sushi & Yakitori (5 stars).

I’ve been posting my reviews on Yelp and Google Maps and have gotten quite a few responses! I’m now in my 3rd year as a Yelp Elite. Some of my hits include:

  1. 11 Photos from my reviews were featured on 3/16/2025 for Selenite Studio in Littleton, 5/10/2025 for Hawaiian Bros Island Grill in Austin, 5/31/2025 for Bangkok Grill in Georgia, 6/11/2025 for Myōryūji Ninjadera in Japan, 6/21/2025 for DonutNV in Austin, 7/19/2025 for Mile Hig Mo’s in Austin, 8/6/2025 for Marion Crepes in Japan, 8/18/2025 for Lache Movement in Austin, 8/30/2025 for Sankalpa Pole Fitness in Colorado, 9/16/2025 for Austin Kolache & Koffee Shoppe and on 11/26/2025 for Apex Denver
  2. I received 22 comments from various establishments on Yelp and 33 comments from various establishments on Google Maps
  3. I posted 155 reviews on Yelp (427 lifetime) and 141 reviews on Google Maps this year
  4. I reached over 2 million views on my photos on Google Maps!
  5. I reached Yelp Elite All-Star status in October and November!

Jon and I went to see Moulin Rouge at Bass Concert Hall in Austin at the end of May, and we participated in Marvel trivia at Spare Time again (43/50 answered correctly to put us in 6th place). We checked out Foodieland at the Circuit of the Americas and had some very delicious foods (our favorite was the Dubai Chocolate cup, which was insanely delicious). I went to a grand opening for the new Salty Donut in the Domain and wanted to be their very first customer when they opened at 7AM. I arrived at 4:28AM (an hour before any of the employees and any other people showed up for the line). I was first!

In other miscellaneous accomplishments, I was able to snag Spanish Wordle-in-one and a record Mini Crossword solve in 25 seconds. I also participated in a Guinness World Record with local Texas YouTuber Ryan Trahan and his #joyridehour for “most photos of people holding candy posted to Instagram in 1 hour.”

I’ve now been taking pole and aerial classes for over 11 years! I wrote a reflection post on social media that was markedly different from my 2023 post.

I finished my second custom Baby Grogu art project. My first was “Darth Grogu,” and this second one is “Baby Ahsoka.” I have several more ideas for custom Grogu dolls. I can’t wait to put them together. Supplies I used are bottom left, and the original variation doll is on the right. I also finished a Longhorns Grogu and started paracord art, as well as a custom Van’s painted project. I’ve also continued to work on friendship bracelets that I gave away at Celebration in Japan, during a dance showcase, and plan to give out at D23 this upcoming year.

I added 70.5 more hours to my lifetime of volunteering this past year. As mentioned in the previous blog post, I trained for and helped out with Uprise Circus Outreaches. I was tasked with assisting with the Lyra, chatting with kids on the bleachers, assisting with the ladder to get up to the flying trapeze board, and setting up and tearing down during Outreach. I helped out with 2 Lache showcases, doing setup, teardown, and lights. I volunteered for the second year at the Greater Austin Comic Con, my second year with POP Cats, and my third year with the Austin Coffee Festival. The new festival I volunteered at was with the Shiba Pawrade! I’m now around ~864 lifetime volunteer hours.

Jon brought me to the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge and All-Star Game at the Q2 Stadium in Austin near the end of July. ishowspeed was there (we didn’t know who he was beforehand). It was so hot!

In August, Jon and I took a road trip up to Dallas to pick up his mom from the airport. We went to another top-ranked BBQ called Dayne’s Craft BBQ. Jon made us his own take on BBQ ribs. We went to the Barton Springs Pool for the first time. It was cold, and the water was dense – hard to swim. I didn’t spend much time in the water.

I took another quick 4-day trip to Colorado for work in August – assisting with an in-person supplier audit. While I was there, I checked out two new-to-me studios (Gravity Aerial Arts and Sankalpa).

My dad and his wife, Nancy, flew to San Antonio from Seattle, while Jon, Jon’s mom, and I drove down from Austin to go to UFC Noche together. We met up the day before in Seguin for Texas Monthly’s #1 BBQ spot as of July 2025: Burnt Bean Co! We also took advantage of a meet and greet with Paulo Costa and got pictures with him. UFC the next day was fun. My favorite was Bruce Buffer. On Sunday, we split up. Dad, Nancy, and I went to the Natural Bridge Caverns, the Witte Museum, and the Mission San Jose Catholic Church while Jon drove his mom back up to Austin. He flew back to pick me up in a private plane from the local Stinson Airport in San Antonio later that afternoon. It was the bumpiest ride from all the wind!

We checked out the pumpkin lights on the first day of October. It was pretty nifty.

Talking about a bunch of quick trips… Jon got tickets to go see Hugh Jackman (in New York!), So we planned ~48 hours of travel to NYC. I did a whole write-up on my blog about it here.

In December, I decided to commit to reviewing 10 books, performing for the second time that year, baking a cake, traveling to FL to see family, and finishing my custom Van’s shoe coloring project. Whew! I performed my Snorlax routine again, albeit a little bit differently this time. I used my modified music (Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO), added animal slippers, and modified the pillow I was putting inside my costume, as well as changing up the routine to suit the different space. I won a book contest and got some author swag from Marissa Meyer!

In total, I went on 5 work trips out of state and 7 personal trips this year (5 of which involved flying in a plane out of state with 1 international):

  1. 1/6 – 1/9 Littleton, CO for work
  2. 1/10-1/11 road trip to Dallas (for Microcenter and funsies)
  3. 1/12 – 1/13 Covington, GA for work
  4. 2/21 – 3/1 Seattle, WA for family (and Jon to see UFC with my dad)
  5. 3/10 – 3/16 San Francisco/Anaheim work for Jon and fun for me (and a little work for me)
  6. 3/23 – 3/28 Littleton, CO for work
  7. 4/16 – 5/4 Japan for international trip with Star Wars Celebration 2025
  8. 8/11 – 8/14 Littleton, CO for work
  9. 9/12 -9/14 roadtrip to San Antonio for UFC Noche (and private plane flying)
  10. 10/3 -10/5 NYC for Hugh Jackman show
  11. 11/10 – 11/14 Littleton, CO for work
  12. 12/20 – 12/22 Port Charlotte, FL for family Holiday

2025 specific goals:

