My goal for 2014 is to climb Mt. Everest! Just kidding, I’m not that ambitious :)
2014 is just around the corner and that means it’s time to set new goals. I’m big on setting goals and making actionable to-do lists to achieve those goals, so I had a lot of fun writing this post and getting my goals down on paper.
I’m a big advocate of changing goals based on changing circumstances. For example, if I got a promotion at work that required 20 additional hours of my time each week, it’s unlikely that I will accomplish all these goals.
In the same way I encourage you to make goals and resolutions, but also be willing to change them depending on how your circumstance changes throughout the year. Goals can force us to have tunnel vision which can be good, but it can also shut us off to new opportunities that arise.
With that being said, below are my goals for 2014. Please feel free to give me feedback in the comments, preferably in the form of encouragement ;)
- Bring in $2,000 in online revenue per month – While I haven’t officially totaled my revenue for 2013, it was either close to or above my $1,000/month goal that I set last January for 2013. I now have an established website, another year of experience, two weekly contributors, and an even better understanding of what it takes to generate revenue online. I think $24,000 in revenue is a somewhat “stretch” goal, but I think it’s definitely achievable.
- Start my second niche website – I’ve mentioned my desire to launch my second website more than a few times this year. I’ve owned the domain for almost 2 years now, so it’s about time. I definitely want to start my second site in the first half of 2014 and get it established before the end of the year. Anne from Unique Gifter gave me the idea of having 50 post topics brainstormed and either written or outlined before I start a second site. I think this is a good rule and something I will work towards for the first few months of 2014. What niche is it? Well, it’s not personal finance but you’ll have to wait and see ;)
- Continue to Grow Young Adult Money – This is a very broad goal but one that I still would like to mention because I want to always make it clear that Young Adult Money is my top priority. If the site isn’t growing it’s declining. I want to increase unique visitors and page views month-over-month, increase social media follows, and in general just move in a positive direction.
- Complete some major outdoor projects next Summer – There are a number of large outdoor projects that we need to complete for our house, such as rebuilding a retaining wall, removing old landscaping and putting in new landscaping, having the driveway redone, finishing our fence, and putting in some nice landscaping around our fire pit. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. This will require some planning throughout the Winter to make sure that the projects are completed efficiently and in a financially responsible manner.
- Buy a Reliable Car – Kind of a funny “goal” to have, but both my wife and my cars are getting old and generally less and less reliable. In my perfect world I would purchase a used Ford Escape sometime in 2014. This will help my wife navigate the nasty Minnesota winters, give us more space to haul stuff (it’s pretty difficult to move things when you can’t even fit your patio furniture in your car), and in general give us at least one car that we know will/should last 5-10 years.
- Buy a Second Suit – This is another seemingly silly goal, but I always wait until I absolutely need clothes to purchase them, which results in rushed decisions. I would like to get a second suit that I really like and get it tailored. It would be nice to have at least two go-to suits.
- Take a Vacation – I don’t have a specific place that is a “must visit” when it comes to travel in 2014, but I do want to take a vacation somewhere, even if it’s just for a long weekend. I was talking to my wife about using our $400 travel credit from our credit card rewards towards a Chicago trip. Chicago is a drive-able distance from where we live (about a 7-8 hour drive) or a relatively inexpensive and quick plane ride. While I have been through Chicago a couple of times I have only stopped there once, and it was only for about three hours (Incubus concert!). It would be nice to spend a little more time there and hit up some of the tourist attractions.
While this may seem like quite a few goals to tackle in 2014, I think they are all achievable if I’m focused and prioritize my time properly. I’m excited to see what 2014 brings and I’m especially excited about the potential that some of my ideas/projects have.
What are your goals for 2014?
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Great goals for the new year. It looks like they are well thought out and therefore attainable. My main goal for 2014 is to continue to chip away at my student loans. I’ve been picking up extra shifts at work and using the OT to pay extra each month. My husband and I are also planning a vaction this year. We are saving to go to South Africa for our honeymoon. I can’t wait! Hope you have a happy New Year. I look forward to seeing your new website.
Mrs Snarkfinance South Africa sounds amazing! Good for you for paying down more of your student debt. I would like to do that as well, hence why I want to make more money online. Happy New Year to you too!
Sounds like a great list of goals! What kind of niche site will you start?
Our goals for 2014 are more of the same- work hard, save money, grow my business, take vacations =)
Holly at ClubThrifty I will just say the niche site is in “health care” though it is a specific part : ) Woohoo vacations are awesome and I hope to take at least one this year. My wife and I need a break.
