January Goals

Well, January is almost over, but I still want to accomplish a few things:

1. Start working out. Basically: get in shape so that I can start getting into shape.
2. Transfer 2015 Kiwisaver money from Rabobank and contribute to Superlife Kiwisaver.
3. Revise 2016 budget according to PhD salary and lifestyle in 2015.
4.  Get confirmed quotes for basic Renter's insurance (including public liability). AA insurance? Quoted $338 annually for $10K of contents, $307 for $5K, $420 for $25K, $400 for $20K, $290 for $2K (their minimum), and $370 for $15K. Done! $12K for $350 and $1K excess.
5. Plan S America trip: revise car rental and plan out tourist destinations.
6. Start Duolingo and Memrise Spanish review.
7. Start writing PhD proposal.
8. Update my CV, LinkedIn, Twitter, blog, staff page, and Researchgate profiles for work.
9. January pampering: Get pedicure.
10.  Eye check up for contact lens prescription, and double checking prescription from December.
11. Make dentist, dermatologist, and physio appointments.
12. Start flossing and meditating.
13. Start getting up early every day/going to bed early.

2016 Goals

Oh my God. While I met many of my goals, 2015 was an epic FAIL for me in terms of happiness. I got too busy with the PhD and way too concerned about meeting impossible deadlines. My happiness plummeted. 

My main goal in 2015 was to sleep 8 hours every night. That really, really didn't happen. I made an effort to sleep in more to try to meet that 8 hour goal when I could, but in no way, shape, or form did I get sleep like a normal person. And I think that is what I meant for myself when I set that goal.

After reading a ton of books about habits, I realized that I have to find my Keystone habit: the small change that cascades into bigger changes. I don't know what it could be, but I do know that I'll have to do it EVERY DAY in order for it to affect my lifestyle in a significant way. I'll try various ideas and see what sticks.

Ideas for keystone habit:

1. 15 minutes organisational/plan/review specific goals every day--make daily, weekly, and monthly goal lists to review during this time.
2. go to bed by 10 pm every day/wake up by 6 am every day
3. lumosity training every day. I've been doing this...but it isn't a keystone goal.
4.  work out every day
5. stretch/yoga every day--Problem areas: shoulders, hips, wrists, jaw, back/posture. I've been doing this...but it isn't a keystone goal.
6. write down everything I eat every day
7. write down time schedule every day
8. deep breaths every day
9. take a break every hour at work
10. get 8 hours of sleep (tried all of 2015; doesn't work)

Financial Goals

1.    Revise 2016 budget according to PhD salary and lifestyle in 2015. Done Jan 2016
2.    Review my NZ retirement allocations.
3.    Review my US retirement allocations. These continue to SUCK.
4.    File US taxes.
5.    File state taxes.
6.    Review insurances, will, and Master Financial documents. 
7.    Buy basic Renter's insurance (including public liability). AA insurance? Quoted $338 annually for $10K of contents, $307 for $5K, $420 for $25K, $400 for $20K, $290 for $2K (their minimum), and $370 for $15K. Done Jan 2016. Even got $50 back in a promotion!
   $12K for $350 and $1K excess.
   
8.   Check Experian and Equifax credit reports from the US. Check TransUnion after October 13 2016. Join CreditKarma.
9.    Use airpoints for trip home in 2016.  Done! Tickets booked.
10.    Strategize credit card rewards to get free trip to West Coast for wedding in April/May 2017, and East Coast afterward. I think this is done! For 2017 travel, I have 80K United airmiles I can use for round trip airfare to/from the West Coast, and 48K American Airmiles I can use to get to the East Coast. I'll have to play with open-jaw ticket/stopover options, but I think I am OK. 
11. Figure out cc airmiles earnings for 2017 US trip spending.
12. In late June: book W Coast tix for May 2017 wedding, then on to East Coast for family visit & back. OR decide to go back home after conference to West coast later that year (?). Tix booked to W Coast for wedding. Need to book tix back to NZ.
13.  Transfer 2015 Kiwisaver money from Rabobank and contribute to Superlife Kiwisaver.
14.    Save $500/mo to long-term House DP goal.
15.    Contribute lump sum $2750 saved in 2015 to Kiwisaver. This should allow me to meet the Kiwisaver minimum contributions to get the tax credit.
16.  Figure out a method to track travel expenses. Any tips?
17.  Track every penny and stay out of debt.

