We’re halfway through this year.  I can’t believe it.  Where does the time go?  The older I get, the faster it goes.  I guess that’s true for everyone.

Back on January 1, I set a few goals for myself for this year.  I figured I’d better check on them at the halfway point and see how I’m doing.

Goal #1: lose 15 pounds.  I weighed 175.5 at that point.  This morning I weighed 179.  Definitely not progress!  But at least I’ve stopped gaining weight.  I’ve switched from a daily Coke to unsweet tea, and allow myself a Coke on Fridays.  I started walking, then stopped, so I’ve got to get back to that.  I am not going to get to 160.5 by January 1; at this point I’ll be happy with 170.

Goal #2:  have six months of food and essentials stored for disaster prep.  I have about 3 months stored at this point, and I’ve discovered that I don’t have room for 6 months worth.  I’m about at capacity now.  I’ll add a few more things over the rest of the year, but I’m going to have to be satisfied with 3 months.  That should be enough for a natural disaster or a huge flu pandemic.

Goal #3: Come in under budget every month.  I managed that for two months, but then in March things started going south.  May was a disaster.  I’ve done okay in June, but not great.  I have a new budget starting tomorrow, which I think will help me be more successful in saving money and not spending so much. 

Goal #4: Pay an extra $100/month on my car loan.  I did that for the first three months, but didn’t manage to do so for April, May and June.  I haven’t budgeted for that for the rest of the year, but if I have that money at the end of the month, I’ll put it on the car loan.

Goal #5: No food waste.  I’ve done well with that.  My compost pile is thriving.  I can’t say that I haven’t thrown anything away, but it’s been very little.

So – the report is not a positive one.  Nothing to do but get back on track.