New Year, New Ambitions

Happy New Year! I am hoping 2010 comes in quieter then 2009 went out! As with the start of every new year I like to reflect on what goals I met in the previous year and what I would like to see happen in the coming year.

Last year I was very excited about our garden. We expanded it and had a very good season. I also started line drying our clothes. This was a big step for me. I did this up until Fall and it just got too cool. Hubby and I purchased a new to us vehicle and were able to pay cash! We saved and saved and although we depleted most of our savings it is worth it to not have a car payment. I also started baking alot more from scratch and we switched over to cloth napkins.

It was a pretty good year for us. I am happy with all the changes we have made.

Here I my goals for 2010.

Financial
~Pay off Hubbys student loan.
~Save up 6 months worth of living expenses. Dave Ramsy's baby step #3.
~Become more disciplined with my envelope system. I have gotten into a bad habit of "dipping" the last couple months and this needs to stop.
~More frequent budget entries. I tend to get behind because I let my receipts stack up. I am hoping to do weekly entries onto the program that I have set up on the computer to track our expenses.

Personal
~Increase home canning inventory for the upcoming year. I want to depend less on the store bought canned veggies and fruits. I have done great canning my own peaches and pears but would like to expand that. I would like to start canning vegetables as well. This will probably mean buying in surplus at Farmers Markets and canning. I know I can't grow all my own food (like sweet corn for example).
~I would really like to have my chicken coop built by the end of April and my chickens purchased in March.
~I would like to start reading more. Not children's books either. Actual adult books!
~Stop raising my voice so much. I feel like in the last year my husband and I have really started yelling alot more at the children to make ourselves heard. I don't like it and it doesn't work.
~Be a better listener. I have lacked in this department alot with my two oldest sons recently. This is something I want to work on.

Family
~Keep up with the designated Wednesday Family Night. All the boys look forward to Wednesday nights. Even though we spend most of them curled up watching a movie, this is what we do best and we do it together.
~Start a new weekly tradition of Parents Night. Will and I haven't spent alot of time together. When things do wind down for the night we each go our own separate ways. We are going to designate one night a week that we spend the evening together after the kids go to bed.

These are my goals for 2010. I also hope to continue coming up with new ways to help save money as well as provide helpful tips to live a more greener, earth friendlier lifestyle. Thank you to all my readers for your tips, comments and helpful emails throughout this last year. It brightens my day. I hope it continues!

Happy New Year.
~Sara

This post is linked to The Happy Housewife.