As of today, there are only 209 days left to complete my list. YIKES! I know I've said it before, but it's time to buckle down. So far, I've completed 39/101 items. Not too shabby, really. So, a review and then I need your help!
Let's start with items I KNOW are not going to be completed in time:
#15. Weigh less than 150 pounds - I've been quite lax in my diet and workout routine lately. I could blame the dog or the holidays or a busy schedule. The truth of the matter is I just haven't done the work. Those Biggest Loser people can do it in a mere 6 months, but they've got Bob and Jillian (and no jobs to go to or animals to attend to). Perhaps a good bout with the stomach flu could get me pushed in the right direction....or not.
#26. Get married or be planning my wedding - HA! Enough said. After all, who wants a family when a puppy is so much work!
#32. Buy a new car - Short of the wheels falling off of the one I have (which could totally happen), I'm pretty sure this isn't in the budget. For more insight, see #34 and #36 below.
#34. Pay off my credit cards - I'm definitely making progress, but this is more a mountain than a molehill. I think perhaps it was biting off a bit more than I could chew to think I could do it in just 1001 days. If I win the lottery, it's entirely possible, but short of that, I think we're gonna have to chuck this one. For now.
#36. Have $XXX,XXX in my 401(k) plan - HAHAHAHAHAHA Ohh. Oww...my stomach hurts from laughing so much. When I started this plan on October 18, 2006, I needed to earn about 9.50% (taking into account my future contributions) in order to get to my goal. By the end of 2006, that number had dropped to 8.75%. That's certainly not impossible considering that I'm young and quite aggressively invested. In April of 2007, my company added a Roth 401(k) option to our regular 401(k). I took advantage and lowered my required earnings to 8.00%. It was definitely headed in the right direction! By the end of 2007 (beginning of 2008), I had received two raises (which raised my contributions as well as my employer's matching contributions), increased my deferral percentage and had a pretty great year of earnings. These factors all combined to drop the interest rate I need to earn down to a paltry 5.00%! Woohoo. I was well on my way and my plan seemed to be working. Enter economic meltdown. Despite raising my contributions again (all those stocks are on sale right now, so I had to snag them up!) and getting yet another salary increase, the 38% loss I've taken this year really hurts. As of Monday, I need to earn 92% from now until next July in order to hit my goal. HAHAHAHA I think I've got better odds in Vegas!
#37. Have 9 months of earning in my savings - I've done a pretty good job of saving consistently, but I think this one might still be a bit out of my reach. Again, a lottery win would definitely push me over into the success category.
#68. Take 3 photography classes - Unless they are VERY brief classes (perhaps a one day seminar?), I don't think this is gonna get checked off of the list. And I really wanted to do it too. Darn.
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