New Year's Resolutions

I'm not really one for New Year's Resolutions. I remember making them up for roll call in 4-H or half-heartedly writing something about them in English class. But this year, while I'm not calling them resolutions, I am making goals. I am identifying things that I want to accomplish this year. Most are just small things, little differences now that I think will add up to big differences down the road. And while some are not easily measureable, which is apparently a bad thing when you are making goals, I have decided to use this blog to hold me publically accountable for my goals, which is apparently a good thing to do when you are setting goals. I hope to relay my progress once a month.
Goals:
1. Do a pull-up or handstand without help - I was always very self-conscious in gym class when it came to anything with upper body strength. I couldn't climb a rope or a pole or do a pull-up or chin-up. I'm also afraid to kick up into a handstand. So my plan is to get Jason to help me with my handstands in short practice sessions. As far as the pull-ups go, I know I need to be more intentional in watching what I eat and working out. One of my mini goals with this is to get back to my Soda on Saturdays routine, where it's a treat to drink soda once a week, if at all, and not a daily occurrence. So more water it is. I also think that, in general, it's a good idea to get a good amount of sleep, so I'm going to try to get back in the habit of going to bed by 10 p.m.
2. Clean out the garage - When I moved to Oak Grove, I knew the move was coming. And yet, I procrastinated. I put off packing until the very end; it was too late to sort and pack. Everything had to come here and to help Jason just started putting things in boxes. So, I'm going to tackle at least one box a month in an attempt to pare down sort through everything. Here's hoping our move back is a little less stressful!
3. Challenge my creativity and imagination - When I moved to Oak Grove, I'm pretty sure I got depressed. I wasn't clinically diagnosed or anything, but I wasn't myself. I lived here for at least five months before I picked up a crochet hook or read one of my favorite novels. So, I am challenging myself to stay creative and imaginative by keeping up with my hobbies: photography, reading, crocheting, sewing, geocaching, whatever. Sure beats watching TV on Hulu.com all the time.
4. Maintain a conscious spending plan - Note that I didn't say budget. In my opinion, Jason and I have been doing ok saving money so far. I just want to maintain that success and build on it in the coming year. My goal is to cut spending where it doesn't matter to us so we have more money to spend where it does. One of the things I think will help in this area is to make meal plans and shop accordingly. And, while I don't want to fritter my time away hunting and clipping coupons, I do want to recognize coupons as a tool to help save money.
5. Be aware of our environmental impact - Whether global warming is real or not, I feel like there is no reason to misuse and abuse resources available to us. Among other things, Jason and I shop with reusable bags, use power strips to take care of phantom loads and recycle as much as possible. This year, I want to shop more locally, consciously choose products with less or recyclable packaging and look into switching to less toxic cleaners-maybe even make our own.