I meant to write this post about goals and plans for the new year at the beginning of the month, but that clearly turned out well. In my defense, I’ve been swamped with new home/new business stuff.
At the same time, I’ve been taking things pretty slow. It feels weird and wonderful to not have to drag myself to work every day, to be able to take time to reflect and rest and plan. And resting has been the bulk of the month for me, in between shopping trips and home maintenance and unpacking. After a wicked case of burnout from my previous job, the rest is definitely something I desperately needed.
But now, we’re 1/12 of the way through the year, and I need to start seriously strategizing about making money, since I won’t be getting any more regular paychecks in the mail…
My Goals for 2020
- Commit to a semi-structured work schedule, so I can build the habit of consistently working without a traditional work environment.
- Build relationships in my community. Volunteer! Join groups! Do things I didn’t have the energy to do when I had a full-time job!
- Establish a local client base that consistently generates leads…because paying my mortgage is nice, too.
- Appreciate the balance that this self-employment opportunity gives me!
- Learn some new things, travel, and breathe.
So Far in January…
This month, resting has been important. But I’ve also had a lot to do with my new house, and that’s taken up more time than anticipated. Since moving in, I’ve:
Spent Money On:
- A new electrical panel because I needed it for:
- A new 95% efficient furnace (thankfully, mostly covered by a Home Warranty), with humidifier
- A washer and dryer (purchased at the Sears Outlet!)
- Miscellaneous furniture at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (a lovely stained glass hanging lamp for the dining room, an antique school desk, and an antique sewing table).
- Home stuff from Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart, and Home Depot. Including some discount lumber so I can build a cat climbing wall!
- A table for my office that clients can sit at (accompanied by two very badass director’s chairs from 1950s Hollywood). Purchased at a furniture consignment store. Tom Holland may or may not have sat in these chairs; NBD.
- Paint for my walls! Lyra generously agreed to help. My living room is now Blue Spruce, and my dining room is Ladybug Red. I love them so much.
- New dishes and silverware
- A new exterior door from the Habitat ReStore (not yet installed)
- So. Many. Vet visits. And a microchip pet feeder!
- Honestly, probably plenty of other things. It’s been an expensive month. But I feel good about all of these purchases, despite my total lack of income at the moment.
And Did the Following:
- Took an Intro to Power Tools class!
- Painted two rooms downstairs.
- Installed a coffee mug rack and a spice rack
- Hung like 5 million plates on the wall in my dining room
- Unpacked so. Many. Boxes. (and there are still so many left…)
- Installed some curtains.
- Installed two new deadbolts. Then uninstalled and re-installed one of them like 4 separate times. I’m becoming a master.
- Baked some sourdough bread, and shared some sourdough starter with one of the HVAC guys who came to give me a quote.
- Went to a play.
- Found an awesome new pho restaurant (which isn’t quite at the level of my DC favorite, but is pretty solid)
- Went to a ChooseFI Northeast Ohio Meetup!
- Rolled my 401(k) over to a Vanguard IRA! My 401(k) provider wasn’t bad, but there were definitely higher fees than I was comfortable with. And I had way fewer options for my investments than I will now that they’re somewhere else. The process wasn’t as onerous as I expected, though I did have to talk to a human being and mail an actual letter.
About Those Vet Visits…
Poor SunCat had a rough month. On top of a regular oncology appointment, she had two seizures, the first of which led to me freaking out and running to the Emergency Vet. Then, to figure out *why* she was having seizures, we went to a neurologist for an MRI and spinal tap. That didn’t give us answers, but she had another seizure a few days after, so now she’s on anti-seizure medication. Once again, I am so so thankful for pet insurance.
At the same time, her appetite has been great, and she loves her special kitten food. She actually gained weight at this last visit! To limit the times I’m woken up in the middle of the night to feed her, I bit the bullet and got a microchip feeder. It means she can have kitten food whenever she wants, and I don’t have to worry about StarCat stealing it. Money well-spent. Icing on the cake is seeing StarCat’s confused expression when he can’t get the door to open, but SunCat saunters right up and eats without a problem.
Oh, and StarDog had a vet visit where he got like 5 different shots. I wasn’t his favorite person that day. Unfortunately, that was the only visit *not* covered by insurance, so I paid out of pocket. Ouch.
It’s a brave new world, and I’m excited to jump in. Wish me all the luck!