It’s time once again for another monthly goal update. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost Christmas time and that my wife officially starts her year away from work at the end of this week.
November Goals
Each month I set myself goals to help make sure my life is heading in the direction I want it to be heading.
Blogging
Set up Feed burner RSS – PASS
I had a few people asking my about RSS feeds so adding this was a no brainer – Check it out
Post at least twice per week – PASS
I think I have finally found my groove when it comes to regularly posting. You can expect posts from me on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and a weekly wrap up on Friday each week.
Occasionally I might post more regularly than this, but I would rather keep doing a couple of quality posts each week than trying to pump out 5 small posts of a limited quality a week.
Get to 210 Twitter followers – FAIL
I was pretty slack when it came to social media this month. I tweeted a lot of other peoples posts, but I didn’t really go looking for any new people to follow.
Get to 1,200 Facebook followers – FAIL
Not only did I not get to 1,200 followers, I actually managed to lose Facebook fans. I attribute this mainly to the giveaway which I held last month. Many of the people who followed me would have only been interested in the giveaway and therefore it isn’t really a surprise that some people have decided to move on.
Update my Personal Finance Links page – PASS
If I have missed your blog and you notice that I regularly comment on your site, please shoot me an email so I can add your site to the list.
Comment on other blogs at least twice per day – half PASS
I think there was 1 day where I forgot to comment on any other blogs. So i’m going to give myself part marks for this.
Personal
Track every bit of mine and my wife’s spending – PASS
It was good to get back into the habit of monitoring all of our expenses. I forgot how quickly all the little things can add up. I want to continue with this for next month as already I feel as if we are saving money just because I know it has to go into the tracker. I guess you could say that I am making myself accountable for my spending.
Complete at least 10 levels in my mobile application – PASS
The mobile application is coming along really well. I not only finished the expected 10 levels this month, but I also included a lot of cool little extras which my wife suggested I include.
Blog Stuff
In case anyone is interested in the numbers pertaining to my blog.
Alexa ranking
October ranking – 4,385,750
Start of November ranking – 671,544
End of November ranking - 210,586
I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t break the 200k mark, but I’m fairly sure that I will within the coming days. I’m not convinced that this is an accurate measure of my sites popularity as many personal finance bloggers install the Alexa toolbar and so that has to be inflating my ranking.
Thank you to everyone that has followed me on twitter in this past month, you are all amazing!
October followers – 30
Start of November followers – 138
End of November followers – 177
Growth – 39 followers
October Likes – 0
Start of November – 1165
End of November Likes – 1131
Reduction of 34 Likes
As I said earlier, I’m not surprised by this reduction in the number of Facbook likes. I assume that things should start to pick up again in the coming months as most of the people that were only interested in the giveaway start to disappear.
Subscribers
Thank you to those of you who have signed up for my email notifications.
October – 5
Start of November subscribers – 423
End of November subscribers – 476
Growth – 53 subscribers
This was a really surprising result actually.I thought that I would only gain 5-10 new subscribers so this result is excellent! I truly appreciate everyone that signs up to my website and I hope that you all are enjoying the content that I produce.
Site Statistics
Unique Visitors
This result was expected due to the giveaway in October. I had a huge influx of traffic that month, so I expect December to be closer to the 4,000-4,500 mark.
September Unique visitors – 402
October Unique visitors – 3,051
November Unique visitors – 3,178
Growth – 127
Page Views
September Page views – 2,416
October Page views – 13,379
November Page Views – 14,929
Growth – 913
Searches
The number of searches that I received went berserk this month compared to previous months.
September Searches – 17
October Searches – 32
November Searches – 167 (151 from Google)
Growth – 135
Despite December being only a couple of days old, I have already received 36 searches. So I expect December to totally eclipse November for search results.
My most popular page this month in terms of garnering search traffic was my Setting SMART Goals post that I did back in September when hardly anybody read my blog. I personally believe this is probably the best post on my site, so I am glad it is getting some good traffic.
Spending
After last months crazy amount of spending, my wife and I started tacking every single item of our spending in an attempt to reign it in. Seeing as last month we were on holiday, it was just way too easy to spend money while we were not at work.
For the month of November we spent $2,682.05 (excluding our mortgage repayments)
Mortgage
We did good with our mortgage repayments this month, which is good seeing as our income is going to be much reduced when my wife stops work in a week. Things are certainly getting easier now that we aren’t paying so much interest on the principal.