  • Review every new restaurant/business that I go to on Yelp
    • I’m probably at 90% on this goal!
  • Practice cake baking and decorating – learn one new related skill
    • I didn’t jump on this until the end of the year, when I found a secondhand KitchenAid in my price range and made my first two-tier cake with French buttercream. It turned out really well with Amy’s family recipe and all my gathered baking tips and knowledge.
  • Maximize the use of my 2025 health benefits
    • I started strong with this one. I did a bunch of things in January, then got busy and didn’t bother for most of the year before picking back up and going to PT for various old injuries, figuring out how to use the mental health portion of my insurance in the fall, and getting a pair of frames/glasses that I love to use in ‘sports’ mode (they tilt to hug the ears so they don’t fall off when upside down).
  • Go to at least 5 classes/month at Orange Theory Fitness while I have the membership
    • We went to 43 classes from January to August for an average of 5 classes/month!
  • Have an epic Japan trip, and do not panic while using public transit or when trying to find things in the train stations
    • We got on the wrong train one time, but it wasn’t a big deal. Our biggest panic moment was on the way back from the theme park on our last full day, and it was absolutely chaotic; it would have been tough not to panic. I had an amazing time, and we did an excellent job preparing so we could be mentally more present while on our trip (though still attached to our phones for directions and translations and taking pretty pictures).
  • Get to level 49 in Pokémon Go
    • Not only did I get to level 49 on 2/6/25, but I fast-tracked to level 50 on 9/21/25 right before the new leveling system was put in place… And then from level 70 to level 71 on 12/14/25.

2026 specific goals:

  • Review almost every new restaurant/business that I go to on Yelp and Google Maps
  • Practice cake baking and decorating – make one cake/month to practice a new related skill
  • Get back to ~2023 body composition results with my yearly fall DEXA scan
  • Maximize the use of my 2025 health benefits as much as possible
  • Plan and have an epic Hawaii, Japan, D23 trip in the summer/fall
  • Create a super cool Sabine cosbound to wear to D23 and Star Wars Celebration 2026
  • Try to make a Sabine Grogu with armor
  • Find and eat another Cube Croissant
  • Try something new
  • Get to level 73 in Pokémon Go

 

For previous years’ posts:

  • 2025 Describe yourself in 3 words: Fatigued, Thankful, Driven
    • 2025 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Centered, Wise
    • Theme for 2025: Body
  • 2024 Describe yourself in 3 words: Maximal, Goal-Oriented, Partner
    • 2024 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Growth, Decluttering, Minimize
    • Theme for 2024: Organization
    • Goals list of 2024
  • 2023 Describe yourself in 3 words: Impatient, Forgetful, Loving
    • 2023 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Saving, Friendship, Experiences
    • Theme for 2023: Settling in
    • Goals list of 2023
  • 2022 Describe yourself in 3 words: Self, Partner, New
    • 2022 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Success, Happy Moments, Learning
    • Theme for 2022: Realize
    • Goals list of 2022
  • 2021 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Busy, Challenged
    • 2021 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Vacation, Attentive, Patience
    • Theme for 2021: Plan
    • Goals list of 2021
  • 2020 Describe yourself in 3 words: Anxious, Quick, Analytic
    • 2020 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Patience, Deliberate, Calm
    • Theme for 202: Hygge
    • Goals list of 2020
  • 2019 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Efficient, Restless
    • 2019 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Accomplished, Considerate
    • Theme for 2019: Minimize
    • Goals list of 2019
  • Goals list of 2018
  • Goals list of 2017
  • Goals list of 2016
  • Goals list of 2015

Goals and Accomplishments from 2024 and Future Goals for 2025

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , ,

2025 Goals

  • 2025 Describe yourself in 3 words: Fatigued, Thankful, Driven
    • 2024 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Centered, Wise
    • Theme for 2024: Body
  • 2024 Describe yourself in 3 words: Maximal, Goal-Oriented, Partner
    • 2024 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Growth, Decluttering, Minimize
    • Theme for 2024: Organization
  • 2023 Describe yourself in 3 words: Impatient, Forgetful, Loving
    • 2023 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Saving, Friendship, Experiences
    • Theme for 2023: Settling in
    • Goals list of 2023
  • 2022 Describe yourself in 3 words: Self, Partner, New
    • 2022 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Success, Happy Moments, Learning
    • Theme for 2022: Realize
    • Goals list of 2022
  • 2021 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Busy, Challenged
    • 2021 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Vacation, Attentive, Patience
    • Theme for 2021: Plan
    • Goals list of 2021
  • 2020 Describe yourself in 3 words: Anxious, Quick, Analytic
    • 2020 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Patience, Deliberate, Calm
    • Theme for 202: Hygge
    • Goals list of 2020
  • 2019 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Efficient, Restless
    • 2019 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Accomplished, Considerate
    • Theme for 2019: Minimize
    • Goals list of 2019
  • Goals list of 2018
  • Goals list of 2017
  • Goals list of 2016
  • Goals list of 2015

 

2024’s vision board reflection goes like this…

The birthday of my dreams in three parts: I signed up to volunteer at SXSW, my partner surprised (actually surprised) me with a half-day spa day, and we went for dinner and drinks at a rooftop bar. A rooftop bar is my go-to when visiting new cities. I also managed to snag quite a few birthday freebies around town.

I somehow managed to get a nail in my tire biking a mile from my house. I say ‘somehow’ but Austin has some of the least swept streets and car detritus accumulates easily in the bike paths. It is not only safer to bike on the sidewalk, it is also cleaner.

I like to participate in studies, and I was able to participate in one that involved a live brain MRI! I also took a pole doubles class and a ropes class. So many firsts this year!

I volunteered for the After Dark Feburary showcase with Lache and later the Death and the Day Star showcase with Lache. I got to draw the sign for After Dark – can you tell? They also let me setup and handle lights and even work the front desk and cash donation basket!

I love to volunteer. My lifetime estimate is just under 800 hours. I’ve added 74.5 hours to my lifetime volunteer hours this year in large part due to SXSW. What an experience! Such a large event! I wrote all about my time as a volunteer with SXSW earlier on my blog.

On Sundays, I worked part-time as a front desk associate at The Jungle Movement Academy in Round Rock from March through October. This family-friendly gym has all sorts of cool things, including a unique space and many coaches from various movement arts. Bonus points if you can spot me in a picture on their website! I had an employee membership for that time where I could take unlimited classes and they trained me to be a Lyra level 1 coach.

Jon took me to my first live basketball game on a trip to Houston where we went on the Houston Space Center NASA VIP tour. I also wrote about it on my blog earlier this year.

Jon and I ate the most expensive meal of my life as part of our anniversary celebration. It was an Omakase meal at Endo Sushi.

Jon’s mom joined us in the spring and we camped out for some of the best BBQ in Texas – Goldee’s BBQ in Fort Worth. We also camped out later in the year for what turned out to be the worst BBQ in Texas – Snow’s BBQ in Lexington.

I took a really cool Pentagram workshop where the aerial apparatus was taller than me! It was soooooo heavy. I also took a roller pole class while on a work trip in Littleton, CO. I made sure to wear my special matching donut outfit for both.

