Planning A New Year

With a new year starting tomorrow (where did this year go?), I’ve started thinking about what I’d like to work on for the next year. Looking back at last year’s goals (and the updates I wrote about them), I’m super disappointed in myself. Because I did such a crappy job following through this year, my 2013 goals/resolutions list is pretty long - hopefully I can stick to them a little better.

My 2013 goals and resolutions, in no particular order …

* Learn to do new things - Thanks to Pinterest, there are quite a few things that I’d like to learn how to do. One of the top things on my list is to learn how to use power tools. I have come across quite a few things that I’d like to build (or at least assist in building) for our home, like a platform bed frame, end tables, and a shoe storage cubby. B’s dad is our go-to guy for all of our carpentry needs, but I would like to be able to help without being scared of the tools, plus it would be nice to be able to do some of the small stuff myself. I have also fallen in love with the gorgeous chalkboards, hand lettered signs, and calligraphy envelopes that everyone and their mom is pinning lately, so I’m hoping to practice my lettering technique this year. Another thing on my list of things I’d like to learn isn’t exactly new - I want to learn how to scrapbook. I mean, I kind of know how (you stick pictures onto paper and slap them in a book) - but I’ve never completed a scrapbook. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever really even started a scrapbook. That’s going to change in 2013 - I have a ton of paper and other assorted scrapbooking supplies, and I’m going to use them (once I get my craft room clean)!

*Start Meal Planning - we do a watered down version of meal planning every week before grocery shopping, so I’m hoping this won’t be too difficult for us. I would like to build up a variety of recipes to draw from (we pretty much eat the same meals every week and it gets boring) and begin meal planning for a couple of weeks at a time. Hopefully that will help cut down on the amount of grocery shopping we have to do, and maybe even lower the amount of money we spend on groceries each month. B and I hate grocery shopping, so if we can do less grocery shopping, it’s a win for both of us.

* Follow the Budget - I guess to follow through with this resolution, we’ll first have to set up an actual budget to follow. We have a loose budget thrown together, but I don’t really know much about where our money goes, so I’d like to be more involved. I am really bad at walking away from extra expenses, so I want to work on that - I don’t need more clothes, more paper, fast food … I need to cut back. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.

* Keep up with House - I’ve started working on this a little already because we started having weekly game nights a couple months ago, but I have already been slacking again lately, so I need to get back on the wagon. Because of my split shift, I have plenty of time in the middle of the day to get housework done, but chores typically lose out to nap time. I’m trying to work on it. I would love to get organized in 2013 as well. My things are never put away where they belong - it drives B crazy, but he puts up with my mess. I really want to get myself under control in 2013.

* Post on Blog Regularly - easier said than done. My goal is one post a week minimum, which seems manageable … the only problem is that I’m super boring, so unless I get KU soon, I might not have anything to blog about.

*Make Healthier Choices - I’ve been a little more adventurous in trying foods I didn’t think I liked before. It turns out I love asparagus, spinach salads, and guacamole (not all at the same time). I want to continue trying different veggies and eating healthier, and definitely work on cutting down portion sizes. Skipping dessert once in a while wouldn’t be a bad idea either. My other stereotypical goal is to work on being more active. I haven’t been walking as much as I used to, so I need to start doing something - probably yoga. I have a few videos that I like to follow along with, but I don’t do them very often, so in 2013, I’d like to do videos twice a week. We’ll see how that shapes up.

*Take More Pictures - We have a ton of empty picture frames, and I want to fill them. B and I don’t have many pictures together (aside from our wedding pictures) because we aren’t the most photogenic people. I’m hoping to figure out a way to take more pictures of us and actually get them printed so we can hang them. I’m thinking about attempting to do Project 365 so at the very least I have some random things from our daily life to frame. If I follow through with it, I might even put together a family yearbook.

*Be a Better Wife - I’m still working on changing the way I talk to B. It’s a difficult habit to change, especially when we have the same sense of humor.

* Follow Through - the most difficult resolution of all. Obviously I failed at this in 2012 because most of my goals and resolutions were incomplete. I’m a work in progress when it comes to following through with things - I have great intentions and zero motivation. I’m hoping I can improve on this in the new year.

So there they are … 2013 is going to be a year of change. I hope.

New Year's Resolutions: A Progress Update

Now that we’re entering the 5th month of the year, I figured it was about time to check in on my progress with the resolutions I made for 2012 (I’m giving myself bonus points on following through for this post - wahoo!).  At this point, I’m not doing great, but it could be worse - I guess that’s a win.  My main problem is that I lost focus for a while.

If I had to grade myself on my progress, this would be my report card:

Be a Better Wife: C.  I have a bad habit of taking my work frustrations out on B (and I have a lot of work frustrations!), and I often turn to sarcasm and name-calling.  It’s difficult to censor myself because he does the same thing with me (an example of affection in our house is me calling him a dick and him questioning my ability to exist despite my incredible stupidity - we both laugh at each other’s insults).  I need to work on thinking before I speak and using real affection instead of hostile affection.

Be More Mindful of Spending: B-.  I had been doing a pretty decent job of keeping up with our finances via Mint instead of just relying on Hubs to keep me informed.  We had both been doing a pretty good job of keeping our frivolous spending down … until we went on vacation.  I encouraged B to go a little crazy at the Braves Clubhouse Store in Atlanta - we spent about $200 there.  And I’m a sucker for the pictures taken at the aquarium, so we spent $30 on one picture.  It’s not worth it, but it is.  We have also started going to more movies, which has increased our spending.  B bought a movie pack so we’re technically saving about $5 per movie, but we also tend to buy fast food before the movie, so we spend more than we save.  We need to cut back again on the extras we’ve been indulging in.

