After much deliberation, here are the goals that I have chosen to work on in my life this new year.
1. Walk at least 500 miles
This is a goal that I need to do every year so of course it made it back on the 2019 list. To spice it up a bit, I decided to have an exercise conversion system to account for non-walking miles. For example, 20 minutes of weightlifting = 1 mile, 45 minutes of a cardio class = 2 miles, etc. I know that I need to vary up my exercise plan to stay healthy and to keep my body from becoming complacent to a routine, so I think that this plan will help me to accomplish those goals as well.
2. Read two classics or nonfiction books each month
I enjoyed reading a different genre of books this year so I decided to repeat this goal as well (but tweaked it a bit). I decided to add classics to the list as well to liven up my reading repertoire even more and maybe add a little refinement to my life:)
3. Learn to knit and crochet
I have wanted to learn how to knit and crochet forever! I figured writing it down would be the best way to finally master this skill. Also, being able to knit gifts for my family and friends would be a plus as well. This year I want to be able to crochet dish cloths, knit a Harry Potter scarf, and maybe make some crocheted animals for my nieces and nephews. **These are very optimistic goals:)
4. Have two family game nights each month
I repeated this goal because I think it is very important to our family to have a special time set aside to enjoy each other (and have a little fun while we are at it)
5. Have an outing with each child every month
My kids love to be by themselves with their parents (is that normal?) They just sparkle and shine to get our undivided attention and not have to be around their “annoying” sibling for an extended period of time. This year, I plan to take each child out by themselves for dinner, a movie, or even just ice cream once a month so they can get some much needed undivided attention from us.
6. Buy nothing new this year
This year I will be attempting to buy nothing “new” once again:)
The rules for my challenge are:
a) I can use gift money for any purpose I want. This makes birthday and Christmas gifts even more special to me:)
b) Underwear and shoes can be purchased new
c) Food does not count
d) Items bought at the Dollar Tree or Target’s Dollar aisle are ok
e) Appliances and home improvement items do not count
f) Birthday gifts and Easter gifts can be bought new if I am desperate enough
g) The challenge runs from January to the beginning of November (Holiday shopping is a must for my family, but I do try to incorporate handmade items each year as well, so that helps my conscience a bit)
h) Anything bought at the thrift store, yard sales, from friends, or Craig’s List is ok
**These rules really help me to be able to complete this challenge because otherwise my family would probably balk at my craziness!
7. Publish a book
This is my loftiest goal ever! I wrote a mystery novel during my NaNoWriMo challenge last year and I thought it would be fun to have it published this year. I have a lot of editing and rewriting to do on it, but I think it would be a fun challenge for me to get it ready before the end of the year. It is a historical mystery novel called A Murder at Kelsey Hall and it was a total joy to write:)
8. Pay off our car loan
We paid off our house and my student loans almost four years ago this spring, but last year we decided to take a small loan out to buy my husband a car to generate some credit for ourselves. (Apparently when you do not have a house/car/student loan payment, your credit score begins to drop…craziness) We have a really low interest rate, but paying any amount of interest kills me, so we have been throwing small and large chunks of money at the bill whenever they have come into our lives. We now owe a little over $5000 on the car so I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to pay the loan off this year early, so we can start saving next year for some much needed home improvements that we desperately need to do.
**Having paid off $75,000 in three years, I know that the secret is to put any and all “found money” on your balance. If you get a large tax return put it on the loan, if you get a surprise bonus put it on the loan, if you work a lot of overtime put it on the loan, I think you get the picture. The problem most people run into is the mentality that debt is normal and ok…its not! As Dave Ramsey says “Be weird!”
9. Complete one home improvement project each month
We have an older home and so of course we have a lot of things that need to be upgraded and fixed. I am moderately handy, so I plan to tackle one home improvement project each month based on the theory that slow and steady wins the race:)
Here are some of the things I hope to accomplish: patch holes and repaint my living room, install doors on my kitchen cabinets, create some kind of storage in our utility/laundry room, repaint our stairs, repaint my cabinets, install a garden, power wash our siding, make a wood shed, repaint the ceiling in our upstairs bathroom, stain trim around shower stall, replace three bedroom doors upstairs, and replace our upstairs porch door.
What goals do you have for yourself this year? What is your most loftiest goal?
The Thrifty Educator 