You have to be a little nuts!

I believe that anytime you start a new routine, you or someone you know has to be a little nuts to keep you on track. The one thing I love about my marriage is that fact that Mike and I really compliment each other. I am a dreamer. I usually have all the ideas with very little follow through. You should hear some of the things I dream up! Luckly, Mike goes along with all my plans until I change my mind, or move onto the next big thing. He never tells me I'm nuts, just plays along.

Since I have made out my goals, I have been quite the little nazi about things. And in some respects, it's a good thing. We started a new budget this year and our frivolous spending has come to a hault. It's hard to keep in mind you can't go out and buy whatever you want, when you want it. I have really noticed that watching TV or reading magazines makes me "need" more. Interesting???

I would encourage you, if you have a significant other, keep each other accountable to your goals. And if you're single, find an friend what can keep you on track.

Like that say, two is always better than one!

A New Year!

There is something about a new year that makes everything seem possible. Your slate in clean, your day planner is empty and your options are endless. As I have been reading through some of my favorite blogs, they inspired me to create a list of goals for 2010. I never set resolutions because I always forget what I set out to do, or our life changes so those things become unattainable. Both of those things could still happen this year, but all of my goals are things that, if they happen, will enrich my life and the lives of my friends and family. So here goes nothing....

Spiritual
Write in a prayer journal at least once a week- 2009 brought about a huge amount of prayer and miracles and this year I want to don't want to forget anything.

Personal
Read one book a month- I read that millionaires read one book a week, not that I want to be a millionaire but I feel like some day's I'm brain dead. It's been a long time since I've finished a book, like most things, I start it but never finish.
Blog once a week- I haven't felt like blogging much, mainly because I couldn't think of anything earth shattering to write about. But this is more of a therapy for me anyways, so I will just write.
Do yoga twice a week- I need to stretch more and this would give me a good opportunity meditate too!
Develop a evening and morning routine- being out of work so long, and still not having a consistent schedule is just starting to make me crazy. Then I figured out that I can control my routine, even if everything around me is spinning. So I will start going to bed earlier and waking up to work out.
Continue to eat gluten free and educate people about the benefits of doing so.- this has literally changed my life and I know there are more people out there that don't realize their ailments could be due to the food they are eating. More to come on that one...

Household/ Family
Cook Simply- make bread, granola, dinner - last year I set out to simplify our spending and I got our grocery budget to under $50 a week, while eating at home and packing our lunches daily. It takes a little more effort but it was so rewarding and kind of fun. My secret weapon.... Aldi's.
Send out a once a month letter to our families- communicate better- I wrote a Christmas letter to our families and the response was overwhelming. It showed me that it's important to be apart of our families lives, even if we can see them much.
Try one new recipe a week- this should make Mike excited or maybe scared
Shop more local- go to the farmers market twice a month in the warm months
Designate Friday nights at date night!- we used to do this when we were dating and have occasional date nights now, but I want to be more intentional about it, even if it's renting a movie.

Financially
Stick to our budget! And have weekly simplicity meetings to make sure we’re on track.
Save $2,000 for our Europe Trip! So excited about this in 2011!!!
Pay off Mike’s Car
Pay an extra Mortgage payment- I wish we could pay more but we still need to save for our emergency fund too.

Okay, that's about it. I will keep you updated with the progress I make on each of these goals.
Happy New Year! It's really true, every year gets better with age!