Austin was in the path of totality of a total solar eclipse. We were able to experience the event from our backyard. We also experienced hail the size of golf balls in Austin that same month! The size of the ones in our backyard was closer to the size of a quarter.

I fell off my bike… I was also bumped into by a truck later in the year and fell again. Always wear your helmet kids! And replace it when needed (ie when it saves your noggin).

I continue to level up in Pokemon Go and managed to get to level 48 on 5/15 (caught 6765; won 96 raids; visited 2667 pokestops). Jon and I typically participate in Raid Day on Wednesdays and Community Days throughout the year.

Jon and I managed to spend 4 days at Six Flags (6/8, 6/9 in Arlington, 11/2 in Arlington, 11/23 in San Antonio to get good value out of our yearly membership.

I went on 2 work trips to Littleton, CO and one trip for work to Covington, GA. The trip to GA resulted in an issue with VRBO we had to work through where our reservation was double booked and we were “stranded.” After early morning flights and a full work day we get to the VRBO and see a driveway full of cars! I always to try get some waffles when I’m staying at hotels and one of them had a mini (4 in one pan) waffle maker!

After some thought that I should try to ‘specialize’ in some way with my aerial hobby, I decided to get a mini lyra! I signed up for my first mini lyra performance at the upcoming Jungle Movement February showcase.

Austin might not have had Taylor Swift coming to town but there were some awesome live events we got tickets for, including Cirque du Soleil Crystal, an  Austin FC game, Sarah Sherman & Chloe Fineman at the Paramount, Lindsay Stirling with opener Walk Off the Earth, Hans Zimmer Candelilight quartet, Galactic Empire Come and Take it Live, Ice & Field at the Crossover (ice skating show), the Gold Over America Tour, and Peter Pan the Musical. Other live shows I saw were Hans Zimmer (Dallas), Christmas with the Crawfods (my sister’s show in Fort Myers!), and Piccadilly (Fort Myers).

Jon and I found a house sit in DC with Ragdolls! Though our plane was 4 hours delayed and we didn’t get in until 2AM we had a blast in DC. We took a day trip to Philly. That was my first trip to DC and Philly and you can read my standalone blog about the trip. We essentially ate our way around town and lazed about with the cats.

Jon traded in his GTI for a BMW so now we’re known as the people who don’t use their blinker (we do in fact use the blinker but that’s the BMW stereotype).

My brother won 2nd place in the New Yorker cartoon caption contest. I think that’s cooler than my coolest win (a boot toss).

I met Lenore Zann (the voice of Rogue in X-Men) when I was volunteering for the Greater Austin Comic Con. She shook my hand. Weird Al was there but I didn’t meet him. I got to do line control for him though which was cool because they only let trusted volunteers work anywhere near the Celebrities. And by trusted I mean people who are actually doing things while volunteering and not just standing around (a lot of volunteering is actually standing around but being observant while doing so).

I forgot to send in the form to vote via mail so we voted – early – and in person! They only had Spanish “I voted” stickers.

I reprised my Waldo outfit for Halloween and got my hair colored as part of my future cosplay efforts.

We went to the Video Game Museum in Dallas and Cosm – a unique film screening experience where they screen live sports events but we watched a taped version of “O” by Cirque du Soleil. I was very excited to watch this one because of the documentary Without a Net. We also tried out yet another highly rated BBQ place nearby – Panther City BBQ which has the best burger and a very good BBQ selection (and almost no line both times we went).

Jon took me to a cool nighttime woodland trail experience filled with magical creatures and wizarding wonders from the Harry Potter™ and Fantastic Beasts™ films.

We moved to a new house 15 minutes away from our previous house – in Austin proper now! I promptly stubbed my toe so hard on the fireplace feature that I think I bruised the bone. This was my final and fifth minor injury of the year. 1. February – tendonitis in my left wrist from too much handstand conditioning 2. April – right hamstrung overextended during a silks split 3. July – excessive flexion of left ankle after jumping onto a soft mat at the gym 4. October – knocked off my bike by a truck on my way home from a dance class and twisted my right knee 5. November – jammed my right pinky toe. Guess how much I paid for doctor visits in 2024? Almost nothing because I used my Zoom doc each time… and followed RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and they all got better over time.

We did another house sit with two Frenchies. And we were able to cuddle goats!

We went to see Skeleton Crew at a pre-screening event and I dressed up in my Sabine Wren cosplay that I’m putting together for next year.

I took a Choux baking class with Sur La Table. It actually rose! The trick is a stand mixer go figure. I wore my custom Donut Rachel apron and everyone loved it!

For my final trick of the year I visited family in Florida for the Holidays! I even got to see my Cousins, Aunt, and Uncle. We met up at Disney because my older cousin works there. How cool is that! I wore my casual Sabine outfit to Hollywood Studios. My younger cousin also Disney bounded – can you guess who she is dressed as? My sister found us a Wicked sing-along to go to during the week. We tried out some new foods. My mom and I went to a salt therapy session. My sister and some of her partner’s family took us to a fancy and totally awesome tea party. I got to cuddle with my mom’s and sister’s cats. We played Jenga (I lost). We played Scrabble (I lost). We played Jeopardy (I lost). We played Heads Up (we all won playing this game). We opened presents. We made dip cakes (I critiqued and ate but didn’t help cook other than to help misplace the yeast). We took walks. We saw an alligator. I didn’t wear my sweater everywhere. We drove around St. Armands. We drove around Sarasota. We drove from Fort Myers to Orlando and back.

2024 specific goals:

  • Take Japanese language classes all year
    • I mean…. We did take an actual language class with JASGA here in Austin (online weekly sessions) for the first part of the year. Then I did some Duolingo. Then I kind of stopped.
  • Learn the Japanese alphabet
    • The Japanese language has several alphabets and I started learning one of them. I should get back into that one this year.
  • Make a Japan trip plan and start prep
    • I love trip planning and am trying out a new travel planning site along with my Notes and spreadsheets. Wanderlog already saved me a couple hundred when it flagged one of the hotels that had dropped in price!
  • House sit for either a pig, Ragdoll, Frenchie, or Shiba Inu
    • Nailed this one! We sat for both Ragdolls and Frenchies!
  • Create the best and most fitting Star Wars costume
    • I’m still working on my Sabine Wren outfit with two versions – the more casual and easier to walk around in and the one with more accessories.
  • Take a choux pastry-making class
    • Done! I hemmed and hawed over the price but when it dropped with a discount for end-of-year savings I booked it.
  • clean out/organize: Phone, Watch, Photos, Videos, OneNote, Gmails, Outlook, LastPass, Egnyte folders, Death Binder, Maps, Google Drive, Closets
    • Every year digitally I need to clean out and re-organize but I did make significant improvements with my Photos, Videos, OneNote, Gmails, Lastpass, Egnyte, Maps, and Closets. It’s not finished but it’s an ongoing effort.
  • Get to 365 Yelp reviews
    • I wrote 205 reviews in 2024 and had 67 prior so am a little shy of this number