Travel/Experiences/Social

1.     Do Coast-to-Coast hike. 
2.     Find someone to travel to Chile with and plan 2 week trip. DONE!
3.     Beat Stranger Danger: go to one meetup event where I know no one every quarter (Jan - Mar; April - June; July - Sept; Oct - Dec). (note: even though I'm not dating, I still think this is a really good idea.). Q1: photography class & friend's going away (I knew no one else going but talked to as many people as I could in 2 hours...I think that counts!). Q2: meetup pub quiz. Q3: ski trip with people I didn't know.
4.    Visit home. Half done: Airmiles used to book tix!
5.     Find something to do for Xmas and New Year's Eve 2016. BFF & I are thinking about booking a bach up north again. BACH BOOKED
6.     Go on one date. Nope. I'm not dating anymore. Or am I? ETA: Nope. I'm not.

Learning/Projects

1.    Take a photography course. Should be doable one Saturday! $185 NZD Done! Mar 2016--now I want to do a night course and the intermediate course!
2.     Play with smartphone camera.
3.     Do Lumosity (free version) several times a week. NOW PAID VERSION (cancel July 2017)
4.     Learn how to drive stick (Chile). FAIL
5.     Take public speaking workshop.
6.     Take an Artstation course.
7.     Refresh Spanish online using Duolingo. I have new goal of 50% fluency (as measured by Duolingo) by my trip, and 90+% fluency by end 2016 so that I can put this on my CV & LinkedIn.
8.     Go to the Stardome 4x a year, in each season. Learn how to identify at least 5 constellations/heavenly bodies in each hemisphere. This site is neat for that. First visit: May 2016;

Career

1.     Update my CV, LinkedIn, Twitter, blog, staff page, and Researchgate profiles for work in January, April, July, and November. Sign up for ORCiD.
2.     Collaborate with educators to improve curricula/public outreach. First meeting done.
3.     Give one public talk.
4.     Guide one field trip.
5.     Grant one media interview. Done March 2016--but journalist postponed story. (I think it still half counts because I had to really get up the courage to say yes...) Done June. But it was over email. I should still do another talking-one to get the experience I need.
6.     Write PhD proposal.
7.      Write grant proposal #2. 
8.     Get awarded at least one grant. (DONE in January! $68K grant awarded.)
9.     Start writing first paper for PhD (lit review/methods). 
10.     Prep for Conferences #2 and #3 in 2017. Abstracts due Jan 2017.

Medical/Physical/Mental Health

1.     Floss every day! I keep skipping. My former self who did it every day for a year would be appalled.
2. Go to physio and get instructions for stretches for posture, splits, hip openers, shoulder therapy. Appt made for late Feb./early Mar.
3.     Get medical check up. Normal yearly check up. S. America vaccines. Get thyroid levels checked. Check for Zika/Chagas disease!!  Get DTaP/pertussis booster shot (cheaper in NZ!), flu shot (wait til flu season). Check eczema if they can. Done Mar & June 2016.
4.     Get eye check up. Early part of 2016. My prescription has changed. I ordered new glasses Dec 2015.
5.     Get another eye check up to confirm #5's results. I don't quite believe the new prescription (my eyesight got a lot...better?!) And I want to get my contact lens prescription, too. Jan 2016: done! different prescription, but eyes have definitely gotten better. Got my CL scrip, too--I ordered new contacts. I think I (sigh) actually need DIFFERENT glasses now, as my second prescription was weaker than the first. Basically, my eyesight is all over the place! 
6.  Order fitting sunglasses. :/ I hate the ones I bought from Zenni, they slip down constantly.
7.     Get dental check up. Early part of 2016. Jan 2016: made appt for late Feb. March: Get dental cleaning, check in with grinding guard, and electric toothbrush recommendation.
8.     Meditate a few minutes every day.
9.     Treat yo'self! Every month, get a massage or other deal via grabone to have some luxury me-time in the midst of super stressful PhD life.
           January: pedicure. Done.
           February: Try a Float Tank Nope. circumstances made this impossible the date that I wanted to go.
           March: Float Tank and S. America trip
           April: S Am trip
           May: ?
           June: Got hair cut: the works. Love it when I get my hair washed for me!
           July: eyebrows waxed
           August: Home
           September: Home
           October: eyebrows waxed
           November:
           December:
10.    Take a work out class: pilates, tennis, weight/strength training, stretch class.
11.    Learn how to do the splits.
12.    Go to the dermatologist for eczema and mole check (grab mole map from existing--creepy--dermo). May was earliest appt. Will cost $300. I will see if my normal GP can prescribe the eczema meds I need instead. In that case I will need to figure something else out for the mole check. Doctor gave me eczema meds. I need to figure something else out for the mole check. Maybe next year.

