I thought I would do a round-up of where the money came from for my 2008 $20 challenge. Maybe it will give me some new ideas for 2009 and let me know where my efforts were best spent. I'd also like to know how you made your $20 challenge money. The more ideas the better!

Percentage of freelance work: $511.75
Web craft sales:$411.89
Google Adsense:$259.66
Tax rebates/refunds:$184.00
Change jar: $142.19
Misc Web projects (writing): $114.83
eBay: $54.82
Amazon marketplace: $45.52
ING referrals:$35
Etsy: $28.67
CafePress: $26.20
Tiki Savings account interest: $24.60
lotto tickets: $10

OK, so looking at those numbers, in 2009 I could:
- probably do better with eBay. I have stuff to sell, I just rarely post auctions.
-I will add a yard sale into the mix in June.
-CafePress was a surprise. I poste a few designs, spent little effort, and got a check. I will post more designs this year and promote them a bit and see if I can make more on this. It's my kind of gig, creative and with zero capital outlay.

Web craft sales and misc Web writing gigs not related to my day job were bigger money makers than I suspected. I will put more effort into these in 2009.

Tell me about your best $20 challenge projects for the year!

New Year's is just around the corner, so I am my usual contemplative self. I sure hope 2009 is easier emotionally than 2008.

As you probably remember, my dad died in July and I added the first baby to our family in April, quit my job, etc. All of that was emotionally very draining. (The baby still is. Good thing he's cute.)

It was a year of unknowns, but here we are.

We made it. Our savings goals were better than I had ever imagined. We managed to exceed our goals for the year. Despite me not having a full0time job. (I freelance, when I can get the work).

We have settled into the routine of being parents. Sure, we don't like spending so many nights at home, but it hasn't been all terrible. Once you get through those first three months, it gets a lot easier.

And, thanks to our No Spend Month experiment (http://www.middlepathfinance.com/no_spend_month/, honey and I talked about money and got on a budget for the first time ever. I'm hoping this will get us in even better financial shape. All of the 2008 goals I did without his input. I just did them, because I manage the money for both of us. (He helped, of course, by working!) Maybe we can do more amazing things in 2009 with both of us on the same page.

Our goals aren't as ambitious for 2009, I admit. They incorporate some more personal goals, like weight loss, travel, novel writing, etc. Money, sure, but it's not as at the forefront, mostly because I have no idea if I can get as much work thanks to the economic downturn. We'll see.

Am I the only one who gets contemplative this time of year?

I've made my final list...

Jan-Feb:Migrate all of my Web sites to a new publishing platform that will hopefully let me take them to the next level content-wise and money-wise! Go to New Orleans to visit my friends.

March: Write a novel in 31 days, it doesn't matter if it's bad. This will be my first. Start a once-a-month Stitch n B*itch at my house.

April-May: Take a vacation with just the hubby either to Mexico or France.

Summer: Take Mom to San Francisco

Health: Join the gym, do yoga, and lose 5 to 10 pounds.

"Green" Goals: Reduce electricity usage by 20 percent by the end of the year, through efficiency upgrades.

Home: Expand my veggie garden. Grow 150 pounds of fruit and veggies at home. Build a stone wall around my flower beds, and build a patio in the backyard.

Financial Goals for 2009:
We will be making less money this year (sigh), but for the first time we have a mutually agreed-upon budget.

$9,000 to savings/EF
$2,500 to hubby's Roth IRA
$2,000 to 529 plan
$600 to new car fund
Total: $14,100

Pay $3,600 extra on the student loan.

I do not know how much work I will have this year, but the goal is to put all of it into my IRA until it hits $5,000, and if there is any more than that, use it all to pay down the student loan.

Tiki Fund/ $20 challenge Goal:
$2,100

I sent some invoices out for freelance work today, to the tune of about $2800. I also finished about $100 more of freelance work today. If all goes well, of that $2900:
$1450 will go to savings
$450 will go to the vacation fund
$500 will go to extra on the student loan
$500 will go to the tiki fund

I'm expecting the first check, for $300, sometime this week. The $100 check (it will likely be for more) in two weeks, and the $2500 check by mid-November.

I hate to count my eggs before they are in my bank account, but I want to have this on record so I don't forget what I am supposed to do with it when the check comes!

I found two bars for sale, both include the building and the liquor license. One is $224k, the other $130k. The second is what I want, with rentals above to pay the note. These are very inexpensive, so I am doing a drive by later to check out the areas. The $224k one would work, but doesn't have rentals, so isn't quite what I am looking for. (Both would save big bucks on getting the license and not having to buy all the bar equipment).

My plan is to open the bar in five years, but it can't hurt to start looking now so I can identify a good deal when I see one.

It's been a bad day. I feel like my bank account is hemmoraghing money, and like the world is designed to get you coming and going.

I wrote earlier about the hot tub being a money pit. Sure, I accept responsibility for that. I will have repair visit No. 3 in the past month this week.

