OS new year's resolutions 2008 what are going to do

VickyA_2

What an inspiring thread!

In 2008 I will try to:

1) Use my time more wisely - not spending hours on this website like I have done this afternoon - by planning for school and not leaving it until the last minute!
2) Meal plan more efficiently - get back on the Grocery challenge bandwagon.
3) Sort out unwanted items and car boot/charity shop/recycle/ebay where necessary.
4) Keep in better touch with friends, it doesn't cost much to phone them yet I always seem to find an excuse.
5) Eat more healthily.
6) Exercise more - I've got 3 exercise DVDs which need to be used!
7) Not spend unnecessary money.

Fingers crossed eh?

Vicky xxx

tryinhardtosavethepennies

I have to say, I'm a sucker for New Year's resolutions, but always fall flat on my face with most of them. The longest I've ever kept one is four months (which isn't that bad actually! - in case you're wondering, it was to give up chocolate, biscuits, crisps, sweets and cakes...phew! I was getting married that year, which is the only reason I managed even four months!)

So anyway, I've just spend the past two hours reading all these posts and have been truly inspired/overawed/intimidated by your efforts to "improve" yourselves in 2008, so much so I started noting down the ones I was particularly keen on....that list is 70 points long! But don't worry, I won't put them all down here. Instead, I'll list some of the best, as befits my lifestyle:

1. Save £1 a day in a jar for Christmas 2008 (my OH snubbed this idea, so instead I'm just going to sneakily transfer the money online each month into a high interest savings account - more sensible anyway since I'll earn interest on it!)
2. Meal planning/bulk cooking and freezing sessions (I can never seem to keep this one up - always in fits and starts). This one kind of relates to...
3. Limit myself to 'not cooking from scratch' once a week max - I got a new slow cooker from Santa so that should help me with this one. Thought I might also extend this to only allowing ourselves takeaway/chippie twice a month?
4. Make a household journal and keep all recipes etc. in it. Kind of relates to...
5. Make a cleaning rota and stick to it!
6. Make monthly resolutions - anything that doesn't get done gets highest priority the following month.
7. Cut television viewing (especially re-runs of Friends I've seen a thousand times - what a waste of precious time that I could use to do something useful!)
8. Read more books (perhaps aim for a chapter a night before bed?)
9. Get enough sleep - lights out by 10pm! (I really love this one!)
10. Keep a diary - I'm doing a PhD at the moment and coming to the final furlong of writing my thesis, so thought it'd be good to document my progress/mood swings etc. I actually started this today, and it ended up being more about money saving and setting my goals for the next year in every other area of my life except the PhD!)
11. Not take on too much (I'm terrible for this! I'm a creative type who likes to have a project on the go all the time, trouble is I've started many a new hobby without actually seeing them through to a complete product!)
12. Keep a record of every penny I save and how I saved it
13. Shop with only a fixed amount of cash
14. Use the library instead of buying books! (Books are like treasure to me - I can't throw them out, and I can't seem to stop myself buying more)
15. Make an effort to see/phone my friends more often (I moved quite far away from them all over three years ago and I'm officially the worst at keeping in touch!)
16. Count my blessings - so simple, so obvious, yet so hard to do in this consumerist society that tells us our lives are incomplete without this product or that gadget, etc. etc. Hats off the MSE-er who listed this one!

That's it for me I think (impossibly long list...perhaps I ought to pay heed to point 11?!?). I'm afraid I haven't kept note of who posted what, but thanks to you all for your inspiration. Here's to a financially savvy 2008!

Happy New Year!

tryinhardtosavethepennies

Ooh, good one patentgirl - don't buy any more magazines! Have you ever added up your monthly spend on mags? I did once and it tipped £20! That was a scarey realisation!

: )

busybee64

Great thread folks. I've been looking from the sidelines and finally got the nerve to jump in and join you all. Mine are:

1. Everyone thinks I'm a thoroughly organised person and I'm not inclined to disuade them of that idea, but this year I'm going to believe it for myself. To do that, I'm giving up the three volunteer jobs I've been doing for the last six years and concentrate on just the paid one and my family. When I went back to work last year my DH said that they would have to go and now the GP says so too, so it's time to sort myself out. I've started well, two of them have gone, the third is pending my replacement answering her emails and phone calls - I'm not panicking yet though! (I'm cheating here, this started in November.)