Other

1.    Back up computer 4 times a year: March/June/September/December.
2.     Identify staple pieces for wardrobe: Joanna Gaines Blog 1
3.     Make a physical recipe book so that I no longer have to reference my laptop for recipes while cooking: this is at home. I need to ship it here.
4. work on ancestry book for both sides of family.
5.     Log general mood and correlating habits (sleep, food, hormones) for 3 months.
6.     Time log for 3 weeks.
7.     Food diary for 1 week.
8.     Start thinking about 2017 goals. (see below)

Moved to 2017:

1. Overnight at Tiritiri Mitangi or Zealandia (Wellington) or Stewart Island. Try to see a tuatara and/or kiwi in the wild!
2. Try sailing (friend said she'd teach me). 
3. Go to Snowplanet.
4. Hit balls in the batting cage.
5. Camp and hike once.
6. Continue to plan out Grand Iceland/Europe trip with destinations and cost estimates for post-PhD trip. 
7.  Plan and go on long weekend ski trip in winter.
8.  Snack healthier. Cut out junk food and fast food.
9. stop twirling my hair, stop twirling my pen when stressed/thinking. Have to find something to replace this!!
10. Melanoma check. 
11. Cancel lumosity in july 2017. 
12. In the US next year, check Equifax and Experian credit reports. TransUnion can be checked Oct 9 2017.
13. Get eyes checked/LASIK referral from friend, and see if I am a candidate even though my eyesight keeps changing after having Ortho-K lenses.
14. Order Goldilocks sunglasses: not too big, not too small. Why can't I get this right?

2016 Budget and Financial Goals

First up in my 2016 goal-setting (because this is a PF-lite blog, but a PF blog nonetheless): financial goals and yearly budget.

Yearly Budget

My faithful garage renter is moving away soon. If I find another renter immediately, I can count on this income and can live on the second budget listed below (revised according to 2015 spending and budget). If I don't find one, I'll have to live by the first budget:

Budget 1: With no garage rent income: $34,361.60 ($2,863.47/mo):

	2016 Budget
Category	Per Month	Per Year
Rent	$975.00	$11,700.00
Groceries	$400.00	$4,800.00
Internet	$28.33	$339.96
Electricity	$55.00	$660.00
Eating Out	$150.00	$1,800.00
Charity	$30.00	$360.00
Cell phone	$40.00	$480.00
Medical	$70.00	$840.00
Misc	$615.00	$7,380.00
Savings	$500.00	$6,000.00
Total	$2,863.33	$34,359.96

Budget 2: With full garage rent income at $60 pw: $37,481.64

	2016 Budget
Category	Per Month	Per Year
Rent	$975.00	$11,700.00
Groceries	$428.47	$5,141.64
Internet	$28.33	$339.96
Electricity	$51.67	$620.04
Eating Out	$150.00	$1,800.00
Charity	$30.00	$360.00
Cell phone	$40.00	$480.00
Medical	$70.00	$840.00
Misc	$750.00	$9,000.00
Savings	$600.00	$7,200.00
Total	$3,123.47	$37,481.64

I also have several very do-able financial goals for 2016. I know they are do-able because they are basically the same as the past few years, and I've been able to do them with no problem in the past!
 
Financial Goals

1.    Revise 2016 budget according to PhD salary and lifestyle in 2015.
2.    Review my NZ retirement allocations.
3.    Review my US retirement allocations. These continue to SUCK.
4.    File US taxes in April.
5.    File state taxes by May 1.
6.    Review insurances, will, and Master Financial documents. 
7.    Buy basic Renter's insurance (including public liability). AA insurance? Quoted $338 annually for $10K of contents, $307 for $5K, $420 for $25K, $400 for $20K, $290 for $2K (their minimum), and $370 for $15K.
8.   Check Experian and Equifax credit reports from the US. Check TransUnion after October 13 2016.
9.    Use airpoints for trip home in 2016. 
10.    Strategize credit card rewards to get free trip to West Coast for wedding in April/May 2017, and East Coast afterward. Need 40K more United points.
11.  Transfer 2015 Kiwisaver money from Rabobank and contribute to Superlife Kiwisaver.
12.    Save $500/mo to long-term House DP goal.
13.    Contribute lump sum $2750 saved in 2015 to Kiwisaver. This should allow me to meet the Kiwisaver minimum contributions to get the tax credit in 2016 (if I don't already).
14. Figure out a method to track travel expenses. Any tips?
15.    Track every penny and stay out of debt.

