My 2012 Goals

I mentioned last night that I wanted to make myself a little list of goals or resolutions for this year and stick with them throughout the whole year. I am not normally a goal-setter, so this is a little out of the ordinary for me, but I think it will be fun to go back at the end of the year and look at how I do each month.

So, here are my goals for 2012.

1. Save money, reduce debt. We have a few credit cards that we're currently carrying balances on and I'd really like to reduce those (or pay them off completely). I also want to make sure that we have a nice cushion in our savings. We are scheduled to pay off a loan this summer, so I know we'll make a good dent in our debt in the second half of the year since we'll be able to use the money we have been paying towards the loan to pay extra on the credit card debt. As for the savings, well, our BAH is going up a few hundred this year, so I'm thinking we'll put the extra into savings each month. Should make it easy since we won't miss it. I'm actually really looking forward to this goal. It might be nice to have money for once. ;)

2. Lose weight. This one goes along with #3 and #5. I have gotten into the habit of eating too much, exercising too little, and using too much butter in my cooking, a la Pioneer Woman. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of little butter on occasion, but I really need to get it reigned in. I'll feel better about myself, and maybe I'll fit back into some of those clothes I used to wear before AJ was born.

3. Eat healthier. Again, this coincides with #2, but since I do all of the cooking in our house and we rarely eat out, it has become apparent to me that I need to adjust my menu rotation. I think it will be a fairly simple change to make, namely cutting back on the comfort foods and upping the veggies and salads, but also limiting the amount we eat in a sitting. I've had success in the past with portion control and I think its something I need to start paying more attention to.

4. Be more patient. Its not that I forget that AJ is a child, but sometimes its just so frustrating! I have never been a particularly patient person (just ask my Ma). AJ has, in her short 22 months of existence, already taught me a lot about myself, and the biggest thing I see that needs to change is my patience level. I'm going to make a particular and concentrated effort to be very patient this year, not only with AJ, but also others. I tend to be anxious and high-strung, so this resolution should help me to relax and calm down a little as well.

5. Exercise more. I couldn't really exercise any less than I did in 2011. I ran a few times, but stopped as AJ got older. She is not really a fan of sitting in the stroller, so that really limited my running opportunities. I think that I can do better this year. I don't want to make excuses to not exercise, so I'm going to try and incorporate other methods of activity, maybe something like P90X or Insanity. If any of you have any suggestions, please let me know!

6. Maintain a positive attitude. I think this goal goes along with #4. Along with a lack of patience, I tend to expect the worst and project a negative attitude about just about anything. I want to be a good example for AJ and I don't want her to grow up to be cynical and negative all the time. I have a feeling this may be the most challenging of all my resolutions for 2012.

There you have it, folks! Hopefully by the end of this year I'll be richer, thinner, healthier, more patient and more positive. Sounds good to me!

What are your resolutions for this year?