Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The year in two parts: part two - where we're going

So yesterday, I did a small - ok, long - recap of how I thought 2012 went. I found it pretty successful. I feel short in a few things, but I never had any set goals when I started this blog in March of 2012, so in a technical sense, everything was a positive.

Coming into 2013, I am going to set myself a few goals. It seems the thing to do - pick a peak and then scale it. Then pick another peak and work on that one. How many summits can I reach? How much oxygen will I need. Do I have any volunteers for sherpas? I have determined five catagories. Here they are and here are the criteria to get a successful completion:

Trades
I have most enjoyed the trading aspect of this hobby, and this group. We all hope for the pack that has everything we need, and we all have hung our head when it's nothing but crap (ie Red Wings). Just before I started writing this post, I had settled on the number of 52. A trade a week. I had to head out to my in-laws, and I had to buy new tires, and I have other bills that really need attention. So I have decided to halve that number - 26. I feel a trade every other week should do well. We all know shipping is expensive. Packs are getting expensive. Life is getting expensive. But if I can do 26 trades by 2013's end, I'll be happy.

White Sox Collection
When I first started, in trades I proposed I simply asked for "any White Sox or Blackhawks", and boy did you all respond. I must have a good 700-800 ChiSox cards I have yet to get organized. So my 2013 goal on my Sox collection is to get what I have organized and cataloged online, so any and all of those 26 trades will address specific needs. I'm fairly certain as I get my cards sorted, I will find a lot of dupes. That's ok - it's my own fault at this time. From this point forward, though, I should know what I have and what I need.

Sets
In 2012, I completed 3 sets - A&G Flora of the World, A&G World's Tallest Buildings and 2012 Topps series 1. I have plenty of needs that have been met in fantastic fashion. Yet, I still have needs yet to be filled. I can be out in the blogosphere as much as I can, but ultimately, the way I will complete sets is to meet other's needs. In turn, they should be able to hopefully meet mine. I currently have 14 sets on my wants page. The 2013 goal is to check 10 of them as complete.

Purchases
This will be a big change from 2012. In working last night to clear off my desk of all cards (failed), I realized just how much of 2012 duplicates I have. It's really unacceptable. Topps 2013 flagship design is not thrilling me, so I will probably take part in a group break or two and leave it at that. Pack ripping is fun, but I have to manage my money. I can spend $3 and get stuff I don't like or spend $3 on one or two cards I do like and get just what I want. It's a no brainer. My goal is to set a budget for spending per week and stick with it. If I don't buy for the week, that money can roll over. That will allow me to purchase a hobby box or two this year and then complete a couple sets or products I really like. My initial goal is $25 a week. I will hold myself accountable with a ticker on this blog.

Specific Collections
I have the Billy Pierce Project, which is progressing very well (and will be the subject of a post later this week). My Ben Petrick collection is a side project and not a full concern at this time. I have also been sort of working on a double play collection (GCRL's fault), throwback collection and player collections of Joe Crede, Tadahito Iguchi and Gordon Beckham. 2013's goal it to complete a trifecta of all the players (I do not believe there is a Pierce game used card available, so Pierce is not part of the goal). I will also work towards getting two lists of needed cards for the collections of Petrick, Beckham, Crede and Iguchi available online. Finally, I will get the Pierce project to 85% completion. This goal is the most ambitious of the 5.

So there we go. Bring it, 2013!!

2 comments:

  1. Good luck on sticking to a budget! That is one of my goals as well this yea - not that I spend a ton on cardboard, but being poor, even a few blasters puts a decent size dent in my "life" budget.

    Great choice on the Sam Cooke song! Not super into 60s soul music, but that's my favorite song of his, and Live At The Harlem Club might be my favorite live album of all time.

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