I always love to read about other people’s goals for the New Year, so I decided to share some of my own goals for 2018 and to blog about my successes/failures on a monthly basis (Hopefully more successes than failures!)
Walk at least 500 miles this year
I had a back surgery over two years ago and my doctor recommended that I walk 3 miles a day to keep the muscles in my back strong enough to ward off future back issues. He really knew what he was talking about (must be all those years in medical school!) because I really can tell a difference in my back pain levels at the end of the day when I am walking regularly vs. random days that work with my schedule/weather. To achieve a more regular walking schedule I am going to mix in some Leslie Sansone walking videos to supplement my outdoor walking routine. I figure if I shoot for 2-3 miles a day for 4 days a week, I can easily hit 500 miles this year.
Eat under 30 net carbs a day
My body hates sugary carbs. When I eat sugar, I get sleepy, cranky, and retain a lot of water weight….like a gain of 4 lbs of water weight over night! This past year I experimented with increasing my carbs to under 50 a day and noticed my sugar cravings skyrocketed…so I am going to drop them this year back to under 30 a day to manage my blood sugar better. I also plan to share some of my favorite low carb recipes weekly, so stay tuned!
Add 12 new products to my Teachers Pay Teachers store this year
This is a nice way to use my education and make a little side income at the same time. I think I added six products last year to my TpT store and I think that shooting for one new product a month should be an attainable goal. **I plan to write a post soon about setting up a TpT storefront…its really easy and free
Have 2 date nights a month with my husband
My husband averaged 50+ hours a week with his job last year so we really had to work to find time to have even one date night a month. This year, he started a new job and works only on the weekends, so I definitely think we can easily fit in more date nights during the month.
Have 2 family game nights a month
My family loves to play games together, so I am going to shoot for 2 nights a month that we can make a favorite meal and play a few games together. We added some really fun games to our collection this Christmas, including the weirdly-fun Moustache Smash and the hilarious Pie Face:)
Plan to have one no spend week a month
I already have one no spend month a year…Frugal February!!! ** I love having Frugal February every year because it helps me to refresh my love of a frugal lifestyle. So I decided to see if I could add one no spend week a month to keep me honest throughout the year:) During my no spending week, I will give myself $20 to spend (if I need it) on random groceries and then try to stay out of the stores….and away from Amazon for the rest of the week. I think this will be pretty easy for me and also help to keep an eye on my monthly spending habits too.
Read 12 non-fiction books this year(and challenge my daughter to do so as well)
We love reading fiction books in our house and there is nothing wrong with that….but….I think its important to be well-rounded and I know there are some amazing non-fiction books out there that will inspire us to be better people. Last year, I discovered Jen Hatmaker’s books and realized I had been missing so much by only reading fiction, so I will be reading at least one non-fiction book a month and share it with you:)
Buy nothing new this year
I have toyed with this idea for many years and tried it out for most of the year last year. If you are like me, I will buy something brand new one week and then find it at a yard sale or a thrift store for like a $1 the next week….and then kick myself for buying it for $20 the week before! So there is the money saving element to buying used items, but there is also the environmental element to consider as well. Just think of all the throwaway items in the landfill that someone else could have used…..it is such a waste. So to do my part, I am going to try to only buy used items this year. **Exceptions: I will be buying food, personal hygiene items, and home improvement items on an as-needed basis** But for the most part, everything else will be found at thrift stores, yard sales, or bartered off of family members(Mama you love me!) I will share what I have found each week in my Five Frugal Things post. **Check out the Non-Consumer Advocate blog, she has not bought anything new for years!
$5 a week challenge
Recently I was playing around with the idea of how much good you could do with even small amounts of money and stumbled upon the idea of a $5 a week challenge. I picked two charities to support during this challenge:
The first charity is the CCC Food Pantry, which supplies needy families with food each week. I thought it would be fun to see how many food items I can buy at the grocery store by matching the best deals with the best coupons available and then delivering my bounty to the food pantry once a month.
Another charity that I will be supporting with my $5 a week challenge, is Clothe Our Kids of North Alabama. It is a local clothing charity that supplies shirts, shoes, pants, underwear, and socks to local children in the county school systems. A teacher identifies a needy child in their classroom and sends a list of which clothing items the child needs to the charity. After receiving the list, the charity sends a bag home with the child at the end of the day. I love the idea of this charity because it is so simple, yet effective. The needs are being met really efficiently this way by cutting out the middle man. I will be supporting this charity by scouring yard sales and thrift stores for gently used clothing items to donate, while sticking to my $5 budget.
I am so excited to try and accomplish all of my goals for 2018!! How about you, do you have any goals you want to share for 2018?
The Thrifty Educator 