My Goals for 2011

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While I don’t really believe in New Years Resolutions (no one ever keeps them!), I do believe in setting goals because like Zig Zigler said, If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. I am a huge procrastinator and, if I do not have written goals or ideas, I end up wasting a lot of my time. So, in 2011 I am purposing to use my time more wisely. After reading the ebook Tell Your Time: How You can manage your time so you can live Fulfilled by Amy Lynn Andrews, I was encouraged and challenged to make better use of my time in 2011.

I tried my hardest to be realistic in choosing my goals, and I hope to be able to complete most of them in this new year. Now that I have written my goals I know what I am aiming for and I know that I will love being able to check items off as I go throughout the year. I plan to print this list out so that I will be able to see it several times a week which will help me not only to remember, but also keep me accountable to my own goals.

Personal Goals

:: Study through the Old Testament

I will be using a book by Kay Arthur in order to begin my study. I enjoyed reading through the New Testament last year and I am looking forward to spending a little more time and digging deeper into God’s Word throughout 2011 and maybe even into 2012 for this study.

:: Walk, Walk, Walk! 1,000 Miles in 2011

Sometime around November last year I finally got myself in gear and started walking on a regular basis. I started out slowly and am now up to five miles a day. My goal right now is to hit at least 15-20 miles per week and to walk 1,000 miles this next year. I have been using the Daily Mile and Daily Burn to keep up with my fitness routine and keep me accountable.

:: Eat Better

My husband and I have been slowly making changes to our diet over the past several months. We are looking to eat healthier in 2011 in order to lose weight and just be healthier all around. I will be making more meals from scratch in order to get away from so many processed foods and I even hope to begin grinding our own flour once we save up for a mill!

:: Do It Yourself Projects

I love DIY Projects; everything from refinishing old furniture, creating signs, and all that good stuff. I have not selected all the DIY projects that I hope to accomplish this next year, but I hope to share them as I create them. And, yep, I plan to share the flops too.

:: Graphic Design & photography

I have always loved graphic design and photography, but I often get lazy and don’t work on them. I hope to spend more time working on them this year and maybe even opening a new money making outlet with them!

:: Read 25-30 Books

I put reading on the back burner for the most part of 2010, but plan to change that this year. I want to read at least 25-30 inspirational books throughout 2011. Any recommendations?

:: Focus on Family

It is easy to become too busy to focus on my family. Especially since I work from home. I intend to observe media free weekends throughout 2011. I began that towards the end of 2010 and it makes my weekends so much more relaxing and pleasant when I feel like I am not constantly having to choose between work and family.

Financial Goals

:: Pay Off My Car

My husband and I came into our marriage virtually debt free. The only debt I have is my car which is over half way paid off. We are going to spend 2011 trying to pay off the rest of my car loan. This is a HUGE goal for us – something Dave Ramsey would call a Big Hairy Audacious Goal – because, when we look at our budget, there should be no way we are going to be able to do this. Any extra money we make we plan to throw at the car. With God all things are possible!

:: $40 Weekly Grocery Budget

We did very well spending an average of $40 a week on groceries in 2010 and I plan to stick with that in 2011. I hope to be a little more strict now that we have a wonderful stockpile going, but we’ll see how that goes. I am looking forward to seeing if I can beat my 2010 spending totals in 2011. Yes, I like a challenge! I plan to do this by shopping the sales and using coupons, menu planning, and cooking once a month to avoid ‘emergency’ runs for take out.

:: Track all of our Money

I have spent the better part of my weekend creating an Excel document to track all of our spending. I want to give every dollar a name in 2011 so we can see the areas we are doing well on and the areas in which we need to buckle down. Stay tuned because I hope to share this Excel document with you within the next week!

Blogging Goals

:: Weekly Series Posts

I am in the midst of finishing up The 101: A Guide for Couponing Newbies and in the middle of finishing up writing a Shopping The Stores series that I am really excited about! I hope to start posting at least once a week throughout the new year.

:: Grow the Saving On The Essentials community

Saving On The Essentials is still considered a ‘baby’ blog. I hope to get to know more of you throughout 2011 and bring in even more readers to help you all save more in this new year! If you have family or friends that you think would benefit from Saving On The Essentials, make sure to send them our way – we would love to have them!

:: Posting Schedule

I am trying to get on a schedule not only in my personal life, but also in my blogging world. I am in the middle of creating a schedule for all of these things and I am excited to see how I am use my time more wisely through scheduling in 2011!