Then, when I went to install some very important new software on my mac, software I use to run all of my web businesses and multimedia and freelance graphic design, it turns out I need to buy a new operating system to run it on my computer. I bought my Mac 2 months before the new operating system came out,and the new software needs the new operating system. Ugh. I can't do anything without it, so that's another $130 out the door.

A friend is also in the hospital, at risk of having her baby 2 months early. She doesn't have anything for the baby yet. So, we're all running around trying to make sure she has the basics should the baby come out soon. We know her hubby will not have the time or energy to shop and set up a nursery. I don't mind that so much, but that is money out earlier than I expected.

I feel like I am swimming against the current. I guess everyone who's trying to save feels like that eventually, right?

I guess I'm not taking all of this in stride as I normally do, because I'm already feeling really down. I missed dad a lot today and the exhaustion of not sleeping and taking care of baby, and trying to keep my career together really got to me today.

Well, depressed by my lack of growth in the tiki fund, I decided to put one of my all-time favorite dresses on eBay. It's a red prom dress from the 1950s. I used to wear it out a lot, but now it doesn't fit me anymore . Darn babies! They ruin your figure. Well, or in my case, give you a little too much up top. Ahem

So, on ebay it has gone. I hope it goes to a good home. I also posted a new monster purse on Etsy. He is very cute as well. I always get so attached to them when I make them!

My dad, who as you know just died last week, always owned his own businesses and often told me that working for yourself is the only way to work. Those messages stuck. I inherited his entrepreneurial spirit.

He even at one time owned a bar. I used to roller skate on the dance floor when the bands were setting up.

I found this photo in my mom's albums. It's dad, in the office of one of his muffler shops. It was taken around 1974.

I pinned it up above my computer, as a motivator and a reminder that I too have what it takes to run my own business.

When I open my tiki bar, I will hang it above my desk in my office.

Of course, I should also thank dad for the tiki influence. He is the one who took me to Hawaii twice when I was little!

is collecting the checks! I love freelancing. I get to write different stories, I get to work in my pajamas, make my own schedule, and most important I can say "No" to projects I don't want to do. My last boss didn't afford me that option.

But the worst part is tracking down the cash once the project is done. Most companies pay Net 30, so you get your check 30 days after the end of the month in which you finished it. I have no beef with that.

However, a lot of times there's a hitch-- the editor loses my invoice or forgets to turn it in on time and I have to send the dreaded reminder email. The "could you please check the status of my invoice?" email.

I hate doing it. But, it happens a lot. Today, I had to send two reminders for March invoices totalling $4600 and change.
They checks should have arrived in May, but alas, May is almost over and no checks. so the emails go out. Then waiting another 30 days or so to get paid.

Boo. This is why I keep a pad in my checking account. So I'm not too dependent on any one check, because you never know when they are going to arrive!

That said... What to do with the $4,600 when it does arrive. I have toyed with the idea of opening a self directed 401k which would allow me to stash a lot more for retirement than an IRA. But, I may skip that this and put the money toward our last home improvement project-- a new roof. It's the last big cash outlay for a necessity for the house . Looks like I have a month to think about what to do with the cash!

I just socked another $15.24 in the tiki $20 challenge fund. The money came from sales of a display ad on one of my Web sites. I'm happy that there is now over $600 in the tiki bar fund, and it's only March.

We also managed to sock an additional
$175 in the 529 plan for the soon-to-be-born bean
$200 extra in the savings account
$180 in the stock-buying account.

Feels nice. Also, when the checks for my latest freelance project come in, it should be enough to max out my IRA for the year. Yay!

Being forced to articulate my goals on this blog has really helped me make things happen. I wish I had started sooner...

Yay! I added $67.29 in Google adsense profits from my Web magazine to the Tiki $20 challenge.

2008 Total: $560.25, $939,75 to go!

I also paid an extra $143 this month on my student loan, bringing the balance to about $16,140. Down from $40,000 in 2001!!

I have long had an "accelerated" payment plan for the loan. When I work full time, I have used any money I've made as a freelance writer to pay extra on the loan every month. It's really sped up the pay-down.

I know it has a low interest rate and all, but it's our last outstanding debt, and I want it paid off. I totally hate debt.

I got to add $9.51 in profits from Amazon marketplace sales and $3.40 in profits from a sale on my Web site to the tiki bar fund.

Tiki "$20" challenge: $12.91
Total this year: $487.96

Well, the tiki fund isn't growing as much as I'd like it to this month. Seems like I just can't get moving. Sales on my Web sites and on Amazon have been slow, and I haven't dedicated any time to crafting more items to sell.

I guess this is the trade off. My normal professional life has been busy-- I have a new, potentially lucrative freelance gig that only lasts for the next 6 to 8 weeks-- until this baby pops out.

And of course add in that being very pregnant is exhausting, and I'm not much of a go-getter at the end of the day.

I am happy to have an assignment that will help me max out my IRA for the year and contribute to the household budget. But that doesn't get me much closer to the dream!

