Climbing the Mountain

I have made my list of main goals for 2017 - If I reach even some of them, I will consider it a huge success! This diary has helped me achieve quite a bit over the last few months, it's been the catalyst to making changes that I've been planning for years but never actually managed. I intend to keep the diary updated daily/weekly to help me meet my goals.

I have 'borrowed' a few from Purplemo2.

1.Bring in extra £600 a month minimum, increasing income month on month
2. Actively explore new ways to achieve above
3. Finish the big de-clutter properly - anything sold, transfer money over to savings after bills are paid so it doesn't get spent
4. Keep a spending diary in handbag, update after every purchase, review at end of each month
5. Clean entire house thoroughly and set up a regular cleaning schedule, possibly join flylady
6. Make and stick to Meal Plans / shopping lists / food budget
7. Schedule No Spend days/weeks
8. Transfer odd change to savings account every day
9. Wombling
10. Keep Debt-Free diary updated
11. Budget – make and stick to
12. Eat proper breakfast/lunch mainly fruit and veg, eat smaller portions for dinner, less carbs/sugar, puddings on special occasions only
13. Cook most/all meals from scratch
14. Meatless meals twice a week, increasing as we find recipes we love
15. Bake once a week
16. Get off laptop and live in the real world, severely limit online time wasting
17. Lose 10lbs a month until reaching ideal weight, then maintain it
18. Take at least 3 long walks a week
19. Find a local yoga class and give it a try
20. Figure out how to get a good nights sleep during the change
21. Build up immune system/personal health
22. Think before buying, is it really wanted/needed/useful/going to ruin my diet?
23. Read all books I already own before buying/borrowing more
24. Ziffit all unwanted books/games/DVDs
25. Learn a new craft/skill i.e. knitting, quilting, or needlework
26. Be more present in life, make a point of really listening when people talk
27. Save for a week away with the family in a secluded holiday cottage in the country
28. Save up and keep £500 in emergency fund, replenish if spent
29. Keep on top of filofax planner and spend 10 minutes going over my calender/goals/lists every morning or possibly even the night before.
30. Have a weekly de-clutter day or half day

I've already made a start on some of these but have kept them on the list to remind me to keep going. It's a big list, but I am determined that 2017 is going to be a year of big changes, even more than 2016. There's nothing impossible here and most if not all can be achieved by simply being organised and mindful about what I'm doing each day. Some of the things dovetail neatly into another, such as meal planning>meatless meals>more fruit and veg>long walks>yoga>losing weight.

I want to look back at this list on Dec. 31, 2017 and have met or made a very good effort on each and every goal. Reducing the time I spend 'wandering aimlessly' online will help towards most of it, so I will need to remind myself of it every morning until it becomes a habit.

I'm happy to have you here, FrugalIS! I have been thinking longingly about your cottage. Knowing that there are people out there actually living my dream has made me more determined that I will have my own cottage, and sooner rather than later. I'm aiming for 5 years, so now just need to make a realistic plan of how to get there...