2025 specific goals:

  • Review every new restaurant/business that I go to on Yelp
  • Practice cake baking and decorating – learn one new related skill
  • Maximize the use of my 2025 health benefits
  • Go to at least 5 classes/month at Orange Theory Fitness while I have the membership
  • Have an epic Japan trip and do not panic while using public transit or when trying to find things in the train stations
  • Get to level 49 in Pokemon Go

Goals and Accomplishments from 2023 and Future Goals for 2024

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , ,

2024 Goals

  • 2024 Describe yourself in 3 words: Maximal, Goal-Oriented, Partner
    • 2024 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Growth, Decluttering, Minimize
    • Theme for 2024: Organization
  • 2023 Describe yourself in 3 words: Impatient, Forgetful, Loving
    • 2023 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Saving, Friendship, Experiences
    • Theme for 2023: Settling in
    • Goals list of 2023
  • 2022 Describe yourself in 3 words: Self, Partner, New
    • 2022 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Success, Happy Moments, Learning
    • Theme for 2022: Realize
    • Goals list of 2022
  • 2021 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Busy, Challenged
    • 2021 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Vacation, Attentive, Patience
    • Theme for 2021: Plan
    • Goals list of 2021
  • 2020 Describe yourself in 3 words: Anxious, Quick, Analytic
    • 2020 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Patience, Deliberate, Calm
    • Theme for 202: Hygge
    • Goals list of 2020
  • 2019 Describe yourself in 3 words: Driven, Efficient, Restless
    • 2019 Describe what you want more of in 3 words: Calm, Accomplished, Considerate
    • Theme for 2019: Minimize
    • Goals list of 2019
  • Goals list of 2018
  • Goals list of 2017
  • Goals list of 2016
  • Goals list of 2015

 

Instead of the usual “What were my goals” and “Did I accomplish them” bullet list, I will look back at what I’ve done since the beginning of 2023…

One of the funniest things I saw all year goes to Jon and his impromptu acting when he was chosen out of the crowd to be in the Paranormal Cirque show at the pop-up in Barton.

It was a blast spending my birthday in Florida, spending a night in my house, getting to see my sister perform in the play “Proof” and going to Busch Gardens with our matchy-matchy shirts.

I continued to keep up a new friendship with yoga get-togethers but first invited her to a baby goat cuddling event. I still haven’t gotten to a goat yoga event yet but will keep my eye out for that opportunity in the future

Our rental survived a week of icy weather and several hail storms!

I continue to prove our realtor wrong when I bike places. She said we wouldn’t find a house where I could walk to the grocery store and that it would be tough to bike places. We live a 5-minute walk to a grocery store and I bike whenever it works out (to our Hotworx and to Revolt mainly) instead of driving.

I volunteered at both the After Dark showcase and the Dreams and Monsters showcase at Lache. I even did something new by running the lights for one show and climbing into the ceiling rafters to release the backdrop curtains. Pictured below is when I was a pole kitten with my sticky pants and they didn’t protect my skin from pole burns 😦

I went to puppy yoga twice and kitten yoga once!

Jon camped out for hours so we could have the Franklin’s BBQ experience with our family in town.

Even more family visited this past year  – dad, brother, mom, and sister! Took the family to the Capital building, the LBJ library, Waco, San Antonio, and Bucc’ees!

My brother and I took a sushi-making class

Had a special 5th-anniversary dinner at The Oasis (thanks to Lorri’s gift card).

Was the very first customer ever for my favorite bubble tea brand: Happy Lemon (and 33rd to the grand opening of Teaspoon)

Went strawberry picking and visited the Alamo in San Antonio

Dog walked and did 6 house sits through Trusted House Sitters with stellar reviews in Austin, Pflugerville, and San Antonio with 11 different animals including a rabbit, chickens, a corgi, and a Great Pyrenees.

Friends also visited Austin and I got to spend time with them. I also created a one-day Austin itinerary.

Finally got my hands on one of the Texas donuts from Round Rock Donuts.

Went to the Rodeo even though it was outdoors in the summer!

Made the best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten (Courtesy of the best cheesecake recipe ever from LeRoy and Lewis)

Jon and I were trivia winners for Star Wars Trivia at Spare Time (and still had fun without winning at Marvel Trivia, Disney Trivia, and Harry Potter Trivia)

I did one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done with a Discover Scuba class and getting Open Water certification

Over the year I leveled up twice in Pokemon Go and had a Pokemon last a long time in a gym.

I got Pet CPR certified and worked on my house sit/pet sit go bag to take to sits and visits.

I committed to every challenge at my local Hotworx and even won a free month!

I sought out volunteer opportunities like POP cats, the Coffee Festival, and the Texas Book Festival.

I was finally able to live my dream surrounded by a thousand corgis at the Texas Corgi Roundup.

Jon and I planned and executed an amazing trip to Hawaii

 

I passed my 9th year doing pole and wrote up my thoughts (though I mostly am doing aerials now)

Went to my a Jack Black concert (The Spicy Meatball tour) and to the AMC screening of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as well as Metallica’s 2-night concert at AMC.

Finally went to the Museum of Illusions and the Cat Cafe in Austin.

Checked out several fun events like the NASA Lights and Peppermint Parkway.

Spent Christmas in Mexico doing amazing things that were easy like swimming with dolphins and things that were difficult like jumping into a cenote

I lost my Wordle streak, got it in one try, and kept up the longest streak (still going) this year.

I finished a few videogames and didn’t finish a few videogames with Jon this year: Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Disney Illusion Island, and Stardew Valley

I was invited to become a Yelp Elite Member! Several of my Yelp reviews were featured.

My blog rachelauthorbarnard.com received 2,668 page views, I made 15 posts, I got 77 likes and 8 comments. I made 68 Facebook posts (most are posted from Instagram). I made 94 posts on Instagram.

Next year I have several specific goals as well as life organization tasks:

  • Take Japanese language classes all year
  • Learn the Japanese alphabet
  • Make a Japan trip plan and start prep
  • House sit for either a pig, Ragdoll, Frenchie, or Shiba Inu
  • Create the best and most fitting Star Wars costume
  • Take a choux pastry-making class
  • clean out/organize
    • Phone
    • Watch
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • OneNote
    • Gmails
    • Outlook
    • Lastpass
    • Egnyte folders
    • Death Binder
    • Maps
    • Google Drive
    • Closets

2021 Q3 Spending and Goals Progress

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , ,

After moving in June I’m finally building up a new list of local cat-sitting clients. I’m settling in at my dance studio. I’m applying to all the usability studies possible. I’m no longer saving much money – but I’m still investing every month. I finished two challenges in September – reading and reviewing books as well as celebrating the National Day Calendar through Instagram.