Great goals…I like that they are specific and while you have a couple of goals…they are all achievable. Would love to hear more about your niche sites and how you plan on increasing your online revenue…I definitely need the pointers. Good luck with them and have a happy new year!
Andrew LivingRichCheaply I plan on increasing my revenue through increasing affiliate income. It’s not a very large part of my revenue right now but there are literally thousands upon thousands of affiliate programs out there. It’ll take some work and focus, but I think it’ll be worth it. My niche site is in health care and my goal is to bring in a huge chunk of the revenue through affiliate income.
Awesome goals! $2k a month in revenue is fantastic – best of luck to you in meeting that goal this year :)
CSMillennial It’s a stretch goal for sure, but at the beginning of last year I set $1k/month goal and wasn’t sure how that would pan out either. Best of luck to you in all your goals this year!
I really hope you make your online income goal (and then maybe share your tips with me, your new blogging buddy. :) Great work with the site in 2013, and your goals do seem attainable. Good luck with the vacation, suit, and car purchases next year, too. That’ll be some serious coin for the last one, but with some searching and negotiation, maybe you can get a steal.
DonebyForty Thanks! I definitely have some cash going out the door next year, but if I plan it right it should be doable. Haha I will definitely share my tips with you if I really am able to increase my online income. I plan on spending a ton of time writing posts that have affiliate income potential as well as writing posts that keep bringing in more Google traffic.
Those seem doable. We have similar blog goals! Hope you can take some trips this year. No Fincon? Have you ever been? You should! If not, I do love Chicago. Hope 2014 is a great year for you!
Beachbudget I have NEVER been to Fincon :0 It really depends when Fincon lands on the calendar. As an accountant there are some days of the month I simply can’t take off unless it’s an emergency. Here’s to a great 2014!
Those are some great goals DC! I didn’t realize that you had a niche website, that is cool. I have created a couple myself and it has been a great learning experience. As far as 2014, I am focusing on publishing my first book and getting 5 speaking gigs. Here’s to 2014!
deaconhayes Thanks! I actually consider this website as my first niche site, though I know some people may disagree. Best of luck accomplishing your goals in 2014!
Great goals, DC! The suit one may seem odd but I can attest to the value of a quality suit tailored to fit you. I get a lot of wear out of my suits! I have no doubt Young Adult Money will continue to see great growth in 2014. You’ve built yourself a great site and I look forward to the unveiling of your second site next year. My Fall was crazy busy so I’m looking forward to sitting down in the next couple of weeks and figuring out my goals personally and professionally too! Happy New Year!
ShannonRyan Good call taking some time to reflect on what you want to accomplish in the next year. I took most of December to think about what I wanted to accomplish in 2014. I think I’m all set, but I may have been a bit ambitious in my goals. We’ll see : )
Sounds like some great goals for 2014. We had to replace both of our vehicles in the last 2 years. Not fun but the peace of mind knowing that we are in reliable and SAFE vehicles is worth it.
When you are ready, you will have to tell us about your niche website. It has been really inspiring for me to watch you along with a few other bloggers grow their blogs and online income. Keeps me motivated for 2014. Hope you have a great New Year!
BudgetforMore I would love to have at least one safe vehicle, though they seem to be so expensive! Oh well, it might be time to bite the bullet.
I’m glad I can inspire you, though I have to give credit to all the other bloggers who inspired me to work so hard!
Great goals, DC. Can’t wait to hear more about the niche site. I’m the same was as you when it comes to buying clothes too – Rick wants me to buy more this next year, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to do it. :-) Love the Chicago idea – went there several times when I was your age and loved it every time. We’ll be posting our 2014 goals in a few days, I suppose. :-)
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer I look forward to reading your goals! I have only been through Chicago on the way to other places and one time for a concert (got there right before the concert, left right after) so it would be nice to stay for a long weekend and explore. Happy New Year to you, Laurie! Stay warm #MNWeather
You’ve got pretty nice goals there DC. I’m sure Young Adult Money would continue to grow. As for your niche site, I can’t wait to find out what is it and what’s it all about. Good luck this 2014!
moneysavingdude Thanks! Happy New Year to you and best of luck with achieving your goals in 2014!
I can relate to the outdoor home projects. We have a few to complete as well. Would love to hear how you plan to increase your blog income and about the new site as well. Happy New Year!
Raquel@Practical Cents I hope to increase it through affiliate sales. I have dabbled in it throughout 2013 but want to have some really focused affiliate campaigns that net me some decent $. Happy New Year to you as well!
