This post is my year-end review on life, goals and finances for 2020.
Here’s a quick run through on how the past 365 days went for me in general and how I would want the coming New Year to be different.
I’ve done a year-end review almost every single year since I started SavingsPinay.ph. You can read each below:
For me, year-end review is a must. It makes you look back and reflect on the mistakes and accomplishments you had. It gives you a summary of lessons learned for the past year and provide you with a positive benchmark for the year ahead.
In this post I will:
Share with you the highlights of my 2020 on Blog, Life and Money
Share to you a recap of what happened to my goals in 2020
Give you insights to my spending habits
Provide you a spreadsheet on how I’m ending 2020 in terms of net worth.
And same as last year I will NOT include my goals for 2021 in this year-end review.
I will have a separate post sharing to you my goals for the coming year. This way we can all refer to it every time I do my money recaps.
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Highlights of 2020 on Blog, Life and Money
1. Promotion
I finally got the promotion I’ve been waiting for a long time. Last February 2020, I got a promotion which ultimately helped me to combat the unexpected expenses last year.
2. Unplanned savings due to work-from-home situation
For the months of April to July 2020, we were forced to work-from-home. This opened up space for unplanned savings which I am super grateful for even today.
Although now I’m already reporting to work every other week, I am still able to save a lot compared to pre-pandemic period. I used to have dinner alone after work, spend money unintentionally on mall visits, etc.
Grateful for all the unplanned savings!
3. Completed my Emergency Fund
Another big financial move I did last year is the completion of my Emergency Fund. I pushed myself and my finances to accomplish this so I can have that peace of mind for the rest of the year. You can read below more about this goal.
4. Launched The SavingsPinay Podcast
One thing I’m proud of for 2020 is the fact that I launched a podcast! What?!!!!
Yes!
Last April 2020, I launched The SavingsPinay Podcast and released five episodes. If you still haven’t listen to any of the episodes please check here – Spotify or iTunes
5. Launched The Budget Notepad
My first paid digital product – The Budget Notepad was also launched in November 2020. After years of blogging here in SavingsPinay.ph I finally have a product I can call my own. Super happy.
If you read my 2020 Side Hustle Income Report you’ll know that I didn’t received that much from releasing my The Budget Notepad. But that’s okay.
When I launched The Budget Template I also didn’t aim for a 4-figure or even 5-figure income. I launched The Budget Template because I badly wanted to sell my first ever digital product after years of blogging here in SavingsPinay.ph.
I only priced the product at Php 49 because I want it to be affordable to everyone. I do have my plans for next year about this digital product.
You can learn about The Budget Template HERE.
6. Online Speaking Engagements
I enjoyed doing webinars so much and I am so thankful that I’m able to do it in 2020 amidst the pandemic. If you are a long time reader of Savingspinay.ph you know that I used to host weddings and events so I enjoy public speaking a lot. To be able to do what I love to do and get paid for it is such an A-MAZ-ING feeling.
7. DZMM Teleradyo Sakto Interview
Before 2020 ended, I had the privilege to be interviewed by none other than Ms. Amy Perez for DZMM Teleradyo’s Sakto segment. It was both fun and nerve-wracking and probably the biggest segment I had yet.
2020 Goals Recap
Up until October 2020, I was able to share the progress of my goals. However, I wasn’t able to upload a net worth update for the last two months of 2020. I set myself some ambitious goal in the beginning of 2020 and had to toned them a bit mid-way.
There are goals on my list that have been deferred because of how 2020 turned out to be. And I know a lot of us had to step back and recalibrate.
So, here is the status of my goals at ended of December 2020:
Compared to the past years, I feel like I’ve done better this 2020 in terms of acting on my goals. All important goals in green were achieved. There were also a number of goals in yellow which means I was close to reaching the goal. But you can also clearly see goals in read, or those which I failed.
Overall, I am thrilled with my progress and I really give myself a pat in the shoulder for pushing until the end. Let’s talk more about each below.
Financial Goals
End 2020 with Php 350,000 net worth
For 2020, I set a very ambitious goal of reaching Php 500,000 net worth. This turned out to be a difficult goal to achieve towards the middle of the year and I had to set up a more realistic goal of Php 350,000 net worth.
The promotion did happen in February 2020 which gave a surprising boost in my income. However, the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic also happened. This led to a lot of unplanned expenses for my parents.
We decided it would be best if they live in the province for good. No more sari-sari store where they get most of their basic needs. This also means we had to support their basic needs until they move out.
I paid for the trucking to transfer their things from Manila to Eastern Samar. I was also bleeding from groceries not to mention utility bills because I am not living alone anymore. I have my parents with me.
Another event that occurred in 2020 where I was forced to shell out money is my father’s kidney operation. He recovered pretty well and fast so I’m relieved with that.
I fell short of 3% for this goal which actually surprised me. Given the expenses of 2020, I actually thought I will be ending the year below the 300K mark. Thank you Lord for the provision and the promise that you are with me now and forever.
Save Php 60,000 Emergency Fund
After years of trying, I finally completed my emergency fund.
I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am for this.
There’s so much power and confidence having a completed emergency fund can bring. The amount may seem too little for some but this is the amount that I am working with for now. Of course, I would want to grow this every single month from here on.
