MY GOALS FOR 2023 - ACCOUNTABILITY POST

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's now 2023 and I am so grateful we all made it! My kids were sick most of the last part of 2022 and we were holding our breath, hoping they made it to Christmas healed. Thankfully, they did. Praise God! 

How many of you make New Year's resolutions? I used to, but personally, I dislike them. They're usually too vague or too lofty and it becomes difficult to keep up with them. A few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of mapping out my year ahead of time by creating a list of goals for the year and mapping out how I was going to achieve those goals. I like this idea a lot better, and today I'm going to share my 2023 goals with you. Remember that a year is 365 days, so not every goal has to be accomplished immediately. 

Here is my big list for the year. 

2023 Goals

Financial

• Save $50 per paycheck, totaling $1,300 by December 31, 2023

• Tithe 10% off the top of every paycheck

• Use tax refund to fund a month’s worth of expenses, so that we can essentially “skip” a paycheck, and start funding the next month’s expenses each month, keeping at minimum, a full month’s pay in the bank always 

• Create sinking funds for quarterly and annual bills, and for veterinary care, children’s clothing, and car repairs

• Wait 3 days before making any discretionary purchases

• Cut our grocery budget by $300 a month

Spiritual

• Read my Bible every day for a minimum of thirty minutes, starting with three times a week for two weeks, then moving up to four days a week for two weeks, then five, then six, then a full 7 days.

• Attend ladies’ craft nights at church every month

• Spend my Sabbaths media free. Read a book, take a walk, photograph nature, play board games, spend time with people I love, or craft instead

• Reach out to friends at least twice a month to connect over coffee/tea, a walk, a meal, etc. 

Physical/Health

• Take 52 walks this year

• Meal prep weekly

• Cut dairy to three servings a week

• Replace coca cola with herbal teas

• Fast food once a month only

• Spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day stretching and moving my body intentionally 

Household

• Replace the Catio roof and add more perches 

• Tile the bathtub and shower

• Renovate the pantry area

• Tear out the front room and create a seating area using materials we already own

• Create a more functional laundry system that keeps dirty clothing off the laundry room floor

• Replace the torn couches with budget-friendly options – i.e. Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, markdowns, etc. 

• Restructure the bedroom closet to make it more functional

• Downsize the home, room by room, starting with the Master Bedroom

• Create a safer play area for the children in the backyard by tearing down the wooden structure and replacing it with something custom-built – utilizing as much of the materials that we already own as possible

• Plant a large garden on our property

• Replace our fence – use up all the materials we already own first, before purchasing more

• Repair the broken laptops for kids’ and personal use

• Purchase a new printer/scanner for the home

• Clean and organize the garage

• Replace the roof before winter

Personal

• Blog twice a week

• Vlog once a week

• Cut Facebook/media time to 30 minutes (TOTAL) a day or less

• Read all the books on my bookshelves and donate the ones I won’t reread

• Try one new recipe a week, minimum

• Increase the amount of canning and dehydrating I do this year

• Be more intentional with my time, by

• • Planning out errand days
• • Meal planning ahead of time
• • Scheduling chore days for myself to keep up on housework
• • Allowing my body to rest when I’m tired
• • Saying no to any activity that drains me emotionally
• • Only scheduling one large project at a time and not starting another until I am finished with the current one
• • Setting my phone down and finding something else to do when I feel bored and still have physical energy

So what about you? What are some of your goals for the year? Anything big you'd like to tackle? 

My goofy Hubby showing our teen how to shoot

Stay tuned for another episode. See you next time! And remember, if you or a loved one is in danger, get help immediately, and don't stop talking until someone acts on your words.

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