Variable Loan
October debt reduction – $872
Debt at the start of November -$32,907
Debt at the end of November -$31,546
November debt reduction – $1,361
Fixed Loan
October debt reduction – $7,419
Start of November – $90,150
End of November – $81,842
November debt reduction – $8,308
You can keep track of my mortgage payment progress here – My Debt Progress (The graph is starting to really look good on the second loan, hover over the lines to see the dollar figures)
Baby
We have only got another 1 month and 1 week until Vanilla Bean is due. My wife is starting to look heavily pregnant and the heat is really starting to annoy her (it’s summer here). She keeps saying that if we decide to have another child that it will be a winter baby. She is also finding that her feet are getting very sore if she stands for too long, so I have been trying to take on a bit more of the house work to help out.
It is getting to the point now that when she gets home from work she is so exhausted that she has to have an afternoon sleep to recover her energy. Fortunately she finishes work at the end of this week so she will be able to rest whenever she wants to.
We also had the baby shower last weekend and so now I think we have everything that we need (with the exception of a mattress for the cot).
Mobile Application
The mobile application really got a wriggle on this month and things are coming along nicely. I want to have it completed early in 2013 and so I will need to continue setting aggressive goals if I am going to meet this date.
December Goals
Blogging
- Post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Get to 210 Twitter followers
- Get to 1,200 Facebook followers
- Comment on other blogs at least twice per day
- Be an active member on a blog I don’t currently visit regularly
- Find a way to start monetizing my site
Personal
- Continue to track every bit of mine and my wife’s spending
- Complete another 10 levels in my mobile application
Other
- Finalise topics for everyone involved in the e-book
- Start and finish Christmas shopping for Mum and Dad
- Start studying for my MCSE upgrade certification
- Learn how to use my new camera like a pro before the baby arrives
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As always, please leave any comments that you might have below in the comments section. I would love to hear from you and appreciate everyone who takes the time to contribute to this site.
Thanks Glen
Good job on all of those stats! And that is so exciting that baby is almost here. It could literally happen almost any time now!
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted..My Favorite Christmas Memories
I hope he doesn’t come too early. I haven’t planned to take any time off work until January.
That giveaway really gave you a huge boost! Good job on tracking all spending, I have to do that now for my company account and man, is that tedious..
Pauline recently posted..How to save money on grocery shopping
I find that if you get into the habit of doing it straight after you spend money it isn’t that bad.
You are going great guns with your goals!
Marie at Family Money Values recently posted..Leaving a Wealth Legacy
Thanks Marie!
Great work on the stats! That baby is going to be here any day now. I remember it feeling like the day would never get here when my wife was pregnant, but it comes fast!
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..Giveaway: Four Simple Ways to Save Money on Groceries
At first it felt like that, but now seeing as we have just over 1 month left it all seems to be flying by way too quickly.
Very impressed with your number of RSS and email subscribers. I think that is one area that I really need to grow. It looks like you had good results from your $100 giveaway a couple months ago, and I’m considering doing something similar in 2013 where people can gain entries through subscribing, following, liking, etc. I think it’s easy to focus on these stats, though, instead of content. I try to focus on content as much as possible and then once the content is done I am able to commit time to growing stats, working on a site redesign, etc.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Saving Money Grocery Shopping – $100 Giveaway!
I also prefer to focus on content as without quality content, no one will bother visiting.
I think the giveaway worked out really well, even if it only got the ball rolling for others to start subscribing.
I try not to focus too much on the stats throughout the month, but I like to have these monthly posts to go back to, as it helps to keep me motivated. I find that I have a greater appreciation of just how far the blog has come when I see the stats written out.
Thats great that she can stay home for a year to raise the baby. If you can do that financially, then awesome. Hopefully, she will be able to rest a lot. Congrats again!
Debt and the Girl recently posted..My Favorite Christmas Memories
Our workplace allows the primary care giver to take up to 1 years leave with 6 months at half pay. As I earn more than she does, it makes sense that she stays home while I continue to work.
I know it can be easy to obsess about the stats of your blog-but just keep posting great content! That’s the most important thing. I worry too much sometimes that if I can’t think of anything to comment on someone’s site, that suddenly they will drop off the face of the planet. LIke today everyone is posting about christmas memories and grocery shopping. There is only so much I can say! lol! But I think that worry is unfounded, and if people drop off, it’s probably because of something else.
Budget and the Beach recently posted..Believing in Yourself
I notice that less people visit my blog when I don’t actively comment on others blogs, but I am often amazed at just how many people still stop by even after I have been a little slack on commenting on others blogs.
It makes senses really, I tend to make a much bigger effort to visit peoples blogs who I know visit my blog regularly.
