Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The 4 B's of 2013

Hello there. Did you miss me? This blogging thing is hard for (keep on reading to see how I plan to fix that). For one, we all knew the holidays would be busy, but holidays over here at the Jolly house, yeah, there are 5 holidays between mid December and mid January for us. You have, hub's birthday, Christmas, New Years, our anniversary, and finally my birthday. So forgive me, I have been busy celebrating!

Now, when I last left you, we were planning a hallway makeover! Click on over, and see what thats all about! That project is currently on hold :(. For one, it is basketball season, and my husband is a basketball coach, meaning I am at a high school gym at least 2 nights a week after work. I also do some tutoring after work, so that cancels out at least another night a week for crafts and projects. Our weekends are full of cleaning that we neglect during the week (keep on reading to see how I plan to fix that) so there is no project time there. Oh yeah, I forgot, I have a 8-5 full time job, which is about to get even more crazy since I accepted a new position and have training out of town in Feburary for 3 weeks! Sigh. I will make it to my projects in the hallway, and keep on chugging through the house, but it is on hold for this moment. I'm sorry for the letdown, but just bear with me, please.

Now that you are caught up, how about we proceed to the title of this post! I hate new years resolutions, so I have made 4 goals of 2013, hence the 4 B's of 2013! Without further adieu, here they are!

1. Balance
Maybe this one goes without saying, but I need more balance in life. I am a hard worker, which will be an even more important thing with my new position, but it is hard to work a full day, and then come home and clean and cook and have a little down time. I do a pretty good job of balancing work tasks at work, so I need to bring those practices home, and balance better here. For example, hub and I hate cleaning. We usually let some clutter and laundry and messes get bigger during the week, and then we spend an entire Saturday or Sunday as a "cleaning day." Well, this doesn't work for us. We need to maintenance clean better during the week, so we can enjoy the weekends (and do projects!), and not be stuck cleaning. Also, I should plan meals better, so I can do prepwork, instead of always coming home to start a meal from scratch (or throwing something frozen in the microwave). I think if we can do better in these areas, I will get more "fun", which means craft and project time!

2. Budget
I am not terrible at working with our household budget, but there is always room for improvement. To be a little transparent, the Jolly's do have a considerable amount of debt, but the major things are our mortgage, and school loans. I feel these are necessary/acceptable, but it doesn't mean I don't do everything I can to get rid of it! We pay more than the minimum on our mortgage every month, and I want to put even more into our mortgage in 2013. We will also have one medical bill, and one student bill paid off before the summer. We are getting where we want to be financially, it has just taken a lot of concentrating, and not living outside our means. I would like to do better at clipping coupons, and we would also like a summer vacation, so that will take some planning and budgeting. Lastly, I hope to be better at budgeting home projects. I have small things in mind, and larger things that will require more savings!

3. Body
I don't hate my body at all, but I know it could be better. I don't diet, and I don't regularly exercise. I also don't overeat, and I generally eat healthy. I guess this goal goes more to my body image. I want to loose a little weight, and also appreciate what I have. For Christmas, I asked the hub to gift me a Birchbox subscription. So now, I am recieving monthly boxes filled with makeup, hair products, and general girly goodies. This is already helping me, as I am taking a little more time to notice my skin, my makeup (I am terrible at makeup!), and how I want to be seen. Also in this goal, is my clothing. I hate feeling like and dressing like a granny :(. Seriously, I have been called " sweater Jessica" at work. For Christmas, I got a few stylish pieces, and I plan to incorporate some shopping into the budget in #2 so I can dress more my age. Last, I am trying to drink more water. I have peed a million times in the past few days that I have been adding more H2O to my day. TMI? Sorry!

4. Blogging
This sweet little baby blog made it to my goals! Yes, I need to do better, and putting it out here should help. Right?! I need you readers (all 3 of you) to hold me accountable! I don't necessarily say I am going to post a certain amount a month, or week, but I need to get more regular at it. Hopefully with the Balance, Budge, and Body work, the blogging will fall right into place! Oh, and I need to take better photos for this blog, maybe that will help attract more readers!

I think I will track my progress monthly for myself, but hopefully post a halfway through 2013 update in the summer. So keep reading!

So, do you like to make new years resolutions? Goals? How do you feel about the balance in your life, or your budget, or your body? Will you help hold me accountable for this blog?


2 comments:

  1. Great goals! I've heard of Birchbox before, but I've never tried it. It sounds like fun!

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    1. I've gotten two boxes so far, both with fun, useful things. I say its worth the $10!

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