The new leaf of a fresh year is a hopeful thing, and never more so than in 2021 after what is pretty universally acknowledged to have been an atrocious 2020. I've decided to continue this blog, mainly because it serves as a nice kind of diary for me. I especially enjoyed recently looking back over the development of the garden from last year. I always do enjoy seeing how far something has come, and so without further ado, let's look back at last year's resolutions:-
1) Pay down debt. This is the revolving door of resolutions for me; I always make it, and I always try, but I find it very hard to make any headway. A $2K+ tax bill last year hit me hard in the savings department, which meant that even a few windfalls didn't end up going to debt, but rather to rebuilding the savings. Add to that the unexpected furloughing this academic year, and my ability to have any money that wasn't earmarked for regular bills was significantly undermined. Still we try, and I'll have more on that below in this year's resolutions.
2) Plant a garden. Success!!! This was the redeeming feature of an otherwise suck-tastic year. That garden was my therapist, friend, confident, exercise regime, you name it. My parents even came for a visit in July just to see its progress, even through neither of them are gardeners or ever will be. I cannot wait to get stuck in on my plans for the garden this year.
3) Fix up house. Okay, this was moderately successful, I mean I still look at my now green front door and love it. The biggest project by far was the blue and white tiled mantle made from a 19th century antique. I'm still touching up the paint from areas I sanded down, and new structural parts the BF added in his building process, but, man, does it look good! I turn on that fireplace when I get up in the morning and don't turn it off until I go to bed. For the first time in many years I hung stockings from the mantle. I promptly then went to my parents' for Christmas, but still. Big fan.
4) Answer questions about future. I maintain that the pandemic saved our relationship, and it gave us a lot of time together to have some very necessary conversations. We started trying for a family in September, and several months and one probable miscarriage later...we're still trying. We took December off half-intentionally and half because it just wasn't logistically easy for us to manage with three weeks spent traveling or with my family. Mom keeps pushing us to get married, but I am very gun-shy. I realize that this doesn't make sense to a lot of people, and my BF has gotten me to promise that baby=getting married, but I also know that in my mind there is no future where I want to get married and have him jet off to pursue his glorious career again leaving me with no ability to even try for the family I want. I've sacrificed too much already at this point to sacrifice that again. As for the job; I want out so bad, as situations at work have gone from bad to worse to awful, that getting away will be a major focus of this next year, tenure be damned.
5) Become more fit and healthy. Like a lot of people this year my exercise regime just dropped through the floor. Not that I had much of one to begin with. Now, this may get me a barrage of garbage, but I am one of those people who just doesn't gain weight that fast. I've been slender all my life, with hardly any effort. I'm lucky, very lucky, and I know it. Believe me, in my family it could easily have gone the other way (as happened with one of my brothers). That being said, I did start to make a weekly diet chart and follow it, but it's not about counting calories, it's trying to make sure I eat the right kinds of things daily if possible. This I can do, and will continue to do.
6) Become better informed. I was much better about this for the first 6-7 months of the year than the latter part. I sought out diverse perspectives on issues of gun legislation, reparations, nutrition, education systems and philosophies around the world, and much more. I just lost time and motivation to do it as we hit the later part of the fall semester. I still feel better informed than I was.
So all of that brings me to this year's resolutions. Six was a good number last year, and I had not intended on trying for more, but ended up with seven for 2021:-
1) Pay down debt. For real. I am damn well going to make some significant progress on this, come hell or high water. I have been watching a lot of episodes of a YouTube series called The Financial Diet and I find it really inspiring. I've always budgeted, tracked my spending, and been on top of knowing what my debt was, but somehow it hasn't been enough. This year I've put my debt at the bottom of my budget so I see it along with my budget daily, not as a separate spreadsheet. I also have a plan for gradually ramping up my payments, and I am cutting back on spending in some categories. Example:- I will be mainly teaching from home this semester, so my dog doesn't need to go to daycare as much and I'll only be paying for 5 days a month, instead of 5 days per week. I'm also cancelling my lawn service and buying a mower.
2) Have baby. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but by God we're going to try. We've set ourselves a time limit of two years, and so far we've burned four months of it. I am nervous, terrified, hopeful, and second-guessing myself at every step, but the time for debate is over. It's now or never.
3) Apply for at least 3 new jobs. It's all too easy to look at what's out there (and what isn't in the current job market) and just put it off because I'm waiting for the perfect thing. I have inside knowledge that at least one appropriate opportunity should be coming up this Fall, so it's a matter of taking the time to actually apply. No one says I have to accept an offer, even if one is made. It's putting the feelers out.
4) Finish website. I've already enlisted the help of a clever friend in this, and it goes hand-in-hand with the previous goal. Bonus:- It might help me get more design work as well.
5) Accomplish 1 house project per month. There's now a document with purchases and projects per month for the house for the coming year. This helps me to plan, not take on too much, and not spend on things I haven't planned for. I did something similar last year to help me curtail impulse projects/spending and it did help. Some projects are repairs that need done (fixing front door surround), some are big (installing wainscoting in dining room), and some are simple and easy (make valance for sitting room). At the end of the year I can look back in satisfaction.
6) Plant shade bed. Really, it's self-explanatory, but I will go into detail on this in another post as it's part of my January house goals.
7) Be less angry and anxious, more peaceful. I somehow doubt work is going to make this possible, but we'll try. Somehow. One way I'm going to try to do this is by connecting with one friend socially per week. I remember how nice it was to have a weekly potluck dinner with friends, but while Covid has taken that possibility for the time being, I can still call and catch up with people. Hard for me to do, but maybe just what the doctor ordered.
Wish me luck, and Happy New Year to all!
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