May was a very up and down month for me. I struggled with my day job with extreme highs and lows. One moment I’d be frustrated and overwhelmed and ready to quit, and the next I’d be content.
I also struggled with boredom. Not in the traditional sense of not having enough to do (trust me, that’s not an issue) but in the sense of wanting something bigger and better to work toward.
I need a project.
Overall, however, life is good. I found out I’m eligible for a raise in May, had a long weekend, got quite a lot of yard work done, have read some seriously good books, spent some quality time with a couple of good friends, and met up with some awesome bloggers for Thai food.
I actually have no inkling how I did with my goals at this point, so without further adieu, lets take a look:
Emergency Fund
I added $1,616.98 to savings in May.
Some of this (~$15) is just from interest which was accrued on my account, the rest was from savings. I accredit May being a three pay period month, which is great for those of us that budget based on two pay periods monthly.
I’m happy with this number.
Extra Earnings
I made:
- $300 from babysitting
- $120 from helping my dad
- $702 from online work
My extra earnings, then, are at a ground total of $1122.60.
Note that this total does NOT include the rent that we collect from my brother for the suite.
Since the first four months of the year I did so well with extra earnings, I re-set my goal from $1000 to $1500 of extra earnings monthly to challenge myself.
I could have done this by picking up an extra shift babysitting or working more for my dad, but I chose to spend a little bit of time relaxing and getting Suburban Finance ready for takeoff.
Lose 10 Pounds
I fell off the exercise wagon in May, simply because after hours of yardwork on the weekends, my body ached for days after. I haven’t been to the gym to weigh myself, so I can’t really report on progress for this particular goal. I have an inkling that I didn’t lose any weight in May.
Travel
I didn’t go anywhere in May, but I didn’t have any plans to, so that’s okay. I did book a flight to go to Winnipeg in June (this week I’m leaving) so I’ll be there for a couple of days.
Believe it or not, I’ve never been to Winnipeg, so while it may not be the most thrilling adventure out there, it’s still a place that I haven’t seen, so I’m looking forward to it.
We have family in Winnipeg and we’re so excited to see them and spend some quality time together.
I wanted to go to BlogHer in July, but we’ve been down a few team members at work so I couldn’t get the time off.
Be More Active on Personal Social Media
I added this to my goals on last month’s recap, more for career development than anything else.
I actually didn’t tweet every day from my personal account like I’d planned to, but that’s okay – I’m giving myself a pass. I was active on LinkedIn and connected with some people from school that I don’t want to lose touch from. I’d have to say it’s a success.
How did you do on goals?
Those are some nice number from last month. 1122.60 more then I made so far. But who’s counting. I need to also be more active on social media and need to get my butt up and start exercising. Hope you enjoy visiting Winnipeg!
Sounds like you and I had a similar month at work. I,also, had a lot of ups and downs. Many times hating my job and other times loving. Such is life. Great progress on your goals!
Ah Winnipeg! You must visit St. Boniface and the Mint and eat at Chez Sophie (I worked there last summer and EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious). Avoid downtown 🙂
Haha we’re staying at the Inn at the Forks. I have never been there but on the map it doesn’t look very “downtown” esque? I’ll have to try the restaurant 🙂
Sounds like you made good progress on your goals overall! I achieved my only monthly goal last month of getting back into running, and I’m on target or ahead of schedule on most of my yearly goals, so May was a good month for me in that respect.
Congrats on adding money to your emergency fund!
Do you really not exercise? I find this hard to comprehend. How can someone just not exercise?
I exercise regularly. For the last half of the month, however, I didn’t go to the gym to do it. But I have two dogs, a house with a giant yard and a work that makes me pay for parking (so I refuse and park a 15 minute walk away in a residential area). By default, I get more exercise than most people. The gym is a huge bonus when I do go, which is usually 4-6 times per week.
Sorry. I realize that I phrased my statement in a rude way. I wasn’t attacking or trying to be snide in any way.
I just notice many PF bloggers who do little to no exercise, and I find it shocking that someone would risk their health. People seem to forget that if you’re unhealthy, you cannot work and thus cannot make money, which is the point of the PF community.
That’s some seriously nice extra income and savings! I love it when my account balance gets high enough to accrue interest like that. I’m down five pounds, finished reading a good book, but have to get some professional stuff together stat as it didn’t happen last month despite some effort.
I think you had a great month! And I have to admit – I’m a little jealous of everything you’re able to put in your EF. Hoping mine starts looking the same in Sept/Oct.