Halfway through 2019! Yeaahh! How time really flies! I thought of listing down some progress I’ve made through this year although I must admit I am actually aiming for only one goal this year, and that is of course, to write more. But I’ve made one serious personal goal in life this year that is a secret for myself. But today I am going to reveal it because I’m so proud of my progress. Secret goal revealed: no buying of shoes and clothes and bags if not necessary. Beat that, y’all! No shopping for me for this year! I’m so crazy for letting myself get into this haha! Anyway, you would be happy to know that I am still in the process of reaching my goal and there was no purchase of clothes or shoes or bags since January of this year! Hooray!

I have already expressed in one of my previous posts that I want to start being a minimalist. Thanks to Marie Kondo, whose show has been trending since the beginning of this year, this big idea was inspired by her. Basically, the objective is, I just want to have in hand things that are necessary. Remember, needs and wants are not the same. 

Last year (2018), I was not being frugal but, I was also not being extravagant because we really don’t have too much money since I am no longer working. We just have enough for the monthly expenses and a little salary bonus here and there. When I reviewed my finances last year, I was not able to save money and my investment did not increase. However, I was able to start my reselling business. Before 2018 ended, I earned a little money but I think I spent more than what I’ve earned. So for this year, I will start being frugal again. But I think God has been testing me hahaha! I’ve said that because early this year, my husband received money from his patent submission. If you do know how much money you can earn from patent, you can say that its not that big but definitely not small amount too. Let’s just say it’s a significant amount. So he gave me some money that I can use at my own disposal. And what will I ever do with that money if I can’t go shopping because of my goal? It was really a temptation on my part. But then, I want to practice self-discipline and self-control this year especially when it comes to money. Money doesn’t come easily to us now because only one of us is earning. So, for this year my year is to not waste money. What does it mean to waste money? For me it means buying things we never really need. Its buying something not worth our money because we can get the same thing for a cheaper price. Its also a waste of money if we buy something that’s only for one-time use, maybe we can just rent or borrow in that case. I also consider wasting money if we buy just to impress the crowd or the society or buying things because its trending.

Now the question is, what’s it in for me? Well, to be honest, I haven’t saved a fortune from staying away from unnecessary shopping. But, I’ve saved and invested little by little and I’m proud of my accomplishment because before, I could only save when it’s already December and the 13^th and 14^th month has been released. This time I was able to save as early as February of the year. Here’s a breakdown of where did the money my husband gave me went to:

1. SSS – last year I was only able to pay for 1month of my SSS contribution. This year, I am proud to say I’ve paid my contribution from January to May – and I paid the maximum amount.

2. Reseller business capital – my small reseller business is not going very well right now and I think that’s just natural considering that the expenses for this month of most families would be going to enrollment and other school stuff and of course, summer travels. No one dared spend their money in online purchases but I was able to save money which I can use for my business capital when ber month kicks in. I am so waiting for that.

3. Paid a part of my debt – I put some of the money my husband gave to me to pay my debt. I am not yet done though but its good to see that its smaller amount 

4. Insurance – I am an advocate of financial literacy and I’ve always believed in insurance. That’s why I always make sure to make insurance a priority whenever I have extra money. I have paid the first 2 quarters of this year.

5. Bought books – I bought books for self. Because I miss reading and I also I purchased self-help books, aside from fiction, to motivate myself more.

6. Enrolled in an online course – this is my biggest investment this year. I am just so happy that finally, I will be learning something new again. I don’t want to ever stop learning. I hope this course would put me back in track and be able to have a career once more, even if its different from the one I used to have.

I think it’s what I’ve really gained from this goal of not buying shoes, bags or clothes this year is the value of self-discipline. Sure I could just ask my husband to buy these things for me, but to control myself because I made a commitment to myself (this was a secret, remember!) not to, is a fulfillment I will always be proud of more than any expensive brand I could ever purchase.

Now, let me just look at this Shoppee app for a moment… just kidding! Stay positive and pass it on!

It’s a shame that I haven’t even gotten the time to write my new year’s resolution for 2019 and its already ending March! How’s that for a start, huh?! Guess this year will be a year of learning about time management!

I have decided to review my wishes and goals for 2018. There are some that have been there for more than 5 years. I can’t give myself any excuse for that. I should have been working hard to achieve these goals and yet here I am always, always just putting off goals for the next year again and again. One of these recurring goals in my list every year is the goal to set up my own domain or website. And so I decided to take the plunge and go for it. And I’ve never been happier in any risk I’ve ever taken.

It was never a question of yes or no. It has always been “when?” I know deep in my heart that I always wanted a website of my own -- my own playground, my own sanctuary of my thoughts.  I believe I am a listener by nature. I am only noisy when I am with close friends. Introvert so they say. So I express myself better with the written words. Or so I believe haha.

I know that buying a domain wouldn’t make me a professional blogger and writing is the only ultimate chore that would help me become a “real blogger”. I might even get bashed for writing such simple thoughts and words with grammatical errors here and there (hey, I’m working on it!). But honestly speaking, I don’t care if I’ll ever get to that point where I can pay my bills with just writing because, for me, the act itself is its own reward. They say passion is something you would do even if its just for free, so here I am, pursuing my passion and even more because I am even paying for my passion by buying a domain! What kind of pursuer am I? Not the enviable one, right?

For this year, I only have one main goal, that is to better myself in writing. I think I’ve already done so much excuse in pursuing my goal of writing and blogging consistently. At this rate, I could probably achieve 10,000 hours by age 80 and who would want to achieve a goal you set during your 30s by that age? Well, if it takes me until I am 100 years old, I would still be writing by then, so I'll just keep on writing. The good news is I am progressing. Small steps and I’ll get there. I am positive about it. Well, in the process of pursuing a goal, do we have a choice? Positivity is the only way to go. So please 2019, be better than 2018.

Stay positive and pass it on!