2021 Goals Progress Update:

Goals for 2021

Q3 progress

Notes and Q4

Take floorwork advanced series

Not on the calendar for 2021

Keep checking the schedule

12 chin-ups

8 chin-ups

5 pull-ups

Started doing 3x2x1 sets 3 times per day and varying types of pullups

Look into different types of training. Get advice from a professional?

1 handed pullup

Take that Dad!

Tried once and just swung in a circle – will research technique

Freestanding Handstand

Took 1 handstand (arm balancing) class at Ascendance

Schedule 1 handstand focused class
 Donut making class  Only online  Continue to check back for classes
 Mochi making class  Didn’t see any  I could try this via an online tutorial…

Handspring Ayesha

Took 2-hour workshop with Divine – learned good techniques

Schedule my 1-1 private as handspring, pullup technique, etc for 60 minutes

1000 lifetime ebike miles

390 miles in 2020

63 miles in Q1, 133 miles in Q2, 64.2 miles in Q3

July – 2.6

August – 39.8

September – 21.8

Bike at least 4 times this quarter (winter is coming!)

Take 500-lifetime pole classes

April – 463

May – 469

June – 475

July – 480

August – 483

September – 490

October – 4

November – 4

December – 4

Learn to walk in pole heels

I own a pair. 

Take 2 classes in Q4 – Ascendance offers basic heels fundamentals

Floor Limbo?

Saw this at the Pokemon party

Research technique and bodily ability requirements

Take goat/bunny yoga class

No classes on schedule yet – table until the spring/summer

Still interested and will keep checking

Pole Expo/Convention

No local in-person events yet

 Possible Divine retreat summer 2022 (figure out budgeting)

Corgi Con 2022

Postponed until 2022

Sad but the scheduling seems to conflict with other events

Build up $10k in my emergency fund

$7900

Automatic savings of $250/month – need 8 more months unless having an influx of extra cash.

Make $5000 side hustle funds

~$3428 so far

I can asily make $500 in December for holiday animal sitting. Reduce goal to more manageable $4000 for the year?

Career development – MDR training, RAPS2022

Watched some online webinars

RAPS 2022 is in Arizona 9/10 – 9/13 – in the budget? Value add?
In other news…

Painted Pokemon specific rocks

Put together R2-D2 and an At-At Lego model

Said goodbye to this cutie we boarded over the summer!

Went to downtown Seattle for Pokemon Go Fest

Harvested some giant cucumbers from the garden

Made it to the last level I’ll probably ever attain in Pokemon Go

Bought a second-hand stage pole for home practice (yay virtual classes and conditioning)

Crashed a cake tasting (I was invited) like I’ve always wanted to

Harvested multiple handfuls of tomatoes (there’s still green ones on the vine today)

I’ve been taking Lyra classes with my new studio Ascendance and I absolutely love them!

Joined in the fun at a Pokemon picnic party

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2021 Q2 House, Goals, and Progress

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

I bought a house! I spent all of my cash monies and now I have to build my emergency fund and savings funds back up so I’ve added that goal to my list. 

2021 Goals Progress Update:

Goals for 2021

Time frame

Q2 progress goal

Finish outlining Two for Tiny

6/15

Tabling this goal until I am back into writing

Take floorwork intermediate series

7/15

Completed intermediate series

Signup for advanced when offered

12 chin-ups

8/1

8 chin-ups

5 pull-ups

Book inventory gone

7/15

Completed

First draft for Two for Tiny

12/31

Wrote two chapters, not interested in continuing at this time

Freestanding Handstand

12/31

No progress

Pass intermediate inversions at Divine!

12/31

Moved to Renton and tabling this goal as I will be taking the majority of classes at Ascendance

1000 lifetime ebike miles

12/31

390 miles in 2020

63 miles in Q1, 133 Q2

April – 46.7

May – 86.5

June – 0

Take 500 lifetime pole classes

12/31

April – 463

May – 469

June – 475

Writing conference or workshop

12/31

Pick or defer for the year. ECWC is virtual this year. PNWA 9/15 – 9/19

Take a doughnut making class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet https://www.raiseddoughnuts.com/classes

Take goat/bunny yoga class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet

Take a mochi making class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet

https://www.surlatable.com/cooking-classes/in-store-cooking-classes/

emergency/disaster/community preparedness

12/31

Listed 3-day workshop was too expensive, check for other options

Tiny house show

12/31

No local shows yet

Pole Expo/Convention

12/31

No local in-person events yet

Corgi Con

12/31

Date announced 10/16 from 10AM – 2PM

Build up $10k in my emergency fund

12/31

$6500

Make $5000 side hustle funds

12/31

~$2800 so far
In other news…

My partner and I completed two housesits, caring for 5 cats and one dog in total

I watched some more cats for Rover/Meowtel

I tried out some new donuts from The Flour Box. They were good but overhyped.

I bought my first house!

I wasn’t planning to but I ended up planting five tomato plants and several cucumbers in my garden this year. They are growing like bonkers with this heat!

Reached the next level in Pokemon Go

I’m boarding a lovely cat for the next 6 weeks

It reached records temps in the area! 115 at the highest…

 

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2021 Q1 Giveaway, Goals, and Progress

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

2021 Book Giveaway*

Print Books available
1. At One’s Beast (YA)
2. Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things (Misc Lists)
3. Book of poetry
4. Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)

*mailed anywhere in the USA
*books to be mailed in upcycled packaging
*20 copies available
*1 lucky and random recipient will receive a $20 bookmark

2021 Goals Progress Update:

Goals for 2021

Time frame/deadline

Q1 Progress

New time frame/deadline

Take a bookkeeping class

4/15

Not currently interested in pursuing this goal

Tabled

Finish outlining Two for Tiny

3/15

Worked on outline at Emberville class circle

Chapter by chapter outline not fully fleshed out

6/15

Take floorwork intermediate series

7/15

Signed up for classes May 12 – June 16

Advanced series 8/18 – 9/22 signup if I can later this year after moving/not moving

7/15

Get to 12 pullups of any kind in a row

8/1

Have to build up my strength first – currently can do 5 in a row

8/1

Build a seed library and/or trellis

8/1

Not currently interested in pursuing this goal

Tabled

Sell/Give all physical book inventory

12/25

12 books gone in Q1, 66 remaining

Inventory at FVP – donated

7/15

First draft for Two for Tiny

12/31

Outline not ready. Started chapter one to get the tone/feel and have 1500 words so far

Would like to write 1000+ words/week on Sundays as I continue to flesh out my outline, characters, and settings

12/31

Handstand

12/31

Haven’t worked on, need to build back up my strength and balance

Would like to sign up for a 4-6 week dedicated course like the Fit & Bendy offering online

12/31

Pass intermediate inversions into advanced inversions at Divine!

