What Are Your Goals or Challenges for 2014

pigpen

westcoastscot wrote: »

My goal is to nurture myself - i'm constantly at the bottom of my own list, which is silly.
WCS

I don't think I feature on my list!


1. Pay off bank loan.. £1230ish left! freeing up £400 a month!!
2. save the money the childrens dad gives me to pay for next Christmas and match it when I can.. £200 a month doesn't go far and I've not had it the last 4 years so won't miss it yet.
3. cards paid off and binned... I did it once I can do it again!
4. save for a replacement car.. ours is on motability scheme and we have 2 years to save a deposit for the next deposit.. this is going to kill me!
5. effing kitchen tiles.. these are a saga!! I've wanted them for 8 years.. I AM getting them in 2014!
6. try to do one school run on my legs each day.. this is really difficult.. I can't walk far without a rest though it is easier with a pushchair to lean on but I need to see if my hip issues resolve any with some walking. If I can't do it by easter I may have to give in and go argue with the Quack again.. their answer is operation or drugs everytime I go and I don't want either!
7. decorate! .. front room, back room are priorities then loo and bathroom.
8. gutter replaced along the back.
9. fling fling fling.. I loved the 100 items a month on the declutter thread but I think I need to up that to 500 items a month..
10. getting OH off his @r$e and into a job.. I can't do this until I can manage a school run at least 1 a day.. he can't do everything.. I think it will do him good and he needs to get out from under my feet so I can do my decluttering.


if I don't come back to haunt you.. come find me!

celesmai

Oh I love planning ahead.

I have lots but want them to be positive and not adding stress or pressure. We have quite a busy lifestyle and have been making some changes so I want to continue those. I'm having another baby (no 3) next week so once I get back on my feet these are my goals


Continue in the decluttering/ organising and getting systems in the house- upstairs is working well as is the front room but playroom, kitchen, garage and attic need focused on.

Keep on top of kids clothes/ our stuff- eBay, declutter and only buy necessary rather than surplus

Get playroom/ toys sorted and under control.


Personal- develop self employed work and study but without too much pressure and enjoy maternity leave from other work

Financial
Increase savings
Reduce debts/ don't add to it while on reduced pay
Holiday fund
Study fund- next years fees

Other
Meal plan and get store cupboard going again
Bake more, buy less handy things and reduce food spending
Eat better
Get more active as family and loose weight

Nurture myself and build in some me time and time as a couple as well as one on one time with kids as adapt to a family of 5!

[Deleted User]

I saw my consultant yesterday afternoon and he is very pleased at my weight loss and in April I will have the first of three operations to reconstruct my breast.I want to bring my weight down by another two stones by then and another two by August by which my BMI will have dropped considerably and I will be at my normal 'old' weight which is far healthier.I am determined to get rid of ths load I have been carrying for far too long :) Most of the frugalling other people have spoken about I do as almost second nature now anyway,but I would like to save enough up so I can pay for my kitchen to be redecorated in the spring(not having to touch my savings pot)with a seperate small savings plan.
I would also like to declutter my study a bit more and perhaps finish off some of my small painting furniture renovations that are on hold at the moment.
Not huge goals but small personal goals for me .I am lucky that I have no debt thank goodness and all of my utilities are organised so I have the cheapest deal I can find.
Happy Christmas to one and all and I hope you all acheive your goals ,perhaps we can post this time next year and say how we all got on
Cheers JackieO xxx

nikki11

Too many things tbh :rotfl:


Financial Goals


Save money for deposit for our own house
Save money for an emergency fund
Live on my wages and save OH's or vice versa
Possibly change car
Get rid of credit cards
Prepare myself better birthdays/xmas 2014, etc


Other Goals
Lose weight
Meal plan
Bake more
Learn to sew lol
Do some sort of course in the evenings
Even more family days out-search for free things to do!
Cut my grocery bill down


Will no doubt think of more things to add to this :rotfl:

tessie_bear

jackie o so pleased to hear your positive news on the operation front...well done on your weight loss

ash28

We're lucky in that we have no debt other than a bit on a card that can be paid off, no mortgage and have savings.....financially alright, so my goals are personal.

My goals for 2014

Make sure I carry on going to the gym.....not lost a lot of weight, however feel much better, have more energy (after several weeks of coming home and having to have a lie down) and the blood pressure is down.

Try not to fall behind with Open University studies, I'm off to Belize at the end of March and I need to get ahead with assignments before I go.

Try and be a bit more ruthless with the clutter.

Make a real effort to finish projects that I start.....initially I'm like a bull at a gate and then the enthusiasm wanes.

Try and put a bit more effort into housework and ironing in particular.....I keep telling myself that utility rooms were meant to be used to store unironed clothes.
And stop putting stuff in the dryer for a couple of minutes to get the creases out.

Try to be more creative in the kitchen (OH would probably prefer the creativity to be in another room) and try and experiment a bit more and move away from some of the safer meals we have.

Persuade OH that a trip to the Co-op for milk doesn't have to involve buying most of the sweet and biscuit displays. This has been a goal since we moved here 2 years ago and I'm making no progress.

Take the grandson (lives with us) to the doctor to see if he can be put on the waiting list for a personality transplant.....he's 12 and on the way to becoming a proper Kevin.

Expand our small herb garden.....it's been great to be able to pop out and get stuff like rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, oregano and mint and not use dried all of the time. Next year I plan on adding a bay tree, basil and coriander.

Nothing major really, apart from the gym.

Ches

I have no mortgage and I have savings but I do have some credit card dept due to helping family. My aim for 2014 is to pay this off and to stop using the cards altogether. I am aiming to save to get our lounge/stairs redecorated in the spring and to replace the carpet. I have already booked next years holidays which have to be paid for and I also want to put some more £’s away in long term savings.
To do this I will have to keep to a strict budget and as I am an impulsive shopper I am going to find it tough. On the plus side the house is economical to run and the mortgage is paid. With only 2 of us in the household I am aiming to put £200 per month in the housekeeping purse and £50 per month in another purse for my personnel spends. This would allow me to save 10k less the redecorating and holiday costs so about 5k in untouched savings.

FlowerPetal_2

2014 is the year I get organized OS style. I've let things slip a little and I need to get back on track. So as of January I will be:

• Decluttering the whole house
• Reducing the things I buy, both food and non-consumables
• Making the most of the allotment and garden for veg production
• Setting up a cleaning and household chore routine
• Keeping a freezer inventory
• Batch cooking and making more homemade meals
• Simplifying all aspects of my life
• Enjoying free things such as museums, library, nature and walking
• Keeping a home and work diary
• Making sure I'm prepared well in advance for birthdays and Xmas

I'm sure I'll think of some more things, but I'm determined to have a good go at getting myself and family more organized because it means less stress all round.

GreenQueen

Hi, FlowerPetal,

What a great list. It looks like it should be the basis of my new year's resolution list.

You've included all the "no-brainer" tasks that I keep saying I'm going to do, and that will save me time and money if I can actually get my act together. Looking back over 2013, I've been really rubbish at getting them going. Perhaps for me, an addition to the list should be "stop procrastinating and making excuses"!

Knowing that I'm not the only one out there who could be better organised should help my motivation

many thanks,
GQ

alfsmum

Yep, already trying to do some of those by decluttering and being as ruthless as possible. Also by trying not to buy 'stuff' for Christmas that will languish around the house unused afterwards.

Let 2014 be the year for a simpler life