2013 Resolutions
I don’t normally take resolutions very seriously, but 2013 is going to be a year of change for my family and I, and I would like to make some decisions relating to those changes. So here are my resolutions.
1 – Only bother with people that bother with us. 2012 saw me make a lot of effort with a lot of people, much of which went unnoticed and wasn’t returned. I have decided that as time with LP is so precious that we will only make arrangements to see people that want to see us, I’ll only contact people who also contact me and I’ll only agree to do things that we actually want to do. I am fed up with spending time with people who are just not worth my effort and who give nothing back.
2 – Have a working vegetable patch. I spent a lot of 2012 readying that vegetable patch in the garden ready to have some functioning crops when I get around to it. I have made a spreadsheet of seeds that we have, when they need to be planted, whether they are planted indoor or outdoor and when they should be harvested. Starting in Feb/March I am going to make progress with our veg patch to hopefully be able to have some crops over the Spring/Summer months. I will definitely keep you updated on this. It is our first step to partial self-sufficiency!
3 – Be 100% on top of our finances. I am going on maternity leave (again) at the end of March and will be receiving full pay until the end of August and then SMP until January 2014. I have made a spreadsheet to cover this period so that I know exactly what we are paying for all of our bills. I intend to try and switch as much as I can onto cheaper alternatives and to try and reduce our grocery shopping as much as possible. I am going to meal plan 100%, write a list of cupboard contents for on the inside of the cupboard and do the same with the freezer. Our fridge always contains only essentials anyway. This is a year for cutting back on things we don’t need without it effecting our quality of life. I will keep you updated on this also.
4 – Have another baby. This resolution is obviously a given. I will be having a baby EDD 26th May 2013. I would like to make sure that I do things the same way I did with LP. At times I found having a small baby who didn’t sleep and fed on demand incredibly demanding and exhausting, but looking back, the ‘Baby’ stage didn’t last long at all. We now have an amazing toddler who goes to sleep by herself, self settles during the night, sleeps well generally, eats an amazing variety of food and is a complete joy to be around. I want to breastfeed again, do as much ‘on demand’ as I can and do BLW again when the time comes.
5 – Be debt free. We have a small loan, that used to be a big loan, that we have been paying off ‘forever’. Our credit cards get paid off every month and so this loan is our only debt aside from the mortgage. At the moment we are chucking any spare money at it to clear it quicker and aim to pay it off by the time my full pay finishes in August.
6 – Read more books. I used to read a lot – The whole Harry Potter series in 6 weeks for example. This went out the window when LP came along. I would like to get back into reading and have a lot of books to read. I am setting myself a goal of 12 books this year, one a month, as I feel that should be achievable. Next year I may aim for a higher figure.
That’s it for now, I’ll keep you updated on my progress!
