A New Year and A New Me

Atleast that is my goal :) I think most of go into a new year with plans for something we want to change, or do. I began planning some goals I want to get done. Some areas in my house that need cleaning up or organized. I made a list for those, and my husband even added a couple to it that he planned to take care of :) (He just told me to put in parenthesis-So he says Yes, he does read my blog every now and then ;) I also plan to be better organized in certain areas. For instance, I have this great fridge out in our shop-I want to be certain the freezer part stays pretty filled up with breakfast and dinner foods. I have been sick for the past two days (Happy New Year to me-lol) and today was thinking about what I would fix for dinner. Usually I have something quick in the freezer, but not right now. With the holidays, I kept that freezer filled with things for the holiday meals. Or leftover ham/turkey from holiday meals. So, another plan is to make sure once a month, at the least, I stock up that freezer and I pick an area in my house that needs some major organizing, cleaning, etc...That is not to take the place of my regular cleaning, mind you ;)

Also, I am planning a giveaway for February! Please keep an eye out for it. Nothing huge, but since it is my birthday month, I wanted to thank all my readers out there too :)

What are your New Year's Resolutions-do you have any? Or are you just setting up goals for yourself? Please feel free to share :)

Git R Done!!!

Do you have an area of your house that needs some desperate attention (or, perhaps you are like me and even your email inbox is ready to come exploding out of your computer screen)? I have had many areas like this in my house, computer, husband's shop, etc. As I have told you before, I have been having problems with my stomach hurting, and some days (or even a week at a time) I am in pain and just trying to make it through the day. Things get behind and then I have to play catch-up. It can get quite overwhelming and frustrating. What is a person to do at a time like this?

Many household organizers suggest breaking it down into time periods. Or, some suggest breaking down a room a day (or an area a day). These are both great ideas and figuring out which way would help you is very simple. You can even get your family in on the action. Make it a game. We have often put a timer on for 15 minutes and, with everyone tackling a different section of the house, tried to see how much we can get done. It may not be perfect, but it has made for a nice tidying up and made me feel a bit better about the house
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If you decide to tackle an area of the house, you can also set this task up into small increments a day. I will often take one of our bookshelves that seems to be a catch all for everything and anything, and cleaned it up little by little. I might even do a task like this while watching my favorite tv show. During the show, I organize the books, and during commercials I will place them neatly on the shelf. Is that lazy? Hmmm--not too sure, but I do know it gets the job done! When I cleaned up my linen closet last year (and I need to add it is time to tackle this chore again!) I broke it up into 15 minutes a day and started with a shelf at a time. It took me a couple of days, but I took out each item, stacked piles together and reorganized it all.

As I said, my email inbox is ready to overflow. I fear my internet provider calling me and telling me they are going to put me on some emailers addiction group if I don't do something soon :) By the end of the week, I plan to have over 200 emails gone, organized or atleast read through. I will let you know how it goes.

So, what will you tackle this week?

Are You Ready for the New Year?

Well, are you? I think I am. I am not too sure. There are so many things from this year that I am hoping will improve next year. One thing is finances. I truly hope I can do much more to help save us money. I also want to get started on a Christmas Club account. Money I make from surveys, I plan to leave in my PayPal as much as possible-more so than I did this year. Though I was not wasteful with it, I had planned to leave it until Christmas. I was able to buy one daughter a coat for Christmas and another a very pretty rug for Christmas, but I would like to have had more in there-perhaps to catch some of those After Thanksgiving Day sales :)

I also really want to spend much less on my family's grocery bill! This is a huge goal for me. I see the deals, but often miss out because it is between paychecks or whatever. This year, I plan to save money back from my grocery budget to grab any deals that might come up. I am also going to try a few All You magazines to see if they are really worth the cost to help save money with their special coupons ;)

Out with the old and in with the new? This can apply to things in your house. Clutter-old. Go through closets, your garage, kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Find those things that you really have no used this year. I have a couple things I can think off right off the top of my head that we have only touched once or twice this year--gone it will be! I also have lots of clothes I went through in the Fall that can go to Goodwill and some that I plan to give away or sell at a yardsale (if it will ever quit snowing here :). There is much more I need to get busy on.

The new? I desperately need to do some new things here-a couple rooms need curtains. I need to replace some mini blinds. And, I need to redo my sewing table (perhaps that will come first before I try making curtains :) I want to treat myself to some cute objects around the house-some picture frames with pictures of the kids and some other decorating items. I also want to actually fix my coffee table and paint/stain it this year! And, my kitchen table and chairs are desperately needing a make over too!

All this may seem like alot, but in baby steps, I know I can achieve it. Going through all things to toss or give away can be broken down into small time periods-I love the 15 minute time period here. It works well for me and sometimes my kids help out and love that it is only 15 minutes!

The curtains I want to make-I know a Walmart that will be losing it's fabric area this February. I know they will clearance out everything. I will keep an eye out on these sales and find fabric for curtains, as well as some other projects I know I will have for next Christmas.

It's all in planning. What are some goals you have for the 2010? Heh, first time I have written/typed that...feel good :)