Resolve

It appears to be that time of year again - the time to get out a fresh sheet of paper and a newly-sharpened pencil, and to jot down the resolutions for the year. With that, of course, comes hopefully a modicum of self-analysis: Who am I? What do I want to do this year? Who, exactly, do I want to be? And above all else, can I?

So here are mine, pretty much off the top of my head although they have been percolating around the noggin for a few weeks now. Fingers crossed I stick with them!

Year of Frugality
Much to the groans, but then agreement, of the Galumph, I proposed a year of frugality. We both want to just knuckle down and pay as much extra off our mortgage as we can, so we have decided to watch the pennies a whole lot more. I think the key to this being a success is to be more organised. Last year, for example, I got into the habit of buying lunch on the days I worked. Nice as that was, those lunches sure added up. This year I will make sure I always have a little something stashed away in the freezer to take in, rather than duck out to take away.

I'm sure there are a thousand more little ways we can make our dollars stretch further this year. I just need to figure them out, and apply them.

Stash Busters!
This is tying in with the Frugality pledge. I have loads of fabric and yarn sitting in my bureau at home, so I want to try and make up as many of those as I can rather than buying things for new projects. Fear not - I shall treat myself as the need/uncontrollable want occurs, but there are plenty of wannabe projects already hiding away in my cupboard that require my attention first.

Waste Control
I have a zealot's burning desire to minimise to the nth degree how much our household wastes. To this end we are looking at a composting solution to cut down on our food scrap waste (looks like a wormie bin will be the way to go), and I'm trying to avoid packaging as much as possible.

Plastic Free
Apart from necessities (medicine, deodorant etc) I'm trying to go all out for plastic free this year. Milk will be the exception, as it's simply too hard to find in glass bottles, and the plain plastic bottles are the most easily recycled. I was doing pretty well with my plastic free pledge, but the sneaky bugger has snuck his way back in to my home again. No more, say I, no more!

Oil Free
Another green goal is to further reduce my reliance on oil. It's running out, you know, so the quicker we can take steps to reduce oil consumption now, the better off we will be in the future. For my family this means remaining car-free, eating as locally as we can (joining a local box scheme has already occurred), purchasing only locally made goods and reducing our energy usage.

Just Keep Sewin'
Last year was a personal record buster on the sewing front. Apart from one dress (aw c'mon - it was on sale!) some pjs and bathers, I made all my own clothes. This year I want to keep on keeping on - and with that stash busting pledge it looks like I shall have to!

Click that Shutter Button
I'd really like to improve my photography this year. Last year was pretty good, but I know I can do better. I can definitely do it more often, for starters!

Don't You Have a Blog or Something?
Yes, I do, but I'm not sure you could tell by the amount of updating I did in the second half of the year. Please allow me a moment to hang my head in shame. So much for my update every day pledge - phwmph! I do enjoy writing my blog, so this year I'm aiming for regular updating rather than locking myself into a daily pledge. I want to be reliable for both my sake, and yours.

Hey There, Chicken Arms!
A few weeks ago Grumbles was trying to do cartwheels on a lawn. Poor kid couldn't do one to save herself, so I sauntered over to show her how it's done. Um, wake up call: My upper arm strength is so feeble that I could barely manage one myself. I was rather shocked - I thought doing a cartwheel would be like getting up off the couch - a simple action that I wouldn't even have to think about. Ruh roh. So after that blistering moment of enlightenment, I've been doing push ups every morning. Granted I can only manage half a dozen at the moment before collapsing nose first onto the floor and begging for mercy, but I'll get there.

So there are pledges for the year. Watch out 2011 - here comes a greener, fiscally enhanced and superbly toned upper armed Jorth!