12/31

Have to build up my strength first – not even close to ready

12/31

Get to 1000 miles on my ebike

12/31

390 miles in 2020

63 miles in Q1, 547 miles remaining

12/31

Take 500 lifetime pole classes

12/31

458/500 – 42 remaining 39 weeks left in the year at 1 class/week to make this goal

12/31

Go to conference/workshop for writing

12/31

Conferences are online so far this year – not sure of the value

Emerald City Writer’s Conference 10/15-10/17

PNWA 9/15 – 9/19

12/31

Save up 6 months of emergency savings

12/31

Met this goal!

12/31

Grow loofah

12/31

Not currently interested in pursuing this goal

Tabled

Take a doughnut making class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet https://www.raiseddoughnuts.com/classes

12/31

Take goat/bunny yoga class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet

12/31

Take a mochi making class

12/31

No classes on schedule yet

12/31

emergency/disaster/community preparedness

12/31

No classes on schedule yet

12/31

Tiny house show

12/31

No dates yet

12/31

Pole Expo/Convention

12/31

Not ready to travel yet

12/31

Corgi Con

12/31

Not currently scheduled for 2021, not ready to travel yet anyway

12/31

IMG_1342 (1)
St Patrick’s Day fun with leftover cake food coloring
IMG_0680
Pokemon Go level milestone!
IMG_0821
Corgi butt sweet bread with chocolate center
IMG_0865
Mochi donut from Mochinut!

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2020 Q3 Goals – Accountability, Check in, and Biking

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Financial Independence Goals for 2020 Q3 snapshot

  1. Max out my Roth IRA, 401k and HSA contributions = monthly deductions mean this happens automatically!
  2. Build up my emergency savings to 6 months/~$18,000 = $12,300 in current emergency savings and $7600 in savings for car/computer/travel/phone
  3. Save 50% of my income = less than 50% of my gross income and about 67% of my net income (only one month so far this year under 50% net income not including business income)
  4. Don’t renew housing lease end of July (no rent spending 8/1 onwards = change of plans. We have renewed our rent with our current house as travel and house sitting is not a good option right now. I will continue to use house sitting as an option for potential low-cost travel. I love looking for new listings weekly on Trusted Housesitters. You can use this link to get 25% off a membership at Trusted Housesitters: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF286731/

I’ve readjusted my budgeting for the next three months based on my 2020 goals and my past spending for the year. No surprises that I’ve already maxed out my groceries category for the year as my ‘goal’ was too tight and not realistic for my current lifestyle. I’ve increased my budget for gifts, groceries, household and clothing, and misc while decreasing my budget for health, fitness, education, and transportation. My budget categories of eating out, travel, entertainment, housing, phone, and charity remain the same.

Notable spending:

  1. I bought a TV for the first time in my life! Our old one (that I got for free) was slowly dying and it was time to replace it.
  2. I paid to have my taxes prepared this quarter. It was completed towards the end of the extended deadline.
  3. We received nearly one month’s credit for this billing cycle for our auto insurance.
  4. We took a mini vacation to stay in a tiny home for the weekend!
  5. I bought clothing for the first time all year (2 shirts for me, 1 for my partner, and 1 for my Dad).
  6. I got my first haircut/highlights since March. I’ve since added thinning shears to my hair tools so I can better upkeep my short hairstyle between professional visits.

Fitness

Here are my fitness stats for Q3 of 2020:

  1. Biking: 334.8 miles
  2. Pole classes: 13
  3. Other activities: Gardening, Beach Body Workouts!

Health goals 2020
1. Full P90X for 90 days! We did it! woot woot.
2. Lose 3% body fat (I went from 26% to 29% using the BodyScan measurement 01/19 to 06/20). Nailed it! I am down to 26.5% bodyfat
3. 5+ pull-ups any format (I purchased a secondhand pull-up freestanding bar) and can currently do 4 chin ups, 3 pull-ups, 1 wide grip pull-up, 3 narrow pull-ups. I have done 9 chin ups, 6 pull-ups, 3 wide grip pull-ups, 5 narrow pull-ups and have plans to get to 10 chin ups!

New Health goals 2020/2021:

  1. 10 chin-ups in a row
  2. 30 push-ups in a row
  3. 10 narrow push-ups in a row with top form
  4. 2 pole classes/week
  5. Pass intermediate inversions test by my birthday (1/22)
  6. Finish floorwork series by end of 2021 (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
  7. Improved pike/splits stretches
  8. Handstand?

Writing Goals for 2020:

  1. Deplete my physical book inventory = Since there aren’t opportunities for in-person events, I’ve been running giveaways each quarter.
  2. Break even on Ataxia and At One’s Beast = I met this goal in Q1!
  3. Revamp my website = I haven’t made any substantial changes to my website yet
  4. Write 4 short stories = I wrote 2 short stories thus far for two separate anthologies. The second story was published in the The Lost Train: An FVP Books Anthology
  5. Send out 4 newsletters = I’ve sent out 2 newsletters so far this year and will send out my third shortly.
  6. Publish a new coloring book = Haven’t made any progress on this goal yet. I’m still deciding on the subject material.
  7. NEW GOAL: Finish outlining my new novel “Two for Tiny” and begin writing.

Deception Pass Day Trip with one of my favorite masks

Local author Ksenia Anske’s long awaited book she started writing on the Amtrak!

Physical copies of my books are still available at the Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2020 Q2 Goals – Accountability, Check in, and an Uneventful Spring

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Financial Independence Goals for 2020 Q2 snapshot

  1. Max out my Roth IRA, 401k and HSA contributions = monthly deductions mean this happens automatically!
  2. Build up my emergency savings to 6 months/~$18,000 = $10,200 in current emergency savings and $5800 in savings for car/computer/travel/phone
  3. Save 50% of my income =
  4. Don’t renew housing lease end of July (no rent spending 8/1 onwards = change of plans. We have renewed our rent with our current house as travel and house sitting is not a good option right now. I will continue to use house sitting as an option for potential low-cost travel. I love looking for new listings weekly on Trusted Housesitters. You can use this link to get 25% off a membership at Trusted Housesitters: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF286731/

Here is an updated snapshot of my budgeting goals and how I’m meeting them. Red indicates going over the monthly budgeted amount and green indicates staying under.