2015 Spending Review

Diving right in:

Income
I made $11,681.80 from my part-time PhD last year. Given how much I worked on it, I don't even want to calculate my hourly wage!! At least this income is tax-free.

I made $19,053.49 from my part-time job in 2015. Ditto...

Garage rent garnered me $3,000.

This totals $33,735.29 in income for 2015.

Spending

I spent $32,194.53 (according to my tracking). This does not include spending I did during my travels or trips home. I have yet to figure out a good way to track that, with all of the currency conversions and money transferred, etc. 

Category	Spent	Per Month	Budgeted Amount	Yearly Budget	Balance
Rent	$11,585.00	965.42	$928.34	11585	$0.00
Groceries	$4,232.44	352.70	$425.00	5100	$867.56
Internet	$349.97	29.16	$29.33	352	$2.03
Electricity	$618.95	51.58	$50.00	600	-$18.95
Eating Out and Alcohol	$1,667.31	138.94	$143.00	1716	$48.69
Charity	$167.50	13.96	$30.00	360	$192.50
Cell phone	$302.38	25.20	$40.00	480	$177.63
Medical	$157.50	13.13	$65.00	780	$622.50
Misc	$7,113.48	592.79	$700.00	8400	$1,286.52
Savings	$6,000.00	500.00	$500.00	6000	$0.00
Total	$32,194.53	2682.88	$2,910.67	34928.08	$2,733.55
Remainder	$1,540.76

Biggest surprise here is groceries. Under budget, whaaaat? 

2015 Net Worth
Net worth in 2015 went up since detailed monthly tracking began (December 2014):

	NW Dec 2014	This month	Difference ($)	Difference (%)
NET WORTH (same)	104128.75	115243.83	11115.08	10.67
NZ Net Worth	82442.59	93893.98	11451.39	13.89
US Net Worth	21219.15	21098.85	-120.3	-0.57
Change from last month:	Last Month	This Month	Difference ($)	Difference (%)
NET WORTH (same)	117462.69	115243.83	-2218.86	-1.89
NZ Net Worth	95733.24	93893.98	-1839.26	-1.92
US Net Worth	21478.45	21098.85	-379.6	-1.77

I have sporadic NW data since 2010:




2016 Goals
I was under budget in most categories in 2015, and managed to reach my saving goals. In 2016, I want to do the same. Additionally, I want to figure out a way to track my vacation spending. I also want to make an effort to spend all of my health budget--that is once again a priority this year (so she says).

In 2016, my income from my PhD and job should total $34,361.60. If I can get my garage rented the whole year, I will make $3,380 more. I'll do a yearly budget with and without that extra income.

December 2015--Let's finish this up!

This is just for the portion of the month (til 20 Dec) that I was in NZ:

	Dec 2015 Budget
Category	Spent	Budgeted Amount
Rent	$900.00	$900.00
Groceries	$100.69	$425.00
Internet	$29.33	$29.33
Electricity	$36.04	$50.00
Eating Out and Alcohol	$88.70	$143.00
Charity	$0.00	$30.00
Cell phone	$45.00	$40.00
Medical	$60.00	$65.00
Misc	$326.98	$700.00
Savings	$500.00	$500.00
Total	$2,086.74	$2,882.33

Just work and a lot of car rentals (paid out of pocket but it was partly for work).

It really doesn't do any good to do any sort of analysis on this, as I was underbudget in NZ but my spending in the US eats up the rest of the budget (tracked under vacation spending, elsewhere). I always go into spending mode in the US, though this time I didn't go crazy--just got stuff I'd normally stock up on later this year during my visit. 

Anyway. Next post is the 2015 year review!

Finishing Up 2015

Just a few more posts and I'll let the door hit 2015 on its way out. About time.

Planned posts:

• 2016 Goals
• December 2015's budget round up
• Review 2015 spending as a whole. It'll be tricky because my Excel file where I detail my budget got corrupted between quarterly back ups and I'm missing several key months in there (April and May, specifically). I could go back through my credit card and debit records and fill it in, but...yeah, I'm not gonna do that. I can rely on my blog's monthly round up for an accurate picture of each category, luckily. Blogging FTW!

(That reminds me, I need to back up my blog...)