Follow Through: B-.  I have completed a few craft projects from Pinterest (and even tried a recipe!) and I’ve been doing a pretty good job of keeping up with blog posts, but I got apathetic with a major scrapbooking project before I really started it.  I have a hard time maintaining my motivation.  I think the biggest speed bump in my goal to follow through is feeling like I don’t have enough time, so I’m planning on creating a schedule to help me better manage my time, which will hopefully result in me following through and finishing what I start.

Keep in Touch with Friends & Family: D.  I talk to my mom and at least one of my sisters almost every day, but I’m not counting that.  I recently started writing a letter to a friend of mine from college - if I actually finish it and mail it out, I’ll boost my grade a little (there’s that beasty follow through rearing its head again).  I have been doing a little Facebook communication with a couple of friends also, but I don’t think it amounts to much.  I tie this one in with following through and hope that planning my time helps this improve.

Read More: A+!  Thanks to my Kindle Fire and our Amazon Prime subscription, I’ve been kicking some books’ asses!  Every month I download a free book from the Amazon Lender’s Library, plus I also purchased 2 physical books. That’s a 200% increase from the number of books I bought last year (that may be an exaggeration, but you get the idea).

Make a Decision about Grad School: (graded as pass/fail) FAIL!  To quote a law drama - I am hopelessly deadlocked on this case.  On the one hand, it’s my dream to get a Masters degree so that I could become a Marriage and Family therapist if I wanted.  On the other hand, my desire to become a mom - and a stay-at-home mom, at that - has made me reconsider my grad school plans.  Not to mention the cost - yikes!  This decision is going to take a while to play out, and I’m officially removing it from 2012’s resolutions.

Hopefully in another couple of months I’ll have made some real progress.

National Ditch Your Resolutions Day

According to the radio station that plays during nap time at work (which is obviously a very reliable source … ha), January 17th was National Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day.  I figured it was the perfect time to take a look at my resolutions and see how successful I’ve been.  (Here’s a hint - I put off writing this post for almost a week … how’s that for following through?)  I will be completely honest - I am struggling.  Not with everything, which I think is promising - but I definitely need to re-focus and continue working on things.

I’m coming out about even on the being a better wife front.  I’ve been doing an amazing job (for me) of keeping up with most of the household chores, but I haven’t been as affectionate as I’d like to be.  I need to be much more mindful of the way I speak to my husband and the attitude I have toward life.

I have definitely been struggling a lot with following through, but obviously this is a more long term goal.  I feel like I have made some progress, although sometimes it feels like a one step forward, two steps back kind of situation.  The main things I’m trying to focus my follow through energies on lately are blogging more (which is easier said than done, for sure) and finishing my homemade Valentine’s.  I almost gave up on the Valentine’s cards last week when I came across some really cute partially DIY ones at Target, but I didn’t want the work I’d already done to go to waste, so I’m sticking with my original plan.  For now.  I’m hoping to get motivated again on my day off and maybe I’ll finish them (or at least get them closer to being finished).

My keeping in touch with friends and family resolution is very closely related to following through for me.  This is another one of my more long term goals, so it seems to soon to tell if I’ve made any improvements yet.  I did manage to remember to text my mom on my parent’s anniversary and we proceeded to text and chat throughout the day, so that can go in the success column.  I have also called and texted my sisters pretty frequently, but it probably isn’t any more than I usually do.  I need to work on calling my grandmas more (well, calling one and emailing the other - yes, my grandma uses the internet.  And she and grandpa have a hard time hearing on the phone, so e-mail is a better form of communication for us).  I also have been awful about keeping in touch with my friends, aside from a few Facebook messages here and there.  It’s a work in progress.

I have barely started working on saving up more money, mostly because at this point we haven’t gotten any extra money to put away yet.  Hubs just got his promotion, and his first paycheck as a salaried employee was about $100 less than normal, like we expected.  We haven’t seen his first profit sharing bonus yet (which is where the loss in pay is going to be made up), but we’re hopeful for decent returns.  My raise (fingers crossed) should be reflected in one of the first paychecks I receive in February, so I’m hoping that will make up for some of our loss in B’s income.  I’m still pretty skeptical about this raise - I’ll believe it when I see it - but any extra money would definitely be an improvement, and if it is as significant as my work friends are telling me it will be, it won’t be too difficult to put a little extra money into savings.  As far as spending goes, I’ve been convincing myself to not buy things when we’ve gone shopping (I’m pretty proud of myself), and the few things that I have bought recently have been bargain bin finds.  I probably could have gone without buying them at all, but I can’t cut myself off cold turkey.

I’ve read one book in 2012 so far.  I actually read the whole things in one day.  That’s really not anything surprising from me though.  I need to download some more (free) books to read (and then manage to find time to read them).  This goal can sit on the back burner for a while.  I’ll get around to it eventually.

My final resolution about making a decision about Grad school is going to take a lot of time and serious consideration.  As much as I would love to learn more about a subject I’m passionate about, I don’t see myself making a move into a Counseling career.  I guess I’m kind of stuck in the mindset that I want to be a stay at home mom.  The more I think about how expensive graduate school is, and how much of my time it will take up, as well as all of the effort it will take to even apply … I just don’t know if it’s going to happen or not.  I’m definitely going to have to do more than 3 weeks worth of soul-searching to figure out what my plan is for my educational future.

So, there it is, the current status of my New Year’s Resolutions.  The good news is that even though I’ve been struggling, it’s not even February yet.  I have 11 months to work on these things, I just need to take it one day at a time.