Monday, January 25, 2016

A Few Things For 2016



In my last post, I wrote a little about the doozy of a year that 2015 was for us.

I am always eager for a new year. January always feels clean and bright to me. New. Calm. Purposeful.

I tend to be all or nothing. So either I make all kinds of grandiose goals and crash and burn or I set no goals at all. Either way, not a whole lot of progress!

This year, I have a few areas I/we want to make some headway in so I'm writing them here as a way to remember.
  • Health. Returning to a lower carb diet. For us, that means ditching most wheat and sugar products. Losing the extra pounds that have crept on this year. Simple whole foods meals.  Regular exercise. Learning more about natural remedies and ways to boost health.
  • Frugality. Staying within my grocery budget on a weekly/monthly basis. Using some coupons to save extra on food and household items. Saving as much as we can to bump our emergency savings back up to a reasonable amount after a costly 2015. Continuing to save for our adoption. Revamping the budget to allow for extra baby expenses when the time comes. 
  • Organizing. Cleaning, organizing and decluttering the house before baby. I started this in 2015 and continue to do a little at a time. Turning the guest room into a nursery. Get rid of extra stuff we don't need to make room for baby gear. Make some freezer meals each month to create a small stash for when baby comes. (Not knowing when the baby will come makes this planning part tricky. My mindset is to do what I can and not sweat the rest. It will all work out!)
  • Being more home-centered. I worked a lot of hours away from home in 2015. While this was a blessing financially, being away from home so much has taken it's toll. I will not be taking on as many extra hours this year as a way to create some breathing room and allow me to focus more fully on what we feel my greatest priorities are and should be at this time. 
What are you focusing on this year? 

2 comments:

Monica Wilkinson said...

I like your list! As I think ahead towards this year, I want to focus on God's promises - sometimes they are easy to believe for others but hard to accept as truth for myself - yes, there is a post or series brewing there! I'm also working on my grocery budget - before Christmas, I switched to cash {again} for groceries and that has helped me a lot! Staying home as much as possible! And, finishing the publishing process.

Wendi said...

Like you I tend to be an all or nothing person. This year I am working on thriving and not just surviving. I am going to do this by being intentional with my time in the Word, working on being more financially secure and trying not to sweat the small stuff.

Here's to a better 2016!