I hope to do more things as a family this year. Our two youngest kids are 14 and 16 and we haven't been on a vacation in years. I was initially thinking of an Orlando vacation, and we still might, but our appliances seem to be dying by the day, so I'm worried about not having a safety net for when the next one goes out. If we do go, we'll use our tax refund to pay for it all, as we don't do that great with saving for an event, so it will be to go when we have it. My husband races mototrials bikes and I hope to do more family time going to watch him race.
BLOG
My goal for my blog will be to post three times a week. I have a lot more recipes I want to feature, but also want to post more on my creative pursuits, activities, organization, and whatever seems to be happening in my life in a given week. I also hope to start hosting giveaways, so I need to get in contact with the people and companies that I love and would like to feature.
READING
I'm a member of several reading groups, both in real life and online. I plan on reading each of the books assigned each month and participating in the group events. I might also do a book club on my blog, now that I think of it. It could be for the other books I want to read that are in addition to the ones assigned. With just the groups I'm already active in, that will have me reading about 4 books each month, depending on how quickly I read it. If it's a great book I can zoom through it, but if it's not, I really struggle making myself finish it. I have heard of a guideline to use when reading a book you don't really care for is to allow yourself to read 100 pages minus your age. If you still don't like it, then quit and don't waste any more time on it. Since I'm 46, I would need to read 54 pages before giving up on it.
FRIENDS
Sadly, the majority of my friends are online. I rarely see any people on a social level in real life. My goals in this area are to make friends in the groups I go to at the library and try to get together with some of the ladies outside of the library. Also, I'm going to do an event each month and invite friends to join us. In January, I've already scheduled a bowling event and invited some of our friends, which are mostly people my husband works with, and several are planning to join us. I think I'll schedule a roller skating even for February, and not sure after that. It will have to be local (which isn't a lot) and fairly cheap as most of us have several kids and not the highest of incomes.
CLUBS/GROUPS
I plan on staying active with my reading groups, knitting group, as well as joining a local genealogical group to help trace my husband's lineage. I also am considering taking a Master Gardener's class this year, so I will have that group, if I do. My husband is joining a local homebrewer's club and I'll probably join it with him, even though I don't like the taste of beer, I do enjoy trying new things. I'll make sure the kids continue with their Teens! group a the library and my daughter wants to rejoin her old dance studio, so I'll make sure she gets to all those activities. And our community plans some activities and want to get more involved with those, too.
HEALTH
Sadly, my health insurance cost went up nearly 50%. I'm going to keep it for as long as we can afford it, but just in case we can't, I'm going to go ahead and get every test done that I can now. I already have a sleep study scheduled for February. I got a fitness bracelet for Christmas but I can't get it to sync up with my laptop, so I need to either buy an ipod touch or help my husband replace the battery in his and use it. My son and I want to use our gym membership a lot more. A realistic goal for us will be to go once a week. Once we can stick to that, up it to twice a week. I think we need a fitness goal to work towards. Not so much a weight loss goal, but an activity goal, like a 5K. I'll look up ones that are in the area and get some on the calendar.
GARDENING
Our garden did pretty well last year even though it was very neglected after planting. This year I'll use the same garden spot and will add good dirt and fertilizer. I found an easy, economical greenhouse plan and my husband says he'll help me build it, so some the seeds we've ordered this year will be able to go into the garden as plants rather than seeds. If the greenhouse is as easy as it appears, we could make more and sell them. I might also be able to sell some of the plants we'll be growing, too. We've decided to do more planting in various places throughout the yard. The vining plants like pumpkin, squash and melons, will be planted above the bank in the back yard and will be free to spread out down the hill. A flower bed that was built several years ago and never used will be for the superhot peppers that I got seeds for by sending a SASE to a person in a group on FB. I also want to use my unused clothesline posts by adding some sort of mesh or net and then plant things that will climb up, like cucumbers and noodle beans. I also would like to plant a variety of berry bushes, but not sure where they might go yet, and maybe a few more fruit trees.
HOME
I'm planning on doing a lot of organizing and decluttering this year. I filled out my planner for daily decluttering missions, so it's just a little each day which will add up to quite a bit by the end of the year. I have three rooms that we want to redo. Our bedroom needs the carpet ripped out and either tile or wood floors put in, and probably paint the walls, and rearrange the furniture. My daughter's bedroom needs a major decluttering (she's a hoarder, pretty much), the carpet ripped out and replaced with tile, walls repaired and painted and just an overall teenager update. The one that will take more effort, and more money, is our bathroom. We want to remove the shower stall and garden tub and replace with a larger walk in shower and storage closet. We also want to remove the double sink and either find or build a buffet stand for the sinks. We already own the sinks and their faucets, so we need to buy the shower stall and do a heck of a lot of work on our part. I also want to install ceiling fans in every room, and my husband works with someone that will be able to do it for us. I also need to repair/replace many of the window screens so we can use the fans this summer without inviting all of nature in to join us. I'm going to research the price of a pool, on the small side, and see what it typically costs to run each summer.
CREATIVITY
I plan on doing more knitting this year, as well as trying new techniques. I've made several items as gifts but I want to make more things for me, too. I would love to try making a hoodie/sweater. I've been working on a sea monster painting and I want to finish it and then work on the Sasquatch one and another one. These paintings are where I'm adding these monsters to large landscape paintings I buy at yard sales. I'm trying to not do any other creative pursuits except for the painting and the knitting, otherwise I just flutter from one to another and nothing really gets accomplished.
BUDGET
This is an area that needs some serious attention. We tend to live paycheck to paycheck, and I am also overdrawn at the bank more than I care to be. I plan on doing more menu planning, and freezer cooking (as well as buying a big freezer), so the food budget should be more manageable. I need to write out each of our paydays, each of our set monthly bills, and write out other possible expenses. And more than anything, set up some sort of savings as we have nothing except cash on hand now. We have very few bills other than the basic utilities. We no longer have any cable TV service, but we do pay for Netflix and Hulu each month, no credit cards, no loans except for the mortgage. There is no reason that we can't survive and thrive on what my husband makes, so I need to really focus on being a better money manager. I'm not sure that coupons would help, but I'm going to look into them a little more, too.
Here's hoping for a prosperous 2015. Do you have any goals that you are working on this year? Please share them in the comments, as I'd love to hear about them.
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