Resolutions?

As the new year rolls around, we are all reminded to set our resolutions and to start the year right. Then Jan 2nd comes around and all the resolutions are out the window! Don't lie, I know this is you too.

I normally don't even try to make resolutions because of this. I tell myself that it's not about Jan 1st, that I'm supposed to be living healthier/budget wise/smoke free/whatever all year long. I don't need no stinking New Year to tell me how to live right! But let's be honest here: we really do. If it were that easy then resolutions wouldn't even be a real thing. Like fairy dust.

So my resolutions this year:
1. Lose my winter weight and be in better shape altogether
2. Get financially fit
3. Eat healthier (will help with #1)

Now, I decided not to put a time limit or get really specific with these goals because that would just stress me out and everything would blow out the window. But I have to say, so far I'm doing ok. Yes, it may only be January 18th, but we gotta take baby steps here people!

Here's my progress:
1. Lose my winter weight and be in better shape altogether - I started the Special K challenge on Jan 1st. You know, where you eat cereal twice a day, snack on fruits and granola bars, then eat a regular meal. This has been slightly difficult for me because a) I hate eating breakfast at breakfast time and b) I like having something warm for lunch. Cold cereal just doesn't do it for me. But I'm trudging through and have extended my two weeks even longer. I realized that by eating the cereal that I'm setting myself up for making better choices in general. I snack on fruit cups and granola bars instead of chips or cookies. I'm also tracking my progress on www.livestrong.com, where I can enter my food on "my plate" and keep track of the food I eat. A very useful tool for holding myself accountable. You really start to feel guilty when you see the fat portion of the pie chart take up most of your daily allowance. I don't want that pie chart glaring at me for days.

3. Eat healthier (will help with #1) - no I'm not skipping #2, we'll get there in a second. Besides changing my snacking habits, I'm changing what we eat as a family. This will be tough. Travis is a meat and potatoes guy. He likes to have meat for dinner. I realize this, but do you know how much we spend on meat at the grocery store? Chicken, ground beef, pork chops, roast, meatballs - it gets to be a little excessive. So I've declared that we're eating at least two vegetarian meals a week to help us get healthy and reduce our grocery budget. I've printed off some recipes from Kraft as well as some fellow blogger's pages. I know you're probably thinking "oh goodness" but it's good food. Spinach stuffed shells, veggie pizza, vegetarian chili. This will be good for us!

2. Get financially fit - This will be the toughest for us. Maybe it should have gone first because in the long run I think it's the most important. But it all ties together. If we're in better health, we'll spend less money, if we lower our grocery budget, we'll spend less money. Travis and I have lived off a budget for the past year or so, but let's be honest - it was pretty loose. Even on tight months, we still weren't holding each other accountable for some things. Now, we're not hugely in debt or anything. We have the cars, a student loan, minimal credit card debt. But it would be so great to be debt free. So we're building a plan. I've been reading Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" , and I'm excited. It also scares the crap out of me to be honest. But I'm trying to think of it as a "scared straight" situation. With only one income and no commissions coming in, we need to stop wandering around in financial blindness. It won't be quick or painless, but I'm up for the challenge!

So that's the resolutions for this year. Hopefully I can say this time next year that I succeeded in my goals. Wish me luck!