My goals for 2017
Get 7- 8 Hours of Sleep Each Night
Totally rocked my sleeping goal this week. But mostly because we have been on the east coast and getting up at 4:30 am is really like getting up at 7:30 am and let me tell you Bob, it has made all the difference in the world. Vacations rule. And so does sleeping in. 😉
Make Saving a Priority, Not an Idea
Saving is kind of a funny thing. I try really hard to save on the everyday things so that when we go on vacation, we can live it up and not have to stress about how much something costs. We always set aside money for our “trip” budget and that’s all we spend. If we make it home with a little extra in our pockets, it’s a sweet bonus. If not, that’s totally okay too. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing where all our vacation money went, but here are a few things we’ve done this month that saved us money:
- Made an additional 5 principal payments towards the mortgage
- Gave each other haircuts
- Didn’t buy any groceries for 2 weeks in a row
- Painted a used coffee table instead of paying big bucks for a new one
- Recycled instead of paying for trash service
- Pulled clean packing paper out of recycling bins to package Etsy orders instead of buying it
- Watched tv shoes and movies on Netflix or AmazonPrime instead of paying for cable
- Payed bills online instead of using stamps to mail them in
- Pulled a mini pool out of the trash for Lucy
- Stayed at hotels/Inns with breakfasts & hot beverages included
- Ordered a pair of once worn Keens off eBay for 75% off the retail price
Live a little
If spending a week in New England driving through towns, stopping at farm stands, eating pastries, finding the best lobster rolls and catching up on sleep isn’t living a little… than I don’t know what is.
Visit 52 REAL Bakeries
The HH and I have visited 4 {new} bakeries + 2 others on our trip and let me tell you, it’s been a tough job trying out all those new desserts. Going back to beans and rice is going to be such a downer.
Have 1 “no spend” week each month
I didn’t buy anything outside of our allocated “vacation” money this week but I don’t think that qualifies as a no spend week, do you? So maybe this coming week I’ll just work on using up what we have in the fridge so I make sure to go 9 months in a row doing this whole no spend week each month challenge.
Start a Line of Rug Hooking Patterns
With just a few remaining house projects to knock off my list and the {soon to be} lack of gardening activities, I feel like I’ll finally have time to get the remaining rug hooking patterns finished and listed on Etsy. I have a million and one little things I could be doing, but if I want to check this off my list of goals for 2017, I’ll need to focus and just get it done.
Turn My Wool Stash into $2,500.
This past week I sold $354.49 in my Etsy shop and Ebay store which brings my total so far this year to $8311.40. I have a special order to finish up and then I am going to concentrate on working on a few Christmas pieces. Who knows…. Maybe I’ll get to 10k by the end of the year. That would be pretty exciting.
Purge 250 Items  Mission Accomplished
Learn to Crochet Mission Accomplished
Dote on My Husband Even More Than I Do Now.
Seriously, I don’t think I have ever seen someone eat so much seafood in such a short amount of time. Lobster rolls, clams, calamari, you name it, the HH has been eating it. My husband took 10 days off from work. Something he hasn’t done in about 13 years. He grew a {10 day} beard and is looking more handsome than ever. Who knew that hanging out with your spouse, lot’s of rest, good food, and new surroundings could be so much fun. Maybe this trip {and all the conversations we had} will make an impact. If ya know what I mean. 😉
Lose the Muffin Top.
With all the pastries I’ve been eating this past week, I can’t believe my pants still fit. True, it helps that my jeans have a wee bit of elastic in them, but still. A girl can only eat so many sweets before she yells Uncle!
This probably sounds weird, but I am actually looking forward to oatmeal for breakfast again.
Wear out {most of} the clothing I already own.
The shoes in the photo, I bought them in Florida when I was 20 at a Cole Haan outlet for around 20 bucks {which was a big purchase for me at the time}. They are to this day, my all time favorite shoes. Well made loafers… they never go out of style. Or at least in my mind they don’t.
Try 52 New Recipes
I didn’t try anything new this week but I have a few recipes I need to get up on the blog… Stay tuned.
Read 52 Books
The HH and I have listened to a few podcasts from Mike Row and although I had downloaded 2 books onto my phone before we left, I still have not listened to them. Mostly because I’ve been to busy looking out the window {and not wanting to miss a single thing}. Next on my list though is Reading People.
Give Back to 12 Different Organizations in My Community
January – Donated to Quilts from the Heart in Memory of my brother.
February – Donated to Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club.
March – Donated to my daughter’s mentor who was in a horrible car accident.
April – Donated again to my daughter’s mentor who was in a horrible car accident.
May – $100 Tip to a waitress on Mother’s day.
June – Started collecting men’s shirts to donate this winter.
July – Donated to the Chew Dog Rescue
August – Donated to the Houston Flood Relief Fund
September – $100 Tip to our amazing server at The Grey House and bought a tin of caramel corn from a Boy Scout
And then, there’s those top secret goals we’re not talking about yet.
Secret Goal #1 Sell East Coast House Mission AccomplishedSecret Goal #2 Chickens! Mission Accomplished- Secret Goal #3
- Secret Goal #4
How about YOU? Did you set any goals for 2017? How are they coming along?
~Mavis
Read About My 2017 Goals HERE.
Mel says
On of my goals was to make more Christmas gifts. Come Christmastime, I always wish I’d made gifts, but I never think of it in time. So, earlier this year, I painted my friend’s new house on an ornament, and this week I painted a guitar strap for my father with his favorite birds. This weekend, I sewed a hooded scarf for my mother, and I designed a purse for a friend. So, I need to make the purse, paint one more ornament, make a couple sea glass collages, and sew some dog bandanas, and I think I’ll be set. I still plan to buy some gifts, but this will give me a major head start. If I have time after all that, I may sew chapstick and hand sanitizer holders as stocking stuffers.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love that you are making gifts this year! 🙂 My daughter does it too any really loves coming up with new ideas each year. Good for you.
Mel says
Thanks! It’s a bit odd to see gifts piling up before it’s even Halloween, but it will be fun to have some homemade gifts in with the store-bought ones. I’ve made some gifts before, but I’ve never made an effort to do a bunch. I’ve also made a more concerted effort to shop throughout the year to snag stocking stuffers and other small items as I see them. It cuts down on the holiday chaos, and it also means that I buy things like LL Bean socks now before they have a chance to sell out. I’ve been using an app called Gift List to keep everything organized and have a quick list to reference whenever I’m in a store.
Carolina says
COVERED BRIDGES—–JUST ONE MORE THING TO LOVE ABOUT NEW ENGLAND!!!
Betsy in MN says
I’m glad you are having fun in New England. During my early 20’s I lived in Vermont and Connecticut for two years. Loved the experience. I had also lived in Spain for a year after college. But I missed Minnesota. It is my home and I love the changing seasons you can see by the crops in the field. I also missed the incredible sun rises and sun sets you get with flat land. I like seeing off into the distance!
The diversity of our country makes it great!
Dara says
When are you going to share your last two secret goals? 🙂