And I need to remember to contribute what I saved last year as a lump sum to my Kiwisaver. The market is crap right now but I'm looking at it as a sale on stocks. ;)

Hope to get this all written and scheduled today while I'm on my deathbed with a cold. It's so nice and sunny out and all I can do is sneeze, cough, and drip. Gah.

2015 Goal Review

Got a lot of 2015 goals done; didn't get some done. But 2016 is a new year! 2015 goals are listed at the bottom of this email and here for reference.

First: How did I do?


Main Goal
My main goal was to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. I give myself a C on this. While I got a lot of sleep, I don't like how I got that sleep. I sometimes sacrificed work and other important things in order to get that 8+ hours. What I'd have liked to have done is play on my laptop a lot less in the evenings instead of sacrificing morning priorities.   

Let's face it: I need to be less of a night owl in 2016. 

Stretch Goals

Financial
I knocked my financial priorities out of the park, again. A++ I am really good at money goals. In 2016, I need to keep doing what I'm doing. And get renter's insurance.

 Travel/Experiences/Social
Yeah, I did meh on these. A on travel, C in social, C in experiences. In 2016, I want MORE. These are what keep me happy and going, and I need to make a better effort to enjoy my life. It goes by so fast!

 Learning/Projects
Eh, the PhD kept my brain busy. C- Need to do better in 2016. Maybe pick only a few to focus on. Astronomy. Spanish. Public speaking. Photography. Baton. Ancestry.

Career
Again, I am hitting my goals here. My CV keeps getting fatter. I would like to get more experience in a few more areas in 2016, though.  

Medical/Physical/Mental Health
OK. I'm giving myself a solid F here. I fell apart in 2015, and completely gave up. I really need to make this a priority in 2016. Or else I'm afraid of what may happen.

 Other
These were total bonus activities. I did most of them. B+


2015 Goals

1. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. 

Stretch goals:

Financial

1. Increase Kiwisaver contribution to 8%. Paper work DONE December 2014
2. Revise budget according to PhD salary and lifestyle.
3. Review my NZ retirement allocations.
4. Move $8,740 USD from HSBC to NZ savings account, where it will earn $32 NZD per month MORE than it does in the US.  done Dec 2014
5. Review my US retirement allocations. DONE Jan 2015
6. Choose an NZ stock vehicle for medium-to-long term goal $$ (House Downpayment Funds). UPDATE: Possibly the D fund. Still deciding! Jan 2015 UPDATE 2: Not gonna do this. Just will keep it liquid in my savings account.
7. File US taxes in April.
8. File state taxes by May 1.
9. Contribute $205 to Kiwisaver by June 30 to meet the $521 member tax credit. DONE! May 
10. Review insurances, will, and Master Financial documents. [September]  Need to get renter's insurance again, methinks. Every year that goes by without it, I get more nervous.
11. Save $500/mo to long-term goals: House DP and Retirement, $250 each.
    
12. Track every penny and stay out of debt.
13. Apply for 20K qantas points. 

Travel/Experiences/Social

1. Do Coast-to-Coast hike. Moved to 2016
2. Beat Stranger Danger: go to one meetup event where I know no one every quarter (Jan - Mar; April - June; July - Sept; Oct - Dec). Q1 Q2: meet up with dance class; Q3: accidentally stumbled onto a meetup at a bar and chatted to randoms for an hour;
3. Camp and hike as much as possible: Whatipu Cave hike, SMAT hike, Moved to 2016
4. Go to Snowplanet. Moved to 2016
5. Hit balls in the batting cage. (Done in US; want to do in NZ!!) Moved to 2016
6. Visit home at least once to/from my travels for work.
7. Host and organise a theme night. [BL] Moved to 2016
8. Host and organise yet another theme night. [FF] Moved to 2016
9. Plan out Europe trip with destinations and cost estimates. 
10. See the cherry blossoms in bloom in AKL finally (Sept-October). Yup, see here:
    