Well, looks like a local store might be interested in selling some of my handmade bags. A friend of mine went in there wearing one, and the store owner totally loved them and asked me to call her.

I've never sold consignment before. But, I am familiar with the store and really like it and what they stand for.

Usually, I only sell on the Internet. I get to keep more of the cash, minus Paypal and shipping fees. With in-store consignment, I'll only get 55 percent of the purchase price but it's good exposure to a new audience who might not otherwise find my Web sites. What to do...

I think I might go for it. I did the math and even at 55 percent, it will still be a profitable venture, just not as profitable per item as I am used to.

But if it boosts sales, that just means more money in the Tiki fund. And that's the goal right?

Have any of you sold on consignment before? Anything I should look out for?

Another check from a freelance assignment came in the mail today, so that's another $225 toward the IRA goal. I'm now up to $2,199 out of the $5,000 I want to contribute for 2008.

Here's the rub. I was reading the IRS guidelines on IRA contributions (yes, I'm a geek) and it appears that I have to subtract half of my self-employment tax from the amount I am allowed to contribute. .

If I have a good year, this won't be an issue, as I will have enough freelance income to max out the IRA and then some. But if I make less than $5,000 this year, I won't know exactly how much I can put into the IRA, due to the SEP calculation.

What to do.

I guess these are the challenges facing the self-employed.

At the moment, I've just been putting the entire freelance check into a reserve bound for the IRA account. I guess I can wait and see how much I have in it at the end of the year and do a quickie calculation.

Any other ideas?

Thanks to an eBay sale and another sale from my Web site, I added another $11.97 into the Tiki Bar savings account today. It feels good.

I know it's only small amounts, but just deciding to do this and keep track of the results really keeps me motivated and constantly thinking of new ways to make extra money.

Thanks to some craft sales and another Amazon book sale, I'm adding another $55.97 to the Tiki Bar fund. It isn't a lot, but it sure feels good to make some progress! I've also decided to raise the Tiki Bar Fund savings goal to $1,500, since I'm almost half way to my original goal of $1,000.

I sold two book through the Amazon marketplace, so those profits are going to the Tiki Bar Fund.

(I'm applying the $20 challenge principle to my Tiki Bar Fund-- using new sources of revenue to boost my savings.)

The total sales came to $17.87, but after shipping and fees my profit was only $7. (Boo.) The tiki bar fund total is now $399.19.

I should be able to add more to that by the end of the month, due to some pending eBay sales.

On a more exciting note, I just got a check for $1,947 for a freelance project I did late last year. It's going directly into my IRA.

My goal is to max out my IRA this year with $5,000 in contributions. This is a good jump start. Only $3,053 left to go!

On another note, I just got $75 worth of Amazon gift certificates in the mail. We use an Amazon credit card to and these are our accrued "Rewards". I used the certificates to buy my crib mattress, so that was a nice bonus for baby that didn't have to come out of our pockets.

Today was productive. I just set up an eBay auction for some very nice perfume I won at a holiday raffle. I also put 4 like-new books up for sale on the Amazon marketplace and posted two listings on Etsy.com, the craft Web site, for some tote bags that I made out of vintage Transformers and Batman fabrics. Hopefully some of these will sell in the next few weeks so I can pad the tiki bar fund! (although, not as much as I like because auction fees really add up. What a racket!)

It's time to also think about expanding my craft repertoire to boost sales so I can get closer to my goals. I'm thinking of designing/ selling a simple and inexpensive sewing pattern for reusable grocery bags. And maybe branching out into sterling silver jewelry. That will take a whole new skill set, but would be very exciting to learn.

It's that time of year again. Time to empty the giant plastic beer bottle "piggy" bank. It's the receptacle for all of my spare change, linty pennies I picked up on the street, as well as my go-to guy for bus fare and parking meter money. When it gets overwhelming, I empty it out. It's been about a year.

This year, with my honey's blessing, I'm putting that money in the Tiki Bar Fund. This will probably be the last big "easy" boost the fund will get this year. A sad thought considering it's only early January. I'm actually going to have to go out and (somehow) earn the rest.

I rolled as many coins as I could last night while watching television. Holl-ee cow. When I counted, I had $112. I also cashed in pennies at the Coinstar, for a total of $26.19.

I know, I know. Coinstar charges 8.9 percent to sort, but I ran out of wrappers and my bank won't take loose change. I wrapped all of the silver, so it's worth it to me to pay $2 or so just to get those pennies off my hands. I guess that isn't very thrifty of me, but I'm choosing my battles.

I went to the bank this morning to deposit all of my ill-gotten gains. This afternoon, I'll transfer it into the official Tiki Bar Fund online savings account.

The grand total: The pennies came to $26.19, for a grand total of $138.19 in change. Plus, I found a bonus $4-- a lottery ticket that my mom gave me for Christmas, so I'm adding $142.19 to the fund. Yay! I'm now up to $392.19!

Now the real work can begin.