Thursday, January 2, 2014


Well, Happy New Year!!! I hope this holiday season was a joyous one, filled with good times with family and friends. I hope memories were made and hearts warmed with extended time to fellowship with loved ones. I hope reflection was given to the reason for the season and we entered 2014 with reverence and awe for our Creator and love for all His creations.

Hey 2014! How you doin'?

You know from my Makings of Me series that I like beginnings, so the beginning of a new year is really exciting. Seems like I get another year to do it right, do it better, and do it with love.

Of course I have a million {realistic} goals for this year…things I started last year that I want to continue with or perfect and things I’ll be starting fresh this year. Below are a few things I’m starting new this year just for 2014.
 




365 Notes to Self
I picked up one of these calendars from Target’s Dollar Spot and I am challenging myself to write something in it every day. It could be a Bible verse, an event, something my children said or did, something I did…anything that reflects that particular day. I am a sucker for memories and reflecting on the past so I think come this time next year, this $1 calendar will be priceless!

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52 Week Saving Challenge
I read about this challenge online and thought it would be a worthwhile saving strategy for me. Have you done it before? Basically, you save a dollar amount based on the number of the week. For example, week 1, you save $1, week 5, you have $5, week 27, you save $27 and so on until the last week of the year where you’ll save $52. By the end of the year, you should have saved $1, 378. Read more about it here.


Birthday Month Dollar Bills
My cousin mentioned how she tucks away dollar bills that have her birthday month on them. I don’t usually carry cash, but when I do, I’ll certainly be looking for the dollar bills with number 9s. This seems like an easy way to stash a little money for something fun.
   
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Goals
I’ll be writing weekly and monthly goals and possibly sharing them here. And not just to-do lists, I mean GOALS. S.M.A.R.T {specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely/ time bound} goals that I plan to read every morning and every night!

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Deep Cleaning: One room per month
Each month, I’ll select an area of my home to declutter and give a deep cleaning to. This means, even if the room is relatively neat, I’ll be going through drawers and closets to get rid of the things that are no longer useful to our family. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to be free of the burden of STUFF I’ve accumulated over the years! Hopefully, I’ll have 3 months where I can revisit a room or complete another project since I don’t have 12 rooms in my house.

So, there are 5 things I’m doing new this year. I would LOVE to hear about some of your goals or resolutions, or just new things you plan to adopt in 2014. Please share in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

6 comments:

  1. Happy Happy New Year! I too love beginnings and I am looking forward to an awesome 2014! I love what you are doing this year; those are all great ideas. I am going to do the 52 Week Saving Challenge. I have known about the Birthday Dollar Save for months but I always forget to check the numbers on my dollars! By the way, if you come across any 3's put them to the side for me. I am going to try to do better with that one. I have also started the Deep Cleaning: One room per month. There is nothing like a good declutter. I also like to change up a few things in the room that I have decluttered. Simple things such as adding a picture or vase or changing the color gives the room a whole new vibe.

    I have resolutions & goals for 2014 but my main goal is to not talk about them & just do it. That has always been my downfall; talking about what I need and/or want to do but not doing it. 3 days in.....thumbs up so far.....362 days to go!

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    1. Thanks for commenting! Yes, I love your idea of adding a vase or picture to change up the feel of a room. I actually just ordered some pillow covers to add some color since all the Christmas stuff is out. It's nice to know we'll be working on a few of the same things together! :)

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  2. HNY! Great post! I LOVE your goals! I will join you in the 52 week challenge and I am too excited about the birthday dollar bills since I ALWAYS have cash. The deep cleaning is also intriguing and necessary...doing it! I guess I liked all your goals!

    I have committed to a few things in 2014 that include: strengthening my relationship with God, becoming an early riser (they accomplish more), growing my hair back (long story) lol, and living a healthier lifestyle (which hopefully includes some weight loss).

    Please keep us updated on your progress...

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    1. Hey MrsBB! I have all of your same goals as well! We'll have to keep each other motivated...especially come April, lol! Thanks for commenting! :)

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  3. Great goals! I definitely agree with MeritaK about doing the goals instead of talking about them. I still have a lot of room for improvement so my number one goal is to improve in every way. I know I can improve on time managment. I have struggled with reaching this goal so far this year, but I have plenty more days to reach it. I will definitely jump on the the deep cleaning bandwagon as well.

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    1. Thanks for commenting Cbell! Yes, time management is a big one... I'm so glad you'll be joining in on the deep cleaning bandwagon! Let's do this! :)

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