    
11. Find something to do for Xmas and New Year's Eve 2015. Plans in the works!!
12. Go on one date. DONE! April

Learning/Projects

1. Buy a nice camera and thoroughly read its manual ($650 for Sony DSC-RX100M II).  Done September--still need to play around with the settings and set it up completely, though. 
2. Take a photography course (once I get a DSLR or manual camera). Should be doable one Saturday! $150 NZD moved to 2016
3. Read manual for smartphone camera.  Turns out I just need to play around with the ISO settings, the auto software completely gets it wrong.
4. Learn rules of bridge. Practice; Study
5. Learn how to drive stick.     moved to 2016
6. Take public speaking workshop. moved to 2016
7. Take an Artstation course. Booked for late November!  
8. Learn to speed read. Turns out this is not a real thing, at least when you need to read for comprehension. So--instead of speed reading, I just need to read faster. How?? ...I'm still figuring that part out. All the tips I hear are about speed reading, not reading faster while you still subvocalize (and therefore comprehend more). ETA: Here. and Here (ignore Bill Cosby reference). 
9. Take a German class. (OR: complete free online Duolingo and Memrise courses!)
10. Learn how to identify at least 5 constellations/heavenly bodies in each hemisphere. This site is neat for that. Went to Stardome June 2015, learned how to find south using the Southern Cross (use pointer stars). Finding the RIGHT Southern Cross is another story. :) Also learned that you can only see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus with the naked eye--no other planets, and the planets sometimes 'set,' meaning, for example, Jupiter is about to go away, beyond the horizon, and won't be visible for about 6 months. Mars is currently not visible. Orion is hidden from our view right now, too. The Scorpion is visible in the Milky Way, however.
1. Orion/Betelguese
2. Big Dipper
3. Polaris
4. Cassiopeia

Career

1. Update my CV, LinkedIn, Twitter, blog, staff page, and Researchgate profiles for work in January, April, July, and November.
2. Collaborate with educators to improve curricula/public outreach. Meeting done. Lots of opportunities! Just need to find the time. One collaborative public outreach event done.
3. Give one public talk. moved to 2016
4. Organise three large public outreach events: March June October
5. Contribute research to government policy. moved to 2016
6. Guide one field trip. Done May 2015: artists
7. Present research at international conference. Scheduled: August
8. Get awarded at least one grant. DONE
9. Start writing first paper for PhD. Nope, change this one to: write and present PhD proposal.

Medical/Physical/Mental Health

1. Get medical check up (by March). Get thyroid levels checked. April: DONE; JUNE: results to come
2. Follow up on medical check up in May. ASK about thyroid results. RESCHEDULE 2nd appt. (now june 3). (Now 28 July.)
3. Get eye check up. (moved to early 2016)
4. Get dental check up. (moved to early 2016)
5. Get DTaP/pertussis booster shot (cheaper in NZ!). (moved to early 2016)
6. Meditate a few minutes every day.
7. Treat yo'self! Every month, get a massage or other deal via grabone to have some luxury me-time in the midst of super stressful PhD life. 
1. January: spa pedicure DONE
2. February: Hair wash, cut, style, and head massage 
3. March: 1 hour massage 
4. April: did nothing--too busy at work!
5. May: scheduled a mani-pedi
6. June: massage done
7. July: haircut
8. August: pampering scheduled for the day before I leave NZ for my trip
9. September: none; a trip home is pampering enough. :)
10. October: Float voucher? Massage voucher?
11. November: Artstation course (booked)
12. December: go home.
8. Take up Pilates again 1 x week. moved to early 2016
9. Start tennis lessons 1x week again.moved to early 2016
10. Take weight/strength training class.moved to early 2016
11. Train for a Half Marathon. Nope.
12. Learn how to do the splits. moved to early 2016
13. Get flu shot.
14. Go to physio and get instructions for every day stretches for splits, hip openers, shoulder therapy. (early 2016)
15. Go to the dermatologist for eczema. (early 2016)

Other

1. Become a New Zealand citizen (expected by April 2015).
2. Get NZ passport.
3. Back up computer 4 times a year: March/June/September/December.
4. Identify staple pieces for wardrobe: Joanna Gaines Blog 1
5. Make a physical recipe book so that I no longer have to reference my laptop for recipes while cooking.
6. Log general mood and correlating habits (sleep, food, hormones) for 3 months. moved to early 2016
   
7. Time log for 1 week.
8. Food diary for 1 week.  moved to early 2016

While in the US:

1. Update CV, LinkedIn, Academia, Twitter, blog, and staff pages.
2. Research ancestry.
3. Make family ancestry book, adding photos, records, family tree, and Mom's written accounts.
4. Learn how to use Scrivener and other writing tools (Qiqqa).
5. Review/update insurances, will, and Master Financial documents.
6. Work out a plan with family members to get enough airmiles to visit home for free again. UPDATE May 2015: I thought this was becoming hopeless, but Brad from Richmondsavers.com cleared up some things and I am now hopeful that I can gather enough points to travel home on airmiles in 2016 and possibly beyond! Will get 45K points from a chase cc this year, hopefully 50K more points next year, and use current points for next year's travel.