2. Most of everyone else's list about mouldy fridge and cupboard contents applies here too, plus we have an allotment and DH would rather we ate it than put it on the compost heap. So eat what we buy, plant sensibly and menu plan.

3. Clutter- why is it that every year we rent a flat/house for holiday and manage to live without all our clutter then when I come home it surrounds me and drags me down. I do clear out regularly, but with two kids it builds up again quickly.

4. Clutter and organising time again - catch up with my hobbies - gardening, knitting, sewing - my stashes and WIPs just add to the clutter.

5. Get the kitchen timer out again - the kids can't agree who's had how long on the PC. It worked really well last time.

Re clutter: one tip I read in a book about stuff piling up and needing to be cleared away, was to look at where your stuff should be stored and where it keeps migrating to. Then shift your storage round to suit. If you read in the bedroom, it's no use having the bookcase downstairs.

I like the sealed jar - I think I can manage that one to start with.

Happy New Year Everyone

busybee64

oops, just realised, no 3 was a comment not a resolution. Keep decluttering and look at my storage I suppose.

pavlovs_dog

busybee64 wrote: »

Re clutter: one tip I read in a book about stuff piling up and needing to be cleared away, was to look at where your stuff should be stored and where it keeps migrating to. Then shift your storage round to suit. If you read in the bedroom, it's no use having the bookcase downstairs.

i bet im not the only one sat here thinking... that is soo blooming obvious, why didnt i think of it before :doh: :rotfl: alas, not as straightforward as it sounds for us becuase we live with OHs parents, so its a case of store stuff where we can. it is getting easier the more i declutter, so i guess there is a light at the end of the tunnel for us. i seem to declutter in fits and starts. time for another burst me thinks - christmas always seems to bring more 'stuff' than you bargain for. the perk to doing it gradually is that you dont realise quite how much you are getting rid of, so you dont get the hoarding instinct kicking back in.

welcome to mse busybee :wave: here's hoping that by this time next year i'll have decluttered enough to be able to put your fabulously simple idea into practice :j (nobody hold their breathe :rotfl: im strating to suspect that im clinically useless! )

Sassamac

havent read this all the way through but I will do for more inspiration.
One thing I find that really helps to stick to resolutions is to quantify them. Instead of saying I will do better at x, say I will earn x money from y source and save z per month.

My resolutions are pretty much whats stated in my signiture. I also want to keep an exact financial record on spreadsheets of exactly where our money goes. Im hoping to reduce my GC firgure a little each month.
I dont anticipate all our debts being paid off this year but I am working out a reasonable plan to put a dent in it.

loumac

You are all a very motivated bunch of people. Thanks for the inspiration. :j

My resolutions all come under the heading : waste less.

Waste less: time, money, food etc

I have also (just) decided I want to be celebrating Xmas in another country next year so need to work towards that where possible.

ceridwen

onwards_and_upwards wrote: »

The things i'm going to do this year are:
1.lose a bit of weight.
2.get my shopping bill down.
3.use up all my food and freeze extra portions.
4.pay off credit card.
5.drink less.
6.excercise more.
7.read more books.
8.sell all the crap i don't need.
9.bring about world peace.
10.get a girlfriend.

actually forget about the last two:D

Aw shucks....and there was me for one itsey minute thinking Superman existed. I'll start up the collection personally for anyone that ever manages no. 9.

Little_Miss_Saver

Great Thread - Very inspirational!!

Bit late posting I know!! But my resolutions for this year are to:-

• Lose Weight (I need to lose 3-4 stone in total:o )
• Clear out loft and do car boot sales (make some more cash to put towards the bathroom fund - hoping to have new bathroom Aug 2008)
• Waste less food
• Cut down on my waste - aim for 1/2 to 1 swing bin liner of rubbish per week (luckily I have a good recycling scheme where I live)
• Try to use up everything instead of throwing it out (where possible)
• Only buy what I need - Resist impulse buying and good offers.
• Keep doing flylady
• Make sure I've always got the best deal for all utility bills etc
• Aim to buy 1 xmas present per month (Already got some great bargains in the sales and a couple of pressies sorted for this year)
• Keep saving - Thanks to MSE I saved over £700 last year:T (which is in a high interest savings account of course - this is the bathroom fund!!)

Good luck to everyone and I hope you all achieve your resolutions!!

LMS xx