2018 Best Nine
Happy New Year! It’s so hard to believe that this year is over and another one is beginning. Though 2018 was good to us, I want to use this New Year as an opportunity to really take what I’ve learned over the past year and put it into practice (mentally, physically, financially, and environmentally) I was very inspired after reading Meg Hall’s “Fewer, Better: A Year’s Experiment in Minimal Consumption” post and wanted to come up with my own spin on it. After much consideration, I think I’m going to [very] loosely follow her rules with some modifications and add a few of my own. While I have come a loooong way since buying fast fashion and I really do try to buy quality over quantity, I still buy more than I need. And I don’t purge our current possessions, namely my closet, nearly enough. I’m finding that I’m more scatterbrained and have less headspace than ever and I always feel “busy.” For someone who struggles with anxiety, that is just extra overwhelming. I know simplifying your life is a lifelong process but I really want to do a better job this year. For myself, for my family, and for the environment.
Budget
Disclaimer: I am setting very loose guidelines for myself as far as purchasing because though I do buy more than I need, I don’t think I can (or don’t want to) not buy anything clothing-wise all year. We’re also doing a major home-renovation starting in January and I know I will need to purchase several items for that. However, I will try to purchase more eco-friendly brands all around, always. I will also continue to accept gifted products (which isn’t a whole lot, considering I’m pretty small in the blogging world).
1. Set a clothing budget (very low) per season- $100- $200 for new, clothing items that would otherwise be considered unnecessary.
– limit frivolous buying (anything unneeded or on a whim)
-may repurchase worn out or NEEDED items but must try to find a sustainable/green alternative unless doing an identical replacement (have you seen my recent post outlining my favorite sustainable brands?).
– may buy necessary items for Amelia and Joseph (clothing, shoes, etc. BUT nothing excessive or extravagant).
*This is just a challenge for myself, I’m not including Joe but hope he’ll want to participate, too… Joe, are you reading this?!
**I will also be working on a household budget- if anyone has any experience with this OR wants me to write a post on our budget journey, please comment here, send me an email, or find me Instagram!
Health
1. Drink more water- at least half my body weight in ounces a day
2. Take vitamins- I bought these for emotional support and this for immune support. Still looking for a good multivitamin, though, for women (I got these for Joe).
3. Exercise- I’d like to take at least 3 days a week and do an actual workout but I at least want to make sure I’m moving around more every day, even if it’s just taking a walk.
4. Mental- Joe and I have been going to therapy for the last year and I find that’s very helpful (I’m one of those people who really enjoys therapy and working on myself regularly) but I also want to make sure I’m setting myself up for success in other areas- I think that means feeling less cluttered, being less “busy”, and having more headspace- I’ve been trying to be out of bed by 6 am and I think one of the things I want to make sure I’m doing each morning is a sort of “brain dump” where I make a new list or lists daily and prioritize what I want to get done. I also want to start practicing yoga again and have been thinking about starting a gratitude journal. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while and I think it will really help me with maintaining a positive outlook (which in turn will hopefully help with my anxiety issues… every little bit helps).
Lifestyle
Here are some of my general goals for daily life:
1. Marriage- Date night once a week. We’re historically terrible with having date nights. When we’re busy (which, like everyone else, is often), we do not make date night a priority… actually, we honestly never have, even before kids. So, we’ve chosen Thursday nights for our date nights and we’re using this fresh start to renew our promise to keep it! Even if that means just having a glass of wine together after the kids go to bed.
2. Time Management- Get out of bed by 6 am and set an intention for the day. Maybe meditate? Enjoy a cup of coffee in silence. Make a list of what I want to get done for the day and when it will be possible.
3. Meal planning/grocery shopping
4. Housekeeping/finances- planning on using this chart for household chores! I have our finances pretty well organized but I need to dedicate a certain day/time per week to keeping it all up to date and organized! I probably won’t start this until after the reno because our schedule will be so off with the house being a wreck. The budget aspect will be a little trickier… I’ve already outlined my clothing, etc. budget above and mentioned that I’m working on a serious household budget, BUT with the renovation, I’m not sure how it’s all going to go…
5. Becoming more Eco-Friendly- If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve been working towards this for a good bit now and I want to continue doing more to live a greener lifestyle. I mentioned my favorite sustainable clothing brands above, and I want to continue learning about sustainable brands for home and lifestyle products (my main goals are to use NO more single use plastic, continue any products/foods that aren’t all natural, eat less meat, and start composting). I’m adding a tab under my SHOP section for eco-friendly products so you can discover new brands and products with me as I go! I’m still working on it but I want to dedicate more space and resources here to going green and simple lifestyle changes we can all make now (I think I’m going to dedicate an entire post, maybe even a series, to this). We just need to raise awareness!
To prep, I’m taking down some of our Christmas decor (not all- I’m not ready to part with all the lights), and cleaning/decluttering as much as I can. We’re starting our reno very soon (as in the next two weeks) so I want to make sure I am as organized as possible when we begin that process. I’m not trying to have everything done by tomorrow. The point of all this is to alleviate stress, not create more. So, I’m going to enjoy the process, do what I can when I can, and hold myself accountable WHILE choosing happiness and gratitude rather than stress.
Blog
I think my goal is going to be to post 1-2 times/week to start the year. I think that is realistic and something I can hold myself to as well as posting to Instagram at least once a day. I’m not sure there will be much more organization than that simply because I don’t typically adhere to a strict schedule in my daily life (something else I’m working on). Travel for us is somewhat sporadic and we don’t usually have events on the calendar months in advance (unless its something big). Here are the verticals I will continue to cover:
–Style– I will post outfit posts as we take them.
–Motherhood/kids–
–Beauty– I’m planning on doing seasonal beauty (mostly green beauty products and my journey to go green) and make up posts.
–Travel– I’ll continue to do mini travel guides throughout the year.
–Health/Wellness– Thinking about covering some essential oil info here, as well as any health-related products, my fitness journey, etc.
–Home– I’ll be sharing our renovation journey as well as some home decor posts as I get more invested in making our new (old) house a home.
–Lifestyle–
–Environment– Still working on this- as of right now it may just be sporadic posts following my journey to live a greener, more environmentally friendly life and sharing whatever information I learn along the way.
–Book Club– Not sure about this one because of time but I’d love to start it back up!
–Recipes– Also still a category I have on the blog but I haven’t contributed here for literally years. I may turn this into more of a meal planning/grocery list thing as there are tons of recipe sites out there and I have no claims of being an A list cook!
Ok, if you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU! It means so much to me and makes me so happy to have all of you here and on this journey with me. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or want to see anything in particular here… I love getting feedback! I hope you rang in the New Year with loved ones, regardless of whether you went out or stayed home and I wish you all the health, happiness, love, and prosperity in 2019! Let’s make this the best year yet!
