Another month has turned it’s course, I think it’s definitely time to put together my goals for April and give you all an update on my progress in March! In addition to my March goals we were planning on booking our flights to the states and also had to find a new house to rent for the next 6-12 months while we are savings for a mortgage deposit. We’re having to hold off on flights for the moment but this is still in the works!
March saw me apply for my first credit card and we also set up a joint account to make the weekly grocery shopping a little easier to manage. On top of this my car was due a full service and a MOT which set me back £200 this month – the joys of commuting. On the plus we’ve now found a nice place to move into and are looking to put our deposit, agency fees and rent down on the property – April is proving mighty costly already!
March 2014 Goals Review
Read and Review ‘The Rules of Work’ – Richard Templar – Complete!
The Rules of Work was a quick and easy read on career development; something I am very interested in at the moment. The book provides a neat list of rules that you should stick to in order to become successful in the workplace. You can read my full review here!
Generate £230 in side hustle income (£54/£230) – Failed
February’s side hustle income came to a massive £326 so I raised the bar again and set March’s target at £230. Unfortunately my side hustles amounted to a mere £54 this month from part-time coaching. I did a lot of work in developing my digital marketing venture but none of this was paid work, let’s hope the time investment pays off in April!
Deposit £775 into my cash ISA – Complete!
I am looking to build an emergency fund of £1950; this would be made up of four monthly deposits of £487.50. In February I undershot my cash ISA monthly deposit goal by £287.50. I wanted to make up for this in March and also wanted to deposit March’s £487.50 too. I’m proud to say that with some disciplined frugality I’ve managed to deposit the full £775 into the cash ISA. Just one more month’s deposit to go and I will have fully funded my emergency fund!
Goals for April 2014
Given that we may be paying out estate agent fees and deposits this month, we will have to keep a watchful eye on our outgoings. I will set out these goals with this in mind.
Read and Review ‘The Four Hour Work Week’ – Timothy Ferriss
If you haven’t heard, this year I’m aiming to read and review one book every month. I’ve heard nothing but good things from successful entrepreneurs about The Four Hour Work Week which focusses on developing a business system that allows you to earn an impressive income by doing a very low frequency of work. The book will cover some creative entrepreneurship angles and also explore how you can outsource work to free up your time whilst making a profit. I’m certainly looking forward to getting stuck into this one!
Earn £230 in Side Hustle Income
This was my goal for March which I fell short of. I’m hoping to side hustle with a vengeance this month and smash this goal this time around. This should be made up of 75% digital marketing and 25% coaching. Wish me luck!
Fill My Emergency Fund – Deposit £487.50 into Cash ISA
My emergency fund target was £1950 in four months, if I can deposit £487.50 this month then I’ve made it! Despite the high costs this month from preparing to move house I think this will still be achievable. I can’t wait to have this filled so I can begin to fill my next bucket – the mortgage down payment!
These are my basic goals for April. What are you striving for the rest of April?
Hi Joe,
Congratulations on hitting 2 out of the 3 goals for March! I like the way you diversify your goals across different sections ie. Saving, Earning, Learning/Reading. I hope you have more joy with your side hustle this month.
I wish you luck on the house move as well. It must be a very exciting time for you right now. Enjoy it, and let us know how you get on!
All the best
Huw
Hey HUW,
Thanks for stopping by! Side-hustles are off to a better start this month (watch this space!) which is well-timed given the costs of moving house.
I certainly like the reading/learning goals which tend to have a good influence on the others too!
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