What are your plans for 2017?

skint_granny

hi all, totally new to this but have lurked for a good few years, hope you don't mind if i join in?

After trying to convince dh for ages he begrudgingly handed over control of his bank account and c.cards. After a quick tot up I've found out we are over 16k in debt!! so now is the time to put into practice what I've been reading on here. So my aims to begin with are ...

1. To hide cards, it's cash OR NOTHING!
2. To follow as many challenges as I think I can get away with so not to spook him (he has aspergers) so it's baby steps to begin with.
3. To draw up a budget, include everything, cross my fingers I've got it right and FOLLOW IT
4. Finally, to grocery shop properly, ensure there are meals for all when I'm working and begin to meal plan.

I'm sure there are many more things I will be doing (such as start my own blog) but these are, I'm hoping, a good start. any hints or tips would be fab

tar rah for now SG x

Slowly57

What a great thread.
You are a lovely lot and your honesty and self-reflection is so inspiring xxxx

I'm planning on improving my fitness by continuing to follow my physio programme, return to Tai Chi class in January to help with my balance issues and we've dug out some resistance bands so we can twang away with them lol.

My OH is finishing work in March (eeek) so we're battening down the hatches big time - but very much looking forward to it (and the falling stress levels!). I've become a bit of a lurker/off-line person to be honest for the last few weeks, as it has all been a bit grim and I cannot bear how the media seems to glory in bad news tbh.

beautiful_ravens

skint_granny wrote: »

hi all, totally new to this but have lurked for a good few years, hope you don't mind if i join in?

After trying to convince dh for ages he begrudgingly handed over control of his bank account and c.cards. After a quick tot up I've found out we are over 16k in debt!! so now is the time to put into practice what I've been reading on here. So my aims to begin with are ...

1. To hide cards, it's cash OR NOTHING!
2. To follow as many challenges as I think I can get away with so not to spook him (he has aspergers) so it's baby steps to begin with.
3. To draw up a budget, include everything, cross my fingers I've got it right and FOLLOW IT
4. Finally, to grocery shop properly, ensure there are meals for all when I'm working and begin to meal plan.

I'm sure there are many more things I will be doing (such as start my own blog) but these are, I'm hoping, a good start. any hints or tips would be fab

tar rah for now SG x

Hi
Youve come to the right place, all the boards here can help you in little ways.
I suggest just spending just a few more quid this year, maybe in a pound shop, on a few 2017 diaries - EG one for money, one for food, one for achievements or journalling - or similar, and track everything. I use spreadsheets to track some things, but sometimes find paper better for other things, particularly food related for some reason!!

Larumbelle

My main aim is to carry on making my house into a home, although I don't have any specific way that I intend to do so, other than keeping within my tiny budget!

VintageLady wrote: »

I'm also going to try and do a gratitude jar next year so whenever something happens which I am grateful for I write it on a piece of paper and pop it in my jar. Then next new years I will go through and look at all the happy things which has happened. I'm not feeling great at the moment and really wish I had done it this year!

I love this idea If it's okay by you, I'm going to borrow it! :rotfl: I had a bit of an eventful 2016 and people keep saying things to me like 'oh I bet you'll be glad to see the back of this year, aren't you?' And while it is true that I'll be glad to leave a lot of what has happened in the past, the fact is that I still feel very fortunate. It would be wonderful to have a visual representation of how I feel, even if I do hope that 2017 is a little less rough...

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Also, my most important thing is to not compare myself to others. So what if other people can spend £30 on food shopping for a family of 4, whereas i spend £100 on a family of 3?
They are not me, they dont have the same income, budget, family, ideas or life as me. So why do i feel like i am a failure unless i spend a tiny amount on food?
I like eating organic sometimes, i dont like shopping regularly in Aldi or Lidl...that doesnt make me a failure.

:T Do it your own way and for yourself. As long as you can make ends meet and are happy with your choices there is no 'success' or 'failure'. You've inspired me to make this an aim as well, as I know that I do judge myself harshly against others even though my circumstances are probably completely different.

sugar23

My plans are.
To start attending church regularly
To declutter
To create a minimalist/simple home
To live well to enjoy life but to spend less.