Max out Php 48,000 invested
I am happy that I was able to max out Php 48,000 net money invested in 2020. I am currently invested in three different funds, Exchange-Traded Fund, Index Fund and Equity.
Since I am more of a long term investor I only set a goal based on how much money I want to invest throughout the year. I don’t really set a goal about my gains. Whatever gains I receive, I just reinvest to my funds. My funds are all meant for retirement which is at least 10 to 15 years from now.
Do Spavings and Record It
I set a goal of doing Spavings in 2020 and really record how much I spaced.
Spavings is the perceived savings you get when you buy something on sale. The term is actually a play on words Spend and Save. If you want to learn more about it click here.
The spavings goal didn’t really end up great for 2020 since the forced work from home took place. I didn’t really shop that much so I didn’t accumulate as much spavings as well.
Do the 1% Money Saving Challenge
Although I didn’t have that much Spavings for 2020, it’s okay because I still manage to complete another saving challenge – the 1% Money Saving Challenge.
I did the 1% Money Saving Challenge to help me start my travel fund for 2020. I had a plan to go to Thailand for my 27th birthday. Sadly, travels were banned for the most of last year but I still did the challenge anyway.
What I did is put the money I saved from the 1% Money Saving Challenge on GSave to maximize a higher interest rate.
Save on Commute
Because of work from home situation, I am saving up a lot of money on commute. Just like the Spavings, with me working from home most of 2020 I don’t really spend any money on commute anymore. Thus, this goal became irrelevant for now.
Personal Goals
Get a promotion
I got my promotion last February 2020.
The waiting period seems too long (3 years) but in those time of unknown, He listens. He is always there.
Since the promotion began, I’ve been budgeting and living based on my previous salary. The major salary increase I got is what I’ve been using to provide monthly cash allowance to my parents during COVID-19 as mentioned above.
Overall, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be working in the field where I am passionate about, finance. And not to mention doing what I love to do – social media.
Read 20 books
I made a goal to read 20 books this year and I ended with 16 books read.
Reading is such a great way to pass time productively. I’ve never been successful when it comes to reading challenges I join and I really want this year to be different.
In case you need book recommendations you may check out this post – 18 Must Read Books on Money, Business, Investing and Productivity.
Blog Goals
Launch SavingsPinay Podcast
I never thought I’ll be able to do achieve this goal since I’ve been putting off working on a podcast for so long now. I think I first talked about this in 2018 but have since made progress about this venture.
When the enhanced community quarantine got extended in April 2020, I made it a point to act maximize the work from home set up and act on this goal. Finally, I got it done!
A lot of SavingsPinay readers have been sending this request over and I thought it would be nice for me to relive as well my dreams of becoming a DJ. Finally this big project is now done!
You can now listen on Spotify or iTunes.
Blog 80 Times
I am not as consistent with my content this 2020. I’m really sorry for that. I only published 59 posts for the year instead of the 80 blog posts I planned to post.
Although I wasn’t able to blog that much in 2020, I am still happy that I was able to publish some great posts for the year. I will be publishing my Best Posts of 2020 soon.
52 YouTube Videos
I really want to get back into YouTube especially now that I’ve been working from home and have this newfound time to do so. Sadly, I can’t seem to find the right time to film. I live in a noisy neighborhood and I’m too afraid to film and have the end video filled with noises. Major fail on this goal.
Earn $300 on Google Adsense
I got so close for the Google Adsense target for 2020. It was the last three months of the year that brought much of the income for me. I don’t know what happened but the monthly Google Adsense payment I get doubled in November and December 2020.
Fun Goal
Hike
Because of the pandemic this did not happen in 2020. I so miss the feeling of hiking.
2020 Spending Habits
2020 proved to be a great year in terms of my spending habits. Because of the community quarantine, I was able to open up opportunities for unplanned savings.
I spent most of my money helping my parent, paying bills, and grocery shopping. This were different expenses compared to the past years. I haven’t been as tight as I should be when it comes to my finances in 2020. For one, stopped budgeting and tracking my experience when the community quarantine began.
For 2021, I want to better. Make sure that I track my money, I budget, I invest based on schedule and I make decisions for the betterment of my finances.
2020 Net Worth
As an ending here’s how 2019 ended in terms of my net worth:
Final Notes from SavingsPinay
That’s it everyone. Now we’re ready to start 2020 afresh.
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have yet to do your own year end review I highly recommend for you to start one. Do Your Own Year-End Financial Review Too!
Constant review makes a lot of difference. Mid-year review gives you the chance to make adjustments and can help you to stay conscious throughout the year. Year-end review, on the other hand, is a good way to set yourself on a better pace for the New Year.
To recap this is how a year-end review works:
First, re-evaluate your goals. If you set your goals at the start of the year then you can revisit each and review the status. What goal/s is/are done or accomplished already? Is there any goal that’s not relevant anymore?
Second, review your spending habits. Find out who and how you are when it comes to spending your money lately. Are you saver or spender? Do you spend more on your needs or your wants?
Third, start your side hustle. Think of a passion project you can do on the side in 2021.
Fourth, calculate your net-worth. To give you a concrete road map you need to calculate your current net-worth. I provided a simple template for you to use.
Lastly, list down your next actions. Once your done with steps 1-4, you can now make an action list. Commit yourself in doing the items written in your next action list to start the New Year strong!
How’s 2020 for your finances?
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