Great work on your goals Glen! Your wife must be excited to be finishing work soon.
Tackling Our Debt recently posted..My Favorite Childhood Christmas Memories @TacklingOurDebt
Thanks Sicorra! I think it’s more relief than excitement for her at the moment. She is really struggling with a full days work lately.
Nice progress Glen. It is nice to see that you have some good goals and are working toward them. Also, congrats on getting closer to the due date for the baby. I have about 2 weeks left and I am nervous. Everything is about to change!
Grayson @ Debt Roundup recently posted..The Save Money On Groceries $100 Giveaway
I’m not really nervous, more interested in how my life is going to change after he arrives.
I hope everything goes well for you and your partner with the birth.
Those are some pretty impressive blog stats. The important thing is you passed most of your goals. Yeah I think you’ve gotten to the point now where you can start monetizing your site
I think some people like to start with ad sense, but every blog is different. Good luck with your Dec goals.
Liquid recently posted..Weekend Business and Blog Roundup – Dec 1st
I’m still not 100% certain how I am going to monetize this blog. I might try ad sense just to see how it goes, but i’m not expecting much.
Thanks for stopping by
Wow, what a comprehensive update! Looks like you’re doing quite well with your goals overall…keep up the great work
The Happy Homeowner recently posted..November 2012 Re-Cap
Thanks! I like to do a big monthly update as much for my benefit as that of my readers. I think it helps people to understand where my thoughts are at and hopefully you all feel like you get to know me just that little bit better
I can totally empathize with Mrs. Glen. The last month of pregnancy was the pits due to heat and swelling, and I worked up until a week before my due date ( worst decision ever, I should have been relaxing those brutal final weeks.) Swollen ankles are the horrible. I was in Hawaii when that first manifested during my pregnancy (what? You mean I can’t scale this volcano like I planned to do??) I tried to push through and BIG mistake. My body rebelled and I developed tendonitis in my swollen fat ankles, forcing me to stay off my feet for five days. Ugh.
Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy recently posted..Win $100 Cash with the ‘How to Save Money on Grocery Shopping’ Giveaway!!
Originally I thought taking 4 weeks off before the birth was a little excessive, but seeing her now, I am so glad she is doing it.
Shame about the tendonitis, I hope you got to experience a bit of Hawaii prior to your body rebelling. I would love to go one day.
Congrats on all of the passes. I don’t know too many people whose goal list has this many checkmarks. You should be proud.
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..How Controlling Holiday Spending is Like Controlling Your Holiday Weight Gain
I was actually a little annoyed that I didn’t spend more time building up the social media. It just motivates me to go a bit harder this month
Glen congrats on the success of your site. Those are some impressive numbers. Good luck with the baby and make sure you sleep now, you never know when you’ll get a good night’s sleep in the future.
Justin@TheFrugalPath recently posted..Tracking Expenses: A Budget’s Foundation
Thanks Justin! I have a fair bit of time off when the baby arrives so hopefully sleep won’t be that big of an issue for me.
I wish you’d track something! Ha! Although you didn’t reach every goal, the short-term success has been incredible here. You’ll be well below 200k soon, but you’re so right….it’s irrelevant. I haven’t paid attention to Alexa since I broke through 200k. Now it’s all about the other stats you list here.
AverageJoe recently posted..My Favorite Christmas Moment–Learning the Value of Exercise
What can I say, I like to be thorough.
I’m not too worried about the stats of the site. I figure that if I produce good quality content then the stats will take care of them self. I just like doing these posts as a reminder of how far I have come. I find it’s good for motivating me if ever I start to feel like I am not progressing.
I think you are doing great and will be closer to 100K before you know it. Enjoying following.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..My Most Memorable Christmas
I enjoy having you following Kim
Looks like your blog grew quite a bit in Novermber, good job! With that kind of UV count you should be below 100k alexa soon for sure.
Veronica @ Pelican on Money recently posted..10 Cheap and Practical Gift Card Ideas that Don’t Suck
I wonder how many of those visitors are spam visitors though, considering the amount of comment spam that I used to have to wade through.
You’re not doing bad at all! Most of these were passes. Pretty shortly the whole page will be full of Baby goals!
My Money Design recently posted..My Picks for Vanguard Mutual Funds for Our Roth IRA
Most were passes, but I still feel that I can improve. At least I was right about my Alexa rank – I notice today it’s under 200K.
Smashing it Glen!
James @ Free in Ten Years recently posted..Frugal grocery shopping tips – $100 giveaway
Cheers James. Thanks for guest posting for me