Sayschezza

Finish all the handicraft bits I started
Go to bed earlier as I need more sleep
Cook better meals using healthy ingredients
Lose weight
Keep to budget
Stop spending on unnessary clothes etc especially in the cs
Remember birthdays and special occasions of family and friends
Enjoy myself despite oh never wanting to go anywhere shouldn't and must not stop me.
Look after my skin and other personal maintenance issues

jules81

My main aims are to

Loose weight
Declutter-Starting with one room a week
Try and get out of the house more

xxxx

[Deleted User]

Islandmaid wrote: »

.I am going to start by making sure I walk everyday, starting slow, a mile around our local park, which is 30 seconds away :eek: then build it upto a reasonable distance - enough to make me 'glow'

Quick mooch around Northwood Park before breakfast would be a great start to anyones day .Or a wander down to the front, and a walk up Sun Hill will give you a gentle 'glow ':):):)Get really proficient then by next year you could be racing up Tennyson Down :D:D

Seriously I too hate the 'R' word and prefer to thinkof things as 'Aims /objectives'

My main aim starting when I get home from DDs at some point is to eat down my freezer. Earlier this year I bought two new drawers for my freezer as the old ones were cracked and broken (wish I had kept my older fridge freezer which had baskets and not plastic drawers :mad:)I want to use up everything I can in there so I can defrost and start again with a clean fresh frost free environment.

At the moment the top shelf has food just lying frozen on there with no drawer whatsoever as the frost is too thick !!!
My cupboards too are far too full of food stuff, and definitely need to be used up and eaten.So I am only buying basic necessities for at least three months to see how much of the stuff I have stored will be used up.I will get on top of theis daft, almost addiction for stashing food on a 'just in case' basis.For what ever reason (I thinkit was growing up during rationing )I seem to be addicted to full cupboards.This has got to stop forthwith:)

I am also going to seriously declutter the four crammed full kitchen drawers of junk that has accumulated.This will be done, fingers crossed within the next week as I am fed up of drawers that spill junk out when you open them. before Christmas I managed to throw out and CS lots of bits from one cupboard in the kitchen and I felt so pleased I took to a CS a bread maker, (never been used )chip pan unused since 2003,a set of china (never been out of the box )and three sets of place mats !!! I live alone and these mats had been presents from about 20 years ago that had never been used ,in fact never even been opened :eek:Hopefully the CS willsell them and make a few bob. I am going to be ruthless this year iIf its not been used in the past 6 months its going to either CS or tip.I have had enough of clutter in my life .I live in a tiny terrace house so space is at a premium :rotfl:

I shall get back to doing my 'morning mile' before breakfast as it really did help with my mobility,
I also am deciding what hobby or interest I want to take up this year.I like to try and find a new one every year if I can, something to keep the little grey cells from atrophying,Most important at my age:rotfl: apart from thatnot a great deal I am pretty good at budgeting and enjoy cooking.Possibly use my car a bit less if I can and walk a bit more

DundeeDoll

pennywitch wrote: »

...I have divided it into eight areas (money, work, appearance, health, physical environment, fun and entertainment, family and friends, love life...

what a great idea. So for me overall for 2017
1) Money - finally sever finances from xoh - we still have a joint back account. Then look for better deals, slowly but surely. Target one financial area per month
2) work - secure the promotion I didn't get this year. To do that I need to invest time in my application which needs to be in June
3) appearance - go through whole wardrobe mari kondo style
4) health - up the walking, ensure I get out each lunch time
5) physical environment - I am getting the whole house decorated post xoh leaving. Am using 12 days xmas to kickstart my declutter using 'The toothbrush principle'. i also need to apply this to my work office.
6) fun and entertainment - Cinema / theatre once a month
7) family and friends - make more time for family. Hygge has some interesting insights.
8) love life - i think that one will need to be unplanned. If anything happens it happens, if not, it's not the time.

pennywitch wrote: »

Onwards and upwards, one step at a time Good luck with your plans, everyone!

and to you all too

Honey_Bear

pennywitch wrote: »

I have divided it into eight areas (money, work, appearance, health, physical environment, fun and entertainment, family and friends, love life)

Beneath each I have written a brief description of where I am, and a brief description of where I want to be, and am now in the process of writing down the goals I'll need to meet to get from one to the other and the first steps I need to take to achieve them.

Genius! I've been doing something along those lines for a few years refining it a bit each year, but had never thought to divide it into distinct categories, nor the idea of planning the steps required to get from where I am now to where I want to be. I'm nicking your idea, thanks.

And I totally agree, no resolutions, lots of thinking through what I want to change and how to change it. It's been a really helpful annual thing for me for a long time but I've never been able to keep a single new year's resolution.