New Year Goals and Aspirations?

[quince]

Jan 2, 2015 15:19:20 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Do you dye your own wool, too?

I played around with dying a bit years ago, but haven't since before we had the kid. I think I may have spun 4 oz total since giving birth.

[andi9899]

I want to write $100, 000 in premium this year. It's a pretty decent size goal considering how low our rates are and how conservative the company is. So if anyone on here is in either KS or MO, I'd love to quote you!

[muttleynfelix]

My big goal for 2015 is to be moved by the time DS starts Kindergarten in the fall.  And to not go broke doing it. But I absolutely need to make a change careerwise - 2% raise for 2015, just isn't going to cut it even though I get a great bonus and retirement contributions.  Not when health care premiums are going up 20% every year. Plus I want to expand my work horizons.  

Now to figure out where to move to.  Careerwise and areawise I like one area better than another. But the other area is closer to my parents, my brother lives there, I have friends from high school that live there and have other friends that are trying to move back there in the next year as well.  The other town, I only know people that I met on Tuesday.     I guess we'll see what area I get the better job offer from. 

[lurkyloo]

1. Solve two-body problem, properly this time. (Finish interviewing, get offers, decide which one, move and set up house/daycare/DH job accordingly)
2. Get life back to normal (maxing 401k etc, saving instead of living off savings).

Everything else is gravy

[Deleted]

Jan 2, 2015 15:28:51 GMT -5 quince said:

Jan 2, 2015 15:19:20 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Do you dye your own wool, too?

I played around with dying a bit years ago, but haven't since before we had the kid. I think I may have spun 4 oz total since giving birth.

This is why you should not read the thread bottom up... lol. I was reading the comment before the quote and was like, wooh... that's a trick.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2015 13:36:10 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

Not let my broken ankle derail my exercise and weight loss goals.

Do the things I say I'm going to do.

Get my Christmas cards ready by October.

Buy a new house and rebuild savings.

Deepen friendships.

Would that be 2014 or 2015 cards? Mine are going to become Valentine cards at the rate I'm going.

[Deleted]

This year:

1. Drink more
2. Get a better job.
3. Not kill DH.

[ZaireinHD]

Jan 2, 2015 10:00:41 GMT -5 @tbird said:

I would go with - use them all!

yes true - but not so sure how to make the promise / resolution to keep?

I know I lose 2 or 3 per year - normal - a promise to get back to normal

or

not sure how many times I have been able to use all days within the year - which would be a promise for the better to use all days.

so should the promise / resolution be something along the line of making better or making sure to at least stay on track?

[Deleted]

I want to earn more money, so I need to either pick up more classes or start tutoring again. I'm picking up another class for second semester, but I'm losing one from first semester, so that's a wash.  

I'd like to do (more) tutoring for the standardized ESL exams for French kids who want to go to college in the UK/US/English-speaking Canada. I have a coffee date tomorrow with a friend who does college coaching / orientation, so at least I'm trying to do something concrete about it.

[Deleted]

This is the first year I haven't started out with savings goals; I retired in 2014 so it's all outgo from now on. I've set a maximum withdrawal rate of 3% and don't want to take out more than that this year. There seemed to be a lot of "fat" in that figure till I estimated the taxes we'll owe on 2014 (got slammed with $54K of capital gains distributions, most of them long-term) and the installments we'll need to pay for 2015.

Other plans/aspirations: sell the house and downsize (already making small fixes to the house and have a realtor lined up), keep my weight at its current level (same as when I got out of HS), do a few 35-mile charity bike rides when the weather improves, and keep my brain active with community college courses.  I got an A in Geology so I'm off to a good start!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I don't make resolutions.  If I want to change something or do something, I work immediately on it.

The only thing that TD and I are going to do is try to figure out how much we pay in sales tax, so we are collecting receipts.  This is more of a curiosity for us, as we were discussing VAT and GST and wondering how what we pay compares.  I'm thinking all of those 0.28 tax on a cup of coffee adds up to something more significant than it appears.

[Deleted]

Jan 4, 2015 6:01:14 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

I want to earn more money, so I need to either pick up more classes or start tutoring again. I'm picking up another class for second semester, but I'm losing one from first semester, so that's a wash.  

I'd like to do (more) tutoring for the standardized ESL exams for French kids who want to go to college in the UK/US/English-speaking Canada. I have a coffee date tomorrow with a friend who does college coaching / orientation, so at least I'm trying to do something concrete about it.

There are many companies who you can work online for as a tutor and make decent money. Not sure if you knew, so wanted to put it out there.  

[Malarky]

To quote one of my own posts:

I'm combining my New Year's Resolution with my decluttering dreams for 2015.

I WILL gain FULL control of my house and the crap in it.  

Of course, after two days of diligently pursuing this goal, I've been hanging out on the interwebs and drinking coffee for hours.  

The day (and the year) aren't over yet.  

