Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Welcome to 2011!

Cristal Champagne and Wedgewood
Photo by geishaboy500
Let's all raise our glasses to this new year being better than the old one!

2010

2010 put a lot of strain on my life, in several areas. Mostly this was my own fault and not because I didn't know better. A lot of people I've talked to feel the same way I do about 2010 but seem to think the year was out to get them in some way. I'm pretty sure I invited all the grief I received through my own actions.

There were months of lax budgeting and rampant spending that increased our debt load and months of lax dieting and rampant eating that increased our belly loads. (0_o)

But it's abundantly clear that we can't continue on in the way we've been heading. It's time to turn things around and start fighting the current to head back to higher ground.

2011

So now we're going to try some new things...I've heard good things about YNAB and we've dcecided to give it a shot. We're going to have to force ourselves to track our spending a little better until it becomes a habit, but I think we can do it.

Also, we're going to start meal planning again. Not only will that be better for our waistlines, but it will also save us money if we're not eating out all the time.

I have loads of food bloggers in my Google reader that have tasty, low-cost recipes. I need to start revisiting some of those bookmarks and finding the keepers for my family. I think I want to set up a household notebook that will hold all our favorite recipes as well as keep us on track for all those "once in a while" housekeeping tasks and little things that need to be remembered -- like what size bulb the front porch fixture needs.

So those are my main objectives for 2011: 1) Start using YNAB, 2) Cook at home more, and 3) Make a household notebook. These are the main things I'm going to be working on and getting accomplished this year.

What are your plans for 2011?