Happy New Year!

2010 is HERE! I love the start of a new year...you hang a blank calendar, you have a clean slate, and mentally there's a new beginning to create better habits. (I say mentally because you could totally decide to change your ways any day of the year, yet we tend to focus on change at this time of the year only).

I usually don't set resolutions, mainly because I'm horrible at keeping them. I'm too strict on myself and if I mess up once, then I give up. Since I've figured out that specific resolutions don't really work for me,  I try to set some goals or have certain things in mind that I'd like to work toward.

In 2009, my goal was to become more "eco-friendly" and it also resulted in saving me money. Pretty much the only EF (eco-friendly) thing we were doing at the time was driving a Hybrid (because it was an SUV that got great gas mileage) and using cloth diapers (because Little Man's skin was too sensitive for the chemicals in disposables). Obviously neither of those reasons were anything close to EF (we weren't even recycling for goodness sake!), so we changed our focus (more like I changed my focus and my hubby reluctantly & rather begrudgingly went along, but whatever). So we started recycling (WOW! we probably have more recycling than trash) and stopped buying paper napkins and started using cloth (I had them already so that was a switch that saved us money). We still use paper towels, but MUCH less often. I switched to reusable grocery bags (until I lost them in our basement renovation. Luckily they've been found now!). I started to scale back on my cleaning products & have fallen in love with vinegar, however I still can't give up my soft scrub with bleach for my white laminate kitchen counters. My in-laws & I had a HUGE garden, so I was able to eat, can, & freeze a lot of veggies. This not only saved me money, but I consider it EF since I didn't have to purchase these foods from the grocery store & throw away all the packaging. I also got really into consignment sales, which took care of the "Reuse" portion of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle! I'm sure I can still do more, but I'm quite happy with what we accomplished this past year.

For 2010, my goal is Discipline for myself. The foremost area of discipline for us is financial discipline. We have created a strict budget (which only allows me $400/month for groceries...prayers for prudent culinary creativity please!) and have to stick to it to work towards our goals.  We want to eliminate the little debt we have & start building 6-months living expenses in savings. I'm looking at the numbers and thinking there's just no way, but with God all things are possible, so I'm just going to trust and pray for discipline, as well as self-denial (which I'm not so great at). I'm also feeling like I need to bring in some income for my family. I'm not sure how, as I want to continue to stay home, but I'll be praying for an opportunity to arise that will provide me with both options. My constant goal is to strive to be more like this lady. I also want to be more disciplined with my time. I spend way too much time reading blogs & popping onto Facebook. I need to spend more time tending to my family, my house, and myself. I have been so slack about spending time with God. It's just pitiful that I can spend hours on the computer, crafting, & watching TV, but won't carve out some time for HIS WORD. I'm frustrated with my lack of discipline in this area of my life. I really need to spend some time working on my physical self. I cannot remember the last time I did a physical activity and I need to get my ever-expanding rear in gear! I have whined about wanting a YMCA membership for sometime now, time to stop whining and start moving. I have the 30-Day Shred DVD and a great neighborhood to walk in (maybe run? ha! let's not get too ambitious) - those two things are a great start. As you can see, my much needed word for 2010 is DISCIPLINE!

So, what is YOUR goal for 2010? I'd love to hear about it & encourage you on your journey to reach your goal!