06 February 2013

2013 Goals!

So I thought seeing as though its the beginning of the year and I am just starting out in blogging I would make post #2 more about me and my goals for this year.



I have never really had any, and the ones I was forced to create at work always irritated me to no end. For some strange reason though, possibly due to feeling out of control both at home and at work right now I felt the need to sort some stuff out, in my head at least, so things will be achieved this year and I will feel like I am moving forward with the things I can control.


- Self Focus
Every parent knows how much hard work babies can be. Now Gizmo is a little older and not quite so reliant on me, its time I changed my thoughts back to myself a little more. I hope to get out a little more, both on my own and with Moo, watching my diet a bit more carefully and hopefully weight loss will follow and the other little things like new clothes and nail polish, small treats to help brighten my life.

- De-clutter the house
My house, at the moment is full of stuff! We have cleared out quite a bit but there is still more to go. I have piles of baby clothes and toys stacked everywhere that Gizmo no longer needs. Some will be donated to the daycare centre the kids attend, some will be returned to their owners that so kindly lent them to us and the rest listed for sale. Moo and I need a wardrobe de-clutter, as does Sprocket. I have always found it cathartic to clean out and organise things, shame they don't stay that way for long! Hopefully this will earn us a little extra cash that can be used for other things, some fun and some practical. A new microphone is on the list for Moo and a visit to the Sydney Royal Easter Show this year for the kids.

- Have a regular savings plan
Until Early January we have very much just been paid, spent what we needed left the rest in our account and carried on. Income is rather tight now with 2 kids in daycare so we had to come up with another plan, a way to balance out the spikes in the budget and really look at what we were spending. We are now putting away a small amount each pay with a priority list in place to keep us on track and using it wisely. We even have Sprocket in on the savings plan with making take away meals at home rather than buying and he has his own money box for which he gets a token amount for completing his chores each week.

- Create and cross things off the ever increasing house to-do list
We have a lot of stuff around the house that needs doing and has needed doing since we moved in over 2 years ago, most of which are minor fix up jobs that will be simple and inexpensive to complete, others are more expensive and need to be saved for. I have changed a few schedules around so we have more time on weekends to get some things done. The savings plan is also part of this goal as without the money we cannot complete much of the list. We now have a list and have been working in the last few weeks on getting on top of the house work and everyday stuff with a few items off the list. I have found that writing a list each morning of things I want to achieve throughout the day helps, both with me getting it done and so Moo knows what needs to be done and what is planned for the day.

I could write about this type of stuff for ages but I will stop there. This, I think, gives a pretty good summary in what I am hoping to achieve in and around the home this year. There are a few other things we would like to do, like a small family holiday before Sprocket is in school next year and maybe a weekend away but we will have to see how the budget allows for all of that extra special stuff.
I'd love to hear your thoughts comment and ideas!

xx Natanie

4 comments:

  1. This is a great list! I agree with making a list each day/week as to what needs to get done. A couple years ago I got a small whiteboard and put it on our fridge. I have a section for longer-term plans (clothing the kids need more of soon, household projects), a section for meals this week (including at least one "on the table in 5 minutes" meal solution, currently hot dogs), and then the rest is used for The List.

    I try to keep The List rotating and fluid, so if something stays there for too long it goes into the Longer Term area. I add to it throughout the week but it's especially useful on weekends. Everything from grocery shopping to E&K baths to any other household and personal chores go there. Now Greg knows what I hope for the weekend, and we get the satisfaction of erasing things when they're complete.

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  2. We have been working on the "de-clutter the house" goal over here as well. It seems the thing to do in 2013! We are not done yet, but have managed to rearrange a couple of rooms and get rid of a lot of "stuff" that we no longer needed or wanted. Some has gone to our local "free table" at the Mobile Home Park, and some went on eBay.

    There is something that just feels good about getting rid of the clutter. For me, I'm sure that it has something to do with less "dust catchers" being around (therefore, less dust and less allergic reactions). :D

    By the way, this is Jen also known as @Queenofhaiku. (Looks like I need to update my Blogger profile!)

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  3. Yeah, us too (decluttering). I have a perpetual goal of getting rid of all the crap in our basement that we never ever look at but also can't seem to get rid of. I feel like I should be able to live with less stuff...

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  4. It feels even better Jen when we get a little money back for stuff that is collecting dust! Thanks for your comments :)

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