My Frugal Miser - 2025 Goals

Every year I publish a handful of goals.  I usually meet some and fail at others.  Without this roadmap, I would lack the direction I need to achieve anything.  Here are my 2025 goals.

• Learn to play an instrument.
• Read one book per month.
• Do something with our mopeds (carryover from 2024).
• Fun Budget:  Net Zero.
• Financials:  1) Fully Fund Roth IRA, 2) Add $1,000/mo. to short-term savings account, 3) Add $25,000 to brokerage accounts.
• Lifestyle:  Prepare for The Next Chapter.

Learn to Play an Instrument

Who doesn't love music?  I have wanted to have a basic understanding of music for years.  It's time to exercise my brain more.

Read One Book per Month

I watch too much TV.  This too will exercise my brain.

Mopeds

They have been sitting in the backyard and haven't been used in years.  Time to dispose or repair.

Fun Budget:  Net Zero

A friend of mine introduced me to sweepstakes-based online casinos.  It's been slow going, but it's going.  Basically, I send in a request for free sweepstakes credits.  The site I am using gives me $5 for each request.  To make things fun, I want to submit enough entries to completely offset my fun budget.  This could even give me the opportunity to take more trips and see more shows.  It will allow me to do these things "guilt-free."

Financials

It's straight-forward.  Last year I used percentage of income goals.  I'm making it even easier in 2025 with three financial goals tied to a dollar amount.

Prepare for the Next Chapter

I'm not ready to discuss this yet, but I am exploring some major changes to shake things up.

My Frugal Miser - December 2024 Income

Miraculously, I earned more in December than I spent.  

I received rent from both rental properties in Alabama. I also received a small monthly distribution from Open Door Capital.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.  I also earn interest on the cash balance in my Self-Directed IRA. 

Meeting income was overstated as I was paid in December for work done in November.  Since I didn't do much meeting work, I did several Amazon routes and began driving for Rideshare again.

December Income: $13,983

$7,200 Meeting Jobs
$551 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$1,769 Amazon Deliveries

$2,162 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $570)
$2,297 Interest Income

$6 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $2,195

Stocks were up in December.  

My Frugal Miser - December 2024 Expenses

November and December are usually the most expensive months for me.  Since I don't have a mortgage, I pay my property taxes out of pocket.  I'm optimistic that January will be significantly more frugal.

• I spent over $300 on gas.  We took a road trip to visit family (over 2,000 miles) AND I started driving rideshare again.
• Spending on food is utterly shameful.  Blame that on the holidays, as we had several restaurant meals during our road trip and I paid for others' meals a couple of times.
• I bought an Amazon gift card because Discover card was offering 5% cash back.  I divided that between House Expense, Clothing/Personal Care and Food.
• Bank Fees were for the fees I paid to use a credit card to pay my property taxes and the quarterly tax payment.
• Speaking of which, I paid $3,000 towards my 2024 tax liability.  Hopefully I'll get some of that back when I file my taxes.

Fun

We love adventures.  Spending on experiences makes us better humans.  

• We decided at the last minute to see Patti Labelle.  I bought same-day discounted tickets on Stubhub.
• I bought our alcohol-substitute powder (U Relax) and our AMC A-List subscriptions.
• Some of our fun spending was offset by the Chumba Casino sweepstakes and the annual credit on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

$330 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$225 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$626 Clothing/ Personal Care

$85 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$1,087 Food

$334 Health and Dental

$1,148 Household/Home Repairs

$477 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($1,898) Reimbursed Job Expense income this month

$0 Interest Expense

$488 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$9,634 Taxes

$325 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - How I Did On My 2024 Goals

  Every year I set a few goals to keep me on track.  In 2024 I published goals in 4 categories:

Financial

• Increase Net Worth by $100,000
• Results:  Net Worth increased by $148,000.  Exceeded!
• Invest 30% of gross meeting income in index funds
• Results:  Achieved!
• Invest 10% of gross meeting income in more aggressive investments
• Results:  Achieved!

Health

• Exercise at least 5x/week.
• Results:  Achieved!
• Lose weight.
• Results:  Failed.

Simplify

• We have owned two mopeds since 2012.  They don't run.  It's time to either repair and use them or get rid of them.  I'll do that in 2024.
• Results:  Failed.
• I would like to eliminate 30-50 pieces of clothing in 2024, and remove at least 2 items per week from the house.
• Results:  Semi-Success.  I didn't track the count but made several trips to the local thrift store donation drop-off area.

Have Fun, On a Budget

• I will limit spending on Fun to $5,000 in 2024.
• Results:  Achieved!  I spent $4,248.
• I would like to take a few short getaways using points and miles to places I've never been.
• Results:  Neutral.  We visited Huntsville, AL for a music festival.  I'd been there before but never for fun.  We also took a trip to Asheville in July and had an amazing time, but have been there before.  Lastly, we visited New Orleans and took a cruise from there.  Again, not a new city, but was a fun trip.

I am happy with the goals I set and the progress I made.  If I hadn't set these goals, I would not have achieved some of them.  For example, it took a lot of discipline to invest 40% of my meeting income each and every month.  Knowing I was tracking it - and publishing my progress - kept me accountable.  How did you do with your goals?