152 - I resolve...

This year as I got ready to go to mom and dad's for Christmas dinner, I began thinking about my new year's 'resolutions' for 2010. In past years, I never put much thought into what I wanted to accomplish in the coming year so it's really no wonder that I never felt as if I had succeeded at anything... This year I want to be different, I want to put thought into my goals and do my best to accomplish them.

So here's what I've been thinking:

This year I will get back on track with my charity goals:
1) Clean out my closets and donate usable clothing to Goodwill (pretty much a done deal already but there's still more to do)
2) Pick a different charity, and donate to it each month.
3) Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity at least once to see if I like it, and stop making excuses not to do it

This year I will attempt to either pay off my car, or a couple of credit cards (depending on what happens with minimum payments and interest rates... if nothing changes the car is the priority... that's also assuming that I get the tax refund I expect to receive.)

This year I will cut back on my impulse spending. If I want to buy something online I will put it into my shopping cart but not actually purchase it until I've thought about it for a couple of hours. That should help cut down on impulse buys that I fall victim to when I find 'deals' in my inbox. Ideally I won't purchase it at all, instead I will build a wishlist for my birthday, or next Christmas.

This year I will set aside at least $100/month for savings (travel, emergency, etc.).

This year I will put more thought into what I eat:
1) I will plan my menu, not just grab random items at the grocery store and toss them into the cart
2) I will not reward myself for a hard day by eating fattening foods because I 'deserve a treat'
3) I will not have dessert every day
4) I will learn to snack, and I will eat healthy snacks like blueberries and almonds

This year I will try to have a people over for dinner once a month.

This year I will go to Florida and see a shuttle launch.

This year I will exhaust what I have before I buy something new (specifically makeup, soap, shampoo, bubble bath, and candles). I have plenty of these things already, I don't need more of them.

This year I will exercise more regularly. To that end, I have already purchased Your Shape for the PC, and I will use it. I will also get back on the treadmill... haven't been doing it since I got back from my trip.

This year I will clean out and organize my garage.

This year I will take better care of myself. I will not skip my well-woman exam (like I did this year), I will go to the dentist for a cleaning, and I will get my eyes checked.

This year I will try to have no more than 24 oz of soda a day, but preferably no more than 12 oz. I will drink more water and fruit juice. I will purchase either a water filter for my faucet, or a water pitcher with a filter so I can save money on water and have it more readily available (when I forget to restock the bottles in my fridge and the only cold thing I have is soda I can easily get off track).

This year I will be more open to meeting someone special. I will not talk myself out of guys by making assumptions about their (perceived) intentions / flaws. On the other hand, I will not give in on the things that are important to me... I will not try to make a square peg fit a round hole (shush Brian and Greg, I'm having a serious moment), or overlook things that oughtn't be overlooked. I will also not be so hard on myself. I need to begin to believe that I have attractive qualities instead of continuuing to believing myself to be an unexciting, dull, and unattractive woman that ultimately can't hold a guy's interest for the long haul.

This year I will get back into the habit of writing, not just blogging.

I think that about wraps it up for now. I'd like to say that I will be better about going to bed and getting sleep, but that would just be crazy talk, especially if I said I would try to get up earlier. I don't know what it is about mornings but I just don't like them... I'm a night owl.

I felt so bad... mom and dad tried to surprise me with a couple of gifts that I didn't know about, and they would have been wonderful, except that.... they bought me a digital picture frame last year. I used it maybe twice, and after about six months it actually fell apart. They forgot they'd bought it so they bought another one this year, a better one, but... to be honest, having the last one made me realize that I don't really care for them... it's something else to plug into the wall, the old one only had memory enough for 8 pictures, and it was just something else that took up space. I can accomplish the same thing by setting my screen saver to show random pictures, they'd be bigger and have better quality and I wouldn't be limited to a certain number... so that's going back to the store. Then... they bought me a Tom Tom... I had already asked for a big ticket item, so it didn't cross my mind that they would get me another big gift. Unfortunately I also didn't tell them I had bought a Tom Tom on Black Friday because it never crossed my mind that they would get me one... So they were all excited about their surprises and I felt like I burst their bubble... But I did appreciate the thought... and the intent...

This is why I need to stop buying so much stuff. And why we definitely need a buying freeze two months before Christmas.

At this point I'm think I will do the responsible thing and take that money and put it toward my debt. I might take part of it and buy some of those Skechers Shape Ups, but I haven't decided yet. That's a lot of money for a pair of shoes, and I keep waiting for a sale... I guess when it gets to the point where I need a new pair of shoes I might be able to justify them as a replacement pair / fitness equipment, but for now they just seem extravagant. Right now I have a functional pair of shoes. Ironically, they are Skechers.

All in all turned out to be a good Christmas though. We went to church, watched A Christmas Cottage while we ate our snacks, then opened gifts, and watched An American Christmas Carol. Today we had lunch and we were joined by my cousin Bobby, who is always fun to have around, then we watched A Night at the Museum 2, and Up! I'm now sitting on the couch, miserable and bloated, because I ate too much. I'm dreading tomorrow because I want to start returning things... the picture frame... the Tom Tom... the horrible-smelling Lovely I bought... and I know I will be one of millions out there... hopefully there will be more shoppers than returners... hopefully...

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!