Happy New Year! I think I’ll be using your 2013 blog income as a benchmark for what I want to bring in from my site this year. Looking forward to following more YAM in the new year!
brokeandbeau Good luck! It definitely wasn’t easy bringing in $1k/month, and it was kind of a ‘stretch’ goal a year ago and I wasn’t sure how it would be possible, but somehow it worked out. I feel the same way about my new online income goal. Not sure how I will make it happen, but I’m going to try!
Looking forward to following your blog in the new year too : )
The suit buying one cracks me up. Peach just purchased his first suit and it was such a dramatic decision — maybe it’s just easier for women to buy dresses. I’m impressed by the amount you bring in from online revenues, I’ll have to ask you more about them!
BrokeMillennial Haha the first couple suits I’ve bought have been way too rushed of a decision. I have one nice tailored one that I like, but it would be nice to have two. Especially when all three of your cousin-in-laws all get married within a year of each other.
I love to talk about online income, so feel free to email me anytime.
I think I only have two suits sitting in my closet. It was shortly after working full time and I was invited to a wedding. I figured it was time to retire the suit I found at Goodwill in the kid’s section (being short and skinny has it’s perks). The store I went to happened to have a deal going on. Buy one suit, get one half off and they gave you a free sports coat as well. I picked out my items and they’ve been my fancy attire since.
MicrosMissions Good deal! I definitely need a second one. The tailoring expenses are killer, too, but there’s no way I could ever wear an off-the-rack suit without it looking baggy.
David.
Good luck on all your online projects for 2014. I took an online policy video about proper corporate attire and they had a guy in an aloha shirt which was inappropiate. It’s ironic because I wear aloha shirts for work.
Charles@gettingarichlife Haha that’s epic! There is one guy at our office who wears a Hawaiian shirt on casual days (in Minnesota of all places!).
I’ve been doing some serious planning and goal setting for the past week – 2014 is gearing up to be a great year and I’m really excited about what I can achieve. It’s amazing how much clearer and achievable things seem if you actually take the time to sit down and set them out.
All the best for achieving your goals this year, DC and everyone else.
Nell Casey Best of luck in achieving your goals as well! I agree that if you just sit down and spend some time thinking and evaluating your goals they seem much more achievable than if you just randomly pursue them.
Those are some great and lofty goals, good luck on all of them! A lot of things are up in the air next year, so I am mostly hoping to focus more on my blog and create another stream of income. Being able to move would be great, but that’s not really in my control, so it’s not on the list.
JourneytoSaving I hear you about focusing on things that you have control over. That’s partially why I love blogging and online/side income. I feel like I have control over it.
Those are some admirable goals! Best of luck to you and happy new year!
SimplySave Thanks, and happy new year to you too!
Until we bought a car this year, I had owned my car for 11 years and it was the only one I had ever had. Obviously it shouldn’t be the only reason to buy a new car, but having something where you don’t constantly feel like it might break down is a really nice change. Good luck and happy new year!
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money It definitely would be nice to drive a car that feels like it won’t break down at any moment. Not fun at all! Happy New Year to you, too, Matt.
When you’re ready to plan your trip to Chicago, let me know! I love helping people plan a visit to my favorite city!
fitisthenewpoor I definitely will let you know!
I’ve been interested in staring a niche website for a while now, but I have some other ventures I’m working on, and I wouldn’t want to half-ass it. Definitely keep us posted here on how that one goes! And if you’re in Chicago during the baseball season, definitely catch a game at Wrigley and go to the Field Museum. Two of the best things in Chicago.
I think you’ll hit the 24k mark in extra income easily this year. I think this site has definitely grown enough to pull that in! I’m looking forward to hearing more about your niche site. Good luck with all of your goals!
SingleMomIncomeThanks for the encouraging words, Alexa! It’s funny how very few people said that I would reach the goal or they think it’s realistic and some were even dumbfounded that I made an average of $1k/month on my site. I think you are destined to increase your income significantly this year as well!
Looking forward to your niche site! Good luck in 2014!
Sounds like some good goals. I’m sure you’ll be able to make $24k next year. I’ll be looking out for that niche site!
Also, be careful when suit shopping, lol. It’s so easy to get suckered into those buy one get three free suits when you don’t really need all of that stuff. I would more recommend going to a Banana Republic Outlet and finding one suit jacket and one suit pant there that fits you well. You’ll probably spend at least $100 (if no crazy sale is going on) but it’ll still be less money spent overall than getting more suites than you need from Jos. A. Bank or Men’s Warehouse.