101 in 1,001 update: January

Oh, I made some forward progress this month!

We start, as usual, with the links:

Last month's recap
The whole list
Track my approximate progress via Google doc

If you peruse those links or have a scary-excellent memory, these goals may seem familiar:

#62 Send one card per week for three months.
Good grief. After oodles of times starting, slipping and then restarting, I think I finally have been on a roll with this one. But I didn't actually keep track of my progress and write down the weeks when I sent cards. Each 101 in 1,001 listmaker reserves the right to check off items as he or she sees fit, and I know this a little nitpicky on my part, but I also count it as forward progress to the day when I actually mark down dropping a card in the mail 12 weeks in a row.

(Begin) #92 Read five classic books
Who read Little Women this month for the first time? ME!

#59 Create a budget
Yes, I did do this. It was very enlightening and got me thinking about how to both cut unnecessary expenses and make the most out of expenses I prioritize (i.e. make sure I have an appropriate phone plan for how I use it, make sure I am maximizing the return on my yoga membership, etc.). I like having numbers in my head now for guidelines about groceries, restaurants, and entertainment (and, you know, bills and savings and those categories, too). Just writing those numbers down has been really helpful, actually, but it will be an ongoing project as I see what my spending looks like in reality over a few months.

(Continue) #47 Volunteer at six races
Yes, I did this - twice in the past few weeks! I volunteered at the Securian Winter Run and helped with the City of Lakes Loppet weekend.

Yesterday I also checked off #11 Go snowshoeing!

I started #48 Write three letters complimenting excellent service and continued #55 Save incrementally for an item or trip. As an aside, I like to think that my headstand efforts are paving the way for me to check off #6 Learn how to do a cartwheel this summer.

This also seems to be about the time in the project when I start checking off items on the list with multiple components. This month: #39 Go to three new-to-me museums (I finished that one with our visit to the Minnesota History Center.)

That leaves me with:
36/101 items complete
17/101 in progress

Hey, that puts me officially over the halfway mark in terms of items launched!

This month, I would like to try a new restaurant. I would also like to begin a project to improve my financial literacy (a book or class), start the "My Day in Six Words" journal and perhaps continue with another classic book or begin an autobiography.

Hey! Reader, do you have a favorite autobiography to recommend? What about a really helpful book to boost my financial literacy?

P.S. Shout out to the University of Tennessee coaching staff for serious recruiting work in a short timespan that made for a very exciting National Signing Day!