Here we are two full weeks into January and since I really haven’t been able to think of anything coherent to write about this week I thought I would do a follow-up post just checking in and checking up on the progress of some of my New Year’s Goals.

I’m halfway through Dry January and I’ll admit this weekend when it was cold and gloomy where we couldn’t venture out and there was playoff football on TV all weekend it was a struggle to stick to my plan. But, surprisingly I stepped on the scales this morning and discovered I’ve lost six pounds since the beginning of the year without really trying so I’m going to contribute that success to Dry January. I haven’t stopped to think about how much money I’ve saved so far this month by not drinking but I would put a quick estimate at about $40-50. So chalk that one up to a win so far.

Next on the list is organize the house better. Well…..so far I haven’t put a lot of effort into that. I bought two different planners that I had hoped would help with this goal but so far neither are helping. I am reading the Fly Lady’s book about overcoming the chaos and it’s all about taking baby steps which I’m taking. I don’t know if it’s my OCD or my perfectionism or both which makes me want to do it all at once and then causes me to invariably fail but I’m striving to overcome this. Taking the baby steps is hard for me. I’m also working on the 30 bags in 30 days concept where you fill a bag a day and take it out of your house to declutter. But as is typical with me I can bring clutter in faster than I can take it out. This is an area of my life that is definitely going to take the greater part of the year to conquer.

Save money is next on my list of goals. Since late December I’ve managed to squirrel away 10% of all income that has come into the household. That includes from my paychecks, Jim’s paychecks, my dogsitting jobs and even the little bit of lottery winnings I’ve had (about $30 total winnings woot woot!!) In addition, I just accepted a second job that is willing to work around my Esther House schedule. It will only be a couple of days a week but it’s extra income that will help toward the savings goal. I’m seriously committed to this goal so we’ll see how it goes.

Next on the list is a big flop–exercise more and walk the dogs. In my defense (I know that sounds like the beginning of an excuse) it has rained nearly every day this month and I did have a bout with the flu so I’m not sweating it too terribly badly that I haven’t gotten off on the right foot with this goal but I am concerned that I don’t exercise enough. I have an added incentive to walking the dogs more. Pug Fest is in early June in Louisville, KY and we’d like to go with all our dogs. They all need better leash training to be prepared for this event as a family so I need to get on the ball and work with them more on this. Hopefully the rain will let up some soon so that I can get on that.

The next goal I’ve done fairly well at since it’s keeping up with my blog. I would like to work on diversity of subject matter though and will keep that in mind. I’m sure the one or two folks who read my blog get bored of the mundane ins and outs of my daily life. Time to break out the recipe books and work on a recipe or something.

I haven’t done quite as well at keeping up with my doggie Instagram but I do post regularly about them on Facebook. I just need to work on making it a habit when I do a Facebook post to also do an Instagram post. It’s just a matter of establishing the habit.

I promised myself that in 2024 I would make a concerted effort to get out and about more with friends and I’ve started off relatively well. Just before Christmas I got together with friends Angela and Jessica, and we are working on setting up a date to do lunch again later this month. On December 30 we went over to friends Julie and Doug’s for dinner and cards. I hope we can get together with them more throughout the year as well.

I set a goal to try new recipes at least twice a month and blog about it. January is half over and I’ve yet to do so. As I said above, I better get the recipe book out and get some recipes ready as there’s only a couple of weeks left in January!! Guess we know what the next few blogs will be about. lol

Next on the list is wear my fitbit and follow the prompts to move more. Check on wearing the fitbit. I’ve worn it daily since I got the new charger on the 3rd—moving more….well that’s a work in progress.

My final goal is to do more with my Scentsy business. I have a coaching call with my sponsor on the 18th to try to get me back on track. I’ve bought a labeler to label my catalogs and other products. I’m trying to put together a basket party to bring to work at Esther House. When the new Spring/Summer catalogs come out in March I’ll do a relaunch party. So while I haven’t done anything active toward sales, I am actively working to relaunch my business.

In reviewing all this, I guess I’d score myself with an 80% or a low B for a grade. I still have plenty of room for improvement but I’m working on staying on task with my goals and that’s the most important step.