The Status Report and Goal Changes
This year opened up with two medical things, which had big price tags! The first, 36 rTMS treatments, was fully covered by insurance but still cost me just under $800 with the copays for all the visits. That emptied what was left of my FSA since I’d also, unexpectedly, had to use $1k of it for glasses last year. The second, braces, will cost me around $4,500 after insurance. I will be doing the interest-free in-house financing, so after a $499 down payment, I’ll be paying $200/mth for the next 20 months, which at least makes it doable. Now the braces are supposed to happen in April, but, that may end up delayed due to the whole COVID situation.
On top of all that, I realized my car tires are six years old (yes, the new to me car, they are the originals that the car first came with). As such, they have got to go! So now working to save for those new tires, and as I’m rightfully particular about such things, the tires I’ve selected will cost about $750. So gotta save for those and aiming for September, at the latest, which is when we are likely to take our next long driving trip.
After a few hours wrangling the budget and with help from my accountability partner, I accepted that paying off the credit card this year is now likely impossible, along with some other goals I had. I just can’t stretch my dollars that far while also rightfully accounting for all that plus my regular true expenses. *sigh* A raise or some found money would be so useful right now, but again with the economical impacts of coronavirus likely effecting our agency’s budgets, I doubt they will be able to do it this year (and honestly, it’s been almost a year since we argued for a raise, so I think at this point we already kind of knew it was a no).
BUT…I will presumably be getting the $1,200 stimulus payment thing, like most people. When? Who knows. But that would certainly cover the tires. Beyond that? I haven’t really done much planning since it’s arrival is still too unknown. I suspect most of the rest will be split between loading true expenses and paying the CC down. Either way, it isn’t going to fix the broader picture, so accepting the situation changes, I’ve canceled goals I felt were not longer realistic and will just keep on trucking. 🙂
I may not be able to buy as much manga as I’d like this year, but I can still pay my bills, eat food, and I still have lots of games to enjoy and stream. I’m doing better thanks to the new meds and the TMS, so yay! And hey, despite all that, I did get some goals done! Go me! And despite COVID-19 meaning working at home for a while, no Rec, and not being able to workout with my partner, I’m still doing my five days of exercise a week! That is HUGE for me!
Financials
Credit card balance to $5,000– DONE!- Credit card balance to $4,000
- Credit card balance to $3,000
Credit card balance to $2,000– CANCELLEDCredit card balance to $1,000– CANCELLEDCredit card paid in full!– CANCELLEDBudget for and acquire Canon T7i camera– DONE! Well, sort of, I was gifted a Canon 77D which is actually a step up! 😀
Fitness and Health
- Get orthodontics and use as instructed
Do TMS consultation and sessions– DONE!- Consistently take stairs once a day at work
- Consistently take stairs twice a day at work
- Get back on sleep schedule: bed no earlier than stated time, up at 6 am – updated to more generic bedtime since it has moved a bit
- Get down to no more than one nap a week
- Get down to no napping at all
- Strength Training goals:
- Plank to 20 seconds
- Plank to 25 seconds
- Plank to 30 seconds
- Increase weights on each weighted exercise to next available weight
- Increase reps from 6 to 8 for new weights,
8 to 10 for warm-ups– DONE! Now doing 12 for first warm-up, 10 for the second, and 8 to 10 on familiar weights (fixed from 12 to 10!)
- Swimming goals:
- Do a 75-yard set at least 3 times, not on the same day, without having to stop to rest
- Do a 75-yard set at least 3 times in one swim session
- 100 yards at least 3 times, not on the same day, without having to stop to rest
- Do a 100-yard set at least 3 times in one swim session
- Walking goals:
- 5,000 steps on workdays
- 5,000 steps on all days
- 7,000 steps on workdays
- 7,000 steps on all days
- 10,000 steps on workdays
- Down to 175 lbs or 38″ waist
Around the House
- Car washed at least once per month
- Lawn mowed at least once per month – doing great, even mowed multiple times in March! Yay! And edged!
- Replant main garden bed
- Mulch both front garden beds
- Plant at least one tree in the yard
New towels and washcloths– DONE!Replace mattress– CANCELLEDReplace Gin’s UPS– DONE!Replace iPad’s folio case– DONE!Get a tripod for phone for doing videos– DONE! (was a gift 🙂 )
Everything Else
- Do at least two web-development related blog posts
- Do at least twelve non-goal blog posts in general – almost done actually – so many game posts!
Reorganize blog categories and tags to better reflect more expanded content– DONE!Play at least 10 video games– DONE! Yes, seriously y’all! LOL Here’s the list of what I’ve played so far in 2020:- Lost Ember
- Oxenfree
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
- Celeste (DNF)
- Tearaway Unfolded (DNF)
- Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Goat Simulator
- BioShock
- BioShock 2
- BioShock Infinite
- The Last of Us Remastered – in progress
- Ori and the Blind Forest
- Backworlds (Demo)
- Embr (Demo)
- Hazel Sky (Demo)
- Spyro 3 (to get the platinum trophy)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider – in progress
- Read at least 200 books
- Try at least ten new recipes – three so far, plus a bunch of EveryPlate meals
- Try again to learn Japanese, starting with WaniKani and/or LingoDeer
- Update front end of An Eclectic World to Bootstrap 4
- Find a new hairstylist and get my hair cut and colored
Consider trying the PHP certification exam again– DONE & decided it’s a big old NOPE