Here are my goals for 2013!

1. Bring down my student loans to under $10,000

Would LOVE to make this happen. We have A LOT going on this year, so don’t really know if this will be a reality but that’s why it’s a goal right?

2. Pay Down Eric’s Student Loans

Eric is in school finishing up his bachelor’s degree. We took out a loan in the amount of $3,000 to pay for the first semester, and we’re looking at another one for the second semester. Because his loans are interest-free while he’s in school, we’ve focused on paying my loans first. I doubt we’ll be able to pay them all off by the end of the year, but it’s worth a shot.

3. Pay for Graduate School without loans

I start graduate school in March! My company pays for 75% through reimbursement as long as I maintain a certain GPA. I am hoping to pay upfront for the first set of classes, and then use my reimbursement to pay for the following set, and so on. I won’t be finished with school until March 2015, eek! I’ll do a whole post on this once I figure it all out.

4. Make $5,000 in extra income

I don’t know how long the extra income will keep on coming, but I’m planning on working my butt off this year to help pay down debt and save.

5. Go on a domestic vacation

Since our trip to Costa Rica, I have totally scratched the itch to travel. I hope to go on some sort of vacation every year, but alternate between one big vacation and one smaller vacation. For 2013, I want to go to New York in December. Eric’s never been and I think it would be wonderful to see it all Christmas’d out. I want to do ice skating at Rockefeller Center, go in a carriage in Central Park–you know, all the touristy things.

6. Have Eric get hired as a firefighter

This is the year, I can just feel it. I am so unbelievably proud of Eric and how far he’s come in such a short time frame. In two years, he’s accomplished SO much and gotten so far. We have come thisclose to Eric getting hired as a firefighter, but I knew that each department he interviewed for wasn’t the right one for our family…so now we’re just waiting for the right department to hire him. I really really believe that 2013 will be the year we get our answer.

7. Rebuild emergency fund to $1,000

With my most recent car crash, I wiped out our emergency fund. Time to rebuild it again, and hope to have this done soon.

8. Learn about the stock market

I’m not saying that I want to become a trader agent, but I would really like to learn more about investing, since I know NOTHING. I know some universities developed online programs that make it easier for newly graduated or active professionals to get a master degree in finance, with a specialization in security analysis and portfolio management. Maybe I should look into it more and take few classes to help me understand how to build my own portfolio, find out more about international trade and all the financial procedures. If I take classes and still don’t understand the stock market, maybe I need to seek information that was created by a professional. Or maybe if anyone has any good literature they’d recommend helping me get familiar with investing and the stock market?

9. Lose 15 Pounds

Every year, I add this to my list. Every year, I go down and up. But at least I am consistent with it, right?

10. Save $800 for Christmas 2013

I started a Christmas fund this year but didn’t start contributing until October. Didn’t work out so well. This year, I plan on setting aside $40 from each paycheck to go directly into our Christmas fund.

11. Bike to work at least 10 times each month

I plan on biking to work an average of two to three times per week, or at least 10 times each month. Not only is this great exercise, but it will result in an extra $50 per month to my paycheck, since I’m paid to bike to work.

12. Save $5,000 in our General Savings Fund

I know we only need $1,000 for an emergency fund. But I also like to have an extra $5,000 in a general fund in case sh*t really hits the fan. I think this money will also serve as a down payment fund for a car that we’ll need to buy in 2014.

13. Go on at least ONE husband-wife date each month

Eric and I suck at dates. Sometimes we do it, but most of the time when we have a weekend together, we spend it vegging out. We’re big homebodies, but it’s nice to go out too. I don’t think one date night a month is much to ask for.