Notable spending:

  1. I bought a used ebike for personal and business use! $1000
  2. I supported an IndieGoGo campaign for a few hundred dollars
  3. I tricked out my garden DIY style ~$200
  4. I bought a garage fridge for $220
  5. I bought a pull-up freestanding bar and under-desk elliptical and inversion bench used for $195 total
  6. I spent $75 on a 4-week nutrition and health program

Fitness

Here are my fitness stats for Q2 of 2020:

  1. Biking: 36.5 miles
  2. Pole classes: 1
  3. Stretch classes: 7
  4. Other classes: 4 Pilates classes, 3 handstand conditioning classes, 1 Alexander Technique class
  5. Other activities: Gardening, Beach Body Workouts!

Health goals 2020
1. Full P90X for 90 days!
2. Lose 3% body fat (I went from 26% to 29% using the BodyScan measurement 01/19 to 06/20)
3. 5+ pull-ups any format (I purchased a secondhand pull-up freestanding bar) and can currently do 4 chin ups, 3 pull-ups, 1 wide grip pull-up, 3 narrow pull-ups

Writing Goals for 2020:

  1. Deplete my physical book inventory = I sold and gave away several books in January and February but still have significant numbers of print books left. I will perhaps run more giveaways or do something creative like sell a book along with a free ARC reading or x amount of words edited.
  2. Break even on Ataxia and At One’s Beast = I met this goal in Q1!
  3. Revamp my website = I haven’t made any substantial changes to my website yet
  4. Write 4 short stories = I wrote 2 short stories thus far for two separate anthologies
  5. Send out 4 newsletters = 1 sent out 1 newsletter and am working on my Q2 newsletter this week
  6. Publish a new coloring book = Haven’t made any progress on this goal yet. I’m still deciding on the subject material.

Here is a list of my accomplishments for Q2:

  1. Run a giveaway
  2. Sell more print books (half of what I currently have in inventory)
  3. Give out review copies of books
  4. Redo all interior files for Seize the Donut, At One’s Beast, Ataxia and push to all marketplaces
  5. Create another niche coloring book
  6. Read 25 books
  7. Write 6 book reviews on my blog
  8. Create a promotion and marketing plan for the rest of 2020
  9. Write 1 short story
  10. Send out 1 newsletter

The view from 520 Bridge as I bike home from Seattle on my new e-bike!

My first forage in the PNW! Juneberries, Huckleberries, and Salmonberries

My favorite new breakfast! Grilled Portobello mushroom with egg and cheese on a bed of spinach surrounded by strawberries

 

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2020 Q1 Goals – Accountability, Check in, and Future Uncertainty

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , ,

I’ve decided to move from monthly updates to quarterly updates… Here is quarter one 2020 update that encompasses January – February – March.

Financial Independence Goals for 2020

  1. Max out my Roth IRA, 401k and HSA contributions = My HSA contribution is deducted automatically from my paycheck every month and my Roth IRA is automatically transferred at $500/month
  2. Build up my emergency savings to 6 months = I have just under 6 months emergency savings currently if I were to only spend $2500/month. I want to build this up to $18,000 by the end of the year
  3. Save 50% of my income = Due to travel in February and the yearly car maintenance in March I have spent 79% of my income, however; I moved all my business/secondary income outside of these calculations and if I were to add that back in I have spent 70% of my total income from all sources. Subtract again my HSA (part of my savings plan) and the amount spent is closer to 66%. Q2 should be even closer to 50% as I won’t be doing any leisure traveling or have extra car expenses.
  4. Don’t renew housing lease end of July (no rent spending 8/1 onwards = this is a new goal that I’ve already started preparing for by gathering a list of friends and family who are willing to host myself and my partner starting August. I will also be working on a combined post-housing budget and look at our finances together. We have already joined TrustedHousesitters and had our first house sit and are now verified. Closer to the summer I will start applying to house sits starting August and planning out our travel and where and who we will be staying with.
    You can use this link to get 25% off a membership at Trusted Housesitters: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF286731/

Here is an updated snapshot of my budgeting goals and how I’m meeting them. Red indicates going over the monthly budgeted amount and green indicates staying under. I have also shifted the budgeted amount going forward from previous Q1 spending over/under amounts.

Notable spending:

  1. AAA membership $138 for myself and my partner but we share 1 car so now that I think about it, it doesn’t make sense for both of us to each have an account and perhaps I can transfer to another family member or cancel one of ours and get some of the extra cost back.
  2. Health category has ballooned as I have increased the amount of supplements I’m taking and storing as a precaution. My recommendation is to have a 3-month’s supply of all supplements, prescriptions, and medications where possible.
  3. My grocery/eating out spending was significantly low in March due to categorizing all ‘eating’ expenses while in Mexico under ‘travel’
  4. My gifts category is high because I sent money to my family
  5. My partner and I spent $1041 on car maintenance (he got us a discount and I got them to take off some labor costs for several hundred in savings from the dealer – always check the invoice!)

My business earnings have significantly decreased due to the COVID-19 and has since reinforced my determination to find more passive income sources and work-from-home earning potentials. Some of my mystery shops and usability studies are available online but most of my income came from cat sitting and dog walking. When I have the mental motivation I will check out editing/ARC/reviews as a secondary source of active income.

Fitness

Here are my fitness stats for Q1 of 2020:

  1. Biking: 16 miles
  2. Pole classes: 8
  3. Stretch classes: 2
  4. Other classes: 1 Booty class, 1 boot camp class, 1 Boudoir class
  5. Other activities: 1 soccer game and several soccer practice sessions

What are my fitness goals for 2020? A new fitness/health goal each month… Sigh. I made a general goal that isn’t very useful and I’m going to scrap it.

Fitness goals 2020
1. Stretch class 1x/week and stretching 10-15 minutes at least 4x/week
2. Ab exercise 4x/week
3. Cardio exercise/class 1x/week

Potential weekly fitness schedule:

Monday 4/6

Tuesday 4/7

Wednesday 4/8

Thursday 4/9

Friday 4/10

Saturday 4/11

Sunday 4/12

Handstands exercises and conditioning 15 minutes

Abs 5 minutes

Cardio (biking, boot camp, etc) 15+ minutes

Pilates 60 minutes

6pm-Divine Stretch class 60 minutes

Abs 5 minutes

Lower abs 7 minutes with 1 minute timed ARAP sit ups: Lower abs workout for strong and clean pole inverts (8min follow along)

Cardio (Boot camp, biking, etc) 15+ minutes

Pilates 60 minutes

Weights

Abs 5 minutes

1pm-Divine Stretch 60 minutes

Cardio (biking, boot camp, etc) 15+ minutes

 

Writing Goals for 2020:

