New Year....New Changes! - Living on Fifty

Happy New Year! It is during this time of year that I take a step back to look at the previous year, and to set goals for the new year just like literally everyone lse. Currently I am reassessing our financial situation and personal situation to find out what has changed, and what needs to happen this year.

There have been three big change in our lives this past year – 1) We bought a house, 2) We had a baby, 3) I got a huge raise and The Big guy quit his job to stay at home with Baby RB40! (This just happened December 15th!)

So, for 2013, our expenses actually went down when we bought a house (less gas, less payment, etc…), then went up when we had a baby, and then down when the Big Guy quit his job because of my raise :-). How is that for a crazy year?

How about I make next year an even crazier one? Here are my goals for 2014:

Personal Finance:

1. Pay off our personal loan. Amount = $10,104.00

2. Start a betterment account for Baby RB40. Even if we only put in$50 per month, I would like to get something started for her

3. Start going to the chiropractor. Our insurance does not cover this, an at $35 per visit and can get expensive. However, my and the Big Guy’s backs hurt, so we need to make this happen. Our goal is to start this once the personal loan is paid off.

Life and Home:

1. Redo one closet every other month. Our house has really ugly and not very useful closets. They are carpeted on the bottom, need painted, and the shelves and closet rods have seen better days. I want to rip out the carpet, put new closet organizers in them and paint!

2. Redo our hardwood flooring. The Big Guy’s dad has all of the equipment we need and has done this many times, so I want him to teach me!

3. Buy a dishwasher. Handwashing all of the bottles and pump parts by hand are killing me!

Fitness:

1. Do some sort of activity 2x per week. Not much, I know, but I am doing nothing right now :-)

Lets face it – these are not crazy goals, but they are attainable. In years past I have set huge, unattainable goals and been disappointed when I did not reach them. Life is busy with work, family, and hobbies. Scaling back and doing the things that are most important to me is my focus now, I find that I am happier for it.

What do you think? What are your goals for the new year? Are these too ambitious of me? Are there any goals that I should add?

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