My Frugal Miser - Reviewing my 2021 Goals, Setting New Ones

 So much happened in 2021.  It was our second year of the pandemic, but live events finally started to return, at least for me, in June of last year.  

Last year I set three goals.  I modified the financial goal, which was to pay extra on my mortgage, because I ended up selling our home and no longer have a mortgage.

2021 Goals Review

1) $1,000/mo. to short-term savings and $400/mo. to investments.

Status:  Exceeded, thanks to the power of automation.  For several months, I've automatically transferred a total of $2,000 to investing and saving, but tweaked it a bit.  I've been depositing $1,500 to my brokerage account and $500 to my short-term savings.

2) Weigh 180 or less by end of year.

Status:  Not quite.  On October 7, 2020 we started the keto diet.  I managed to get down to 183 pounds.  When I checked my weight last week, I was at 190 pounds.  This is 49 pounds less than I weighed before starting the diet, which I am super proud of.  I just need to redouble my efforts to keep losing.

3) Read more books.

Status:  Sort of.  I have subscribed to Audible and listened to 3 audio books.  I really enjoyed two of those.  I struggle to read with my short attention span. 

2022

So what's in store for 2022?  Well, events are still stumbling along.  Many of my friends have experienced more event cancelations for early 2022 with the rise of cases of COVID.  Thus far I've been spared, but the pandemic is definitely affecting my industry and the jobs I am offered.

My 2022 Goals:

1. (Financial) Make investing more passive.  I've been selling rental properties and diverting the proceeds to Realty Mogul, where I invest in apartment complexes and commercial buildings.  Not only does this alleviate the headaches that come from owning single family homes, but it also can potentially increase my returns and help me sleep well.  Two of my RM investments were sold.  While the holding period was short (only about 2 years), the annualized returns were about 17%.  I want to sell at least one rental property in 2022 and reallocate the money to a fully passive investment.
2. (Health)  I would like to weigh 175 by the end of 2022.  
3. (Simplify)  I will eliminate personal belongings that I no longer need.  One of the major personal projects in 2022 is updating our home.  There are several large projects I'd like to do, and getting rid of the clutter around the house will help us enjoy the home more.
4. (Travel on a Budget) I don't just love to travel; I live to travel.  Inflation and pandemic fatigue mean travel is getting more expensive (just look at airfares!).  I will spend more time learning how to maximize travel programs and loyalty points.  I will research places I'd like to visit, take advantage of deals, and be mindful about how I spend my travel dollar.