  1. Deplete my physical book inventory = I sold and gave away several books in January and February but still have significant numbers of print books left. I will perhaps run more giveaways or do something creative like sell a book along with a free ARC reading or x amount of words edited.
  2. Break even on Ataxia and At One’s Beast = I met this goal!
  3. Revamp my website = I haven’t made any substantial changes to my website yet
  4. Write 4 short stories = I wrote 1 short story so I’m on track for this goal
  5. Send out 4 newsletters = 1 sent out 1 newsletter and am working on my Q1 newsletter this week
  6. Publish a new coloring book = Haven’t made any progress on this goal yet

Here is a list of my accomplishments for Q1:

  1. Ran a birthday giveaway
  2. Sold several print books
  3. Had 1 author tea date
  4. Sent beginning of year newsletter
  5. Wrote a short story for the WCPNW anthology
  6. Redid my interior files to fix a typo and editing issue from For the Love of Donuts Book 1
  7. Wrote 6 book reviews on my blog
  8. Read 12 books

Here are my goals for Q2:

  1. Run a giveaway
  2. Sell more print books (half of what I currently have in inventory)
  3. Give out review copies of books
  4. Redo all interior files for Seize the Donut, At One’s Beast, Ataxia and push to all marketplaces
  5. Create another niche coloring book
  6. Read 25 books
  7. Write 6 book reviews on my blog
  8. Create a promotion and marketing plan for the rest of 2020
  9. Write 1 short story
  10. Send out 1 newsletter

Enter my Q2 giveaway HERE:

Green GF pancakes for St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast

GF homemade pizzas with a mix from my favorite section in the grocery story (the squished can section)

What are your goals and how are you meeting them?

2020 January Goals – Accountability, Check in, and Birthday Freebies!

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Financial Independence

First month of the year and I have budgeted $2589 per month. I spent $3006.75 because I prepaid for my flight and half an airBnB for 9 days in Mexico City. I have budgeted $300/month on ‘travel’ and I put $100/month into my Savings goal in Capital One for ‘travel.’ This account currently has $1704.80 so I moved the $940 I spent from that account and back into my general emergency savings fund in Capital One which leaves a balance of $767.14 for travel. I moved the money into emergency savings rather than use the money directly for paying the plane ticket and housing costs because I had some excess cash in my checking account already to pay for these travel expenses. I don’t plan on many more travel costs for the Mexico vacation because I plan to put food costs into my eating out/food budget and anything that isn’t directly travel related into their respective budget categories for the month.

I bought a year’s subscription to Trusted Housesitters, a website where you can find houses to sit or conversely for people to sit your house and watch your pets while you’re away on your own vacation and trip. You can use this link to get 25% off: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF286731/

I had to renew my driver’s license (cost of $78 cash for my enhanced renewal) which was absorbed into my transportation budget category

I signed my updated will (cost of $30 at Pony Express).

I still managed to earn $120.23 this month that wasn’t related to my business.

I continue to spend more than I want to for food – both eating out and groceries. I only spent $46.41 eating out (we went out many times but it was covered by mystery shopping). I spent $479.20 on groceries. I have been keeping a close eye on what I spend for food, but we often splurge at the grocery store for unnecessary items (ice cream) or new and exciting items (Thai chili Doritos). I do save money by going to Grocery Outlet and combing through my favorite squished cans section and making bulk meals with ingredients like rice and dried beans. Part of the issue is my partner and I both love trying new foods and eating a variety of different meals. We don’t eat the same thing every week. I did spend an average of $763/month on food last year, so just reducing that number down closer to $500 is a win and will end up saving me nearly $3000 in a year. Ultimately my conservative budget of $400 is not going to be easy or very realistic for our current lifestyle (I buy most of the groceries and half of the bill when we eat out).

One way I decrease my spending is to not pay money for what I will already spend money on. For instance, I like to eat out several times per month and I get to do it for free or nearly free through Mystery Shopping. We went out to eat 3x for mystery shops which cost me $19.86 plus my time. I also recently was hired as a trade at one of my dance studios where I get paid to clean the studio in class credit. I have already saved up enough for 6 classes! We are also working on reducing our rent and housing expenses to $0 after our lease is up in July with house sitting. Finally, it was my birthday last month and I was able to get a free specialty pancakes from Ihop ($8.99 value), a free coffee from Starbucks (a $6.77 value), and a free pastry from Panera (a $2.49 value)

My business earnings for January were $546.24 (as some payments were pending and didn’t clear until February so the next month will show a much higher earning). I’m not sure what I will be paying in taxes so I will plan to set aside at least 30% of all that money and put it into my savings account at BECU, to save around $500 to have in the account at all times to pay for expenses. I did spend $27.75 on a bus card refill as I sometimes use the bus to get to clients’ houses when it’s snowing. A bus costs $2.75 for unlimited rides within a 2-hour window so I can usually pay once for a round trip. I opened up a BECU business checking account at the end of last year to use for my business financials because they have ATMs (I sometimes get paid in cash) and they don’t charge fees.

Fitness

I started stretching every day in late December and have continued every day (minus one day where I was in a pole class). I follow this Blogilates video and spend anywhere from 10-15 minutes doing these stretches after  completing her 2020 challenge! After finishing this challenge I went back to the 100 abs a day challenge from last year and am currently on day 15. It’s amazing the noticeable progress I can see with 6 weeks of daily targeted stretching! I can almost place my palm on the floor when trying to touch my toes (from just barely touching the floor with my fingers before). I’m not sure my pancake or splits stretches have made much progress but I’m absolutely thrilled with my hamstring flexibility progress! I have also unfortunately mildly injured my right upper leg/lower butt? I’m not sure what I injured exactly as normal walking or bending over doesn’t make it hurt, but pushing my right hip up and out makes it flare up right below my butt and when I do the pancake stretch it hurts in that area. Now I cannot stretch my pancake but do the legs one at a time and gently stretch that side.

Here are my fitness stats for the month:

  1. Biking: 10 miles
  2. Pole classes: 3

Writing

  • I sent out a 2019 summary and 2020 goals newsletter
  • I signed up to write a short story for my writing group’s next anthology (haven’t written it yet)
  • I sold 12 print books from my inventory
  • I ran a giveaway and gave away 2 Donuts Books, 2 of Nichole’s Book of Practical Things, and 2 Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things
  • I read and reviewed 2 Indie books

Don’t forget to come visit me this February at the following event:

Come see me and get all of my novels this Sunday from 12PM – 1PM at the Enso Center Winter Marketplace! The event goes from Saturday to Sunday, but I will only be there for a limited time on Sunday. All four of my novels will be on sale for just $10 each.

Since my partner and I plan to move out of our house at the end of June and stay with friends, family, or in house sits we have to par down our belongings. This means that I have lots of items to sell and donate! I have to say goodbye to my glass jar and box hoard. We are Tidying Up!

Here is a picture of my homemade (from a gluten free squished bag chocolate baking mix) and cheesecake frosting with Taro powder as coloring that I piped myself!

What are your goals and how are you meeting them this month?