[Deleted]

Thanks Shasta. Online tutoring in general pays really badly here, and I haven't yet seen any for those standardized tests. I'd just as soon do it in person if I can pick up a few students locally. :-)

ETA: My friend cancelled coffee this morning because they have plumber problems. But we spoke on the phone. She wants me to send her an email stating exactly what I want to do, and she will add my contact info to her website. :-)

[t-dog]

I am going to get one item per day out of my house. It can be thrown away, donated, rehomed so long as it is out of my house. I am on track so far.

[cael]

I see several other knitters, I wanna talk knitting with you guys!

I'm starting a knitting thread on EE, come talk about what you're working on with me?! (I'm currently trying to get over Christmas knitting burnout and have to get some baby stuff planned for a friend)

(Edit - it's in Hobbies, not EE )

[t-dog]

I want to start running as well. I am ready mentally, but not so much physically - I have trouble finding time for this.

[cael]

t-dog it's worth it, even though you feel sore and slow as molasses when you start. I'm still pretty slow and my cardio fitness isn't great, so my 11 minute mile gets me seriously tired by the end of 2 miles - but you feel so accomplished! Start really slow and gradually work your way up, you'll get there!

[muttleynfelix]

Jan 5, 2015 12:24:59 GMT -5 t-dog said:

I want to start running as well. I am ready mentally, but not so much physically - I have trouble finding time for this.

I started running again in November.  I only run 2 days a week - I do crossfit style at home workouts the other days.  But those 2 days, I leave work right at 5 and run immediately after work. I'm home a little later those days, but it is something that I absolutely had to start doing for me.   I started with Couch to 5k style and I'm slower than shit.     I started out running about 13 min miles which means 2 miles is all I have time for. I did do a 5k just to make sure I stuck with it to get me going.  I'm going to try to keep it up the next couple months - running about 2 miles twice a week and then hit it hard with another 5k in the spring.  

[tootsieroll]

Regarding running, just do it. And keep trying. I never would have thought that I would still be running nine months after trying it out. I was very slow - 13 to 14 minute miles with a lot of walking. I gradually got up to 12 then 11 minute miles. I tend to focus more on distance and hope that I got a decent pace. I have been running three times a week, at least 3.1 miles each time. Now that snow is in the forecast, I likely can't keep it up, but will do video workouts when I can't get runs in.

My biggest tip is to find a running app that you like. I use mapmyrun and it is do motivational. I can track my average pace, see the elevation of my routes, just about every statistic I would want to see is saved on my app. I have a few running friends on there, and I get notifications when they run. Then I feel like I need to get my butt in gear and log a workout, too

[cael]

Mapmyrun is great, I just got my year end summary for 2014. I ran 112 miles!! I would never have thought 2 years ago that I'd ever be able to do that.

[Sam_2.0]

Health: First time since 2008 that my goal for the whole year is to NOT get pregnant (there were some years in there when I wasn't trying, but wouldn't have minded either). Otherwise, I want to lose the last bit of baby weight that is rolling along with me. And run in the Trolley Run this year - I would LOVE to beat DH But really I just don't want to be dead last like we were last year. Out of the THOUSANDS of runners/walkers, DD and I were dead last and followed by the police car that was re-opening the roads. I guess that's what I get for taking a 2.5 yr old on a 4 mile course when I was 16 weeks pregnant. Fun times

Finances: Pretty aggressive goal to pay off nearly $30,000 and be done with our "consumer" debt. We absolutely CAN do it if we are disciplined. And not even Dave-Ramsey-Beans-And-Rice kind of discipline, just more awareness and planning.

Emotional: Getting to a therapist for myself in a couple weeks. Possibly counseling jointly with DH. It's time.

We also need to find a preschool for DD and get her into some extra-curricular activities. I am leaning towards soccer since it's readily available and she's fairly good when we play around in the back yard. And she needs the running for all of her energy

[raeoflyte]

All the typical ones.  Lose weight, get my strength back.  Actually make and stick to a budget.  We haven't gone into debt, but outside of retirement our savings is abysmal and we've been living windfall to windfall.  Only we don't have a lot of upcoming windfalls anymore to get us back on track so we have to do it the hard way.  I told dh I want he and I to touch more.  Not just sex, but the little things that we just stopped doing.  

I'd like to stop biting my nails, but without getting regular manicures which conflicts with #2 I'm not sure how to do that.  

[wvugurl26]

I would say get healthy but I'm kind of afraid that is going to be a massive fail. 11 months post accident I'm still suffering from whiplash and TMJ. I'm working on being healthier in general but I'm afraid to make resolving the injuries a resolution. I'm going to be pretty crushed, soul destroying crushed if I don't find an answer soon but putting it in writing makes it worse if I fail.

[raeoflyte]

Jan 5, 2015 13:26:56 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I would say get healthy but I'm kind of afraid that is going to be a massive fail. 11 months post accident I'm still suffering from whiplash and TMJ. I'm working on being healthier in general but I'm afraid to make resolving the injuries a resolution. I'm going to be pretty crushed, soul destroying crushed if I don't find an answer soon but putting it in writing makes it worse if I fail.

I'm so sorry you're going through this.  

Make your resolution about what you can control, not what you can't.  Trying new therapies, or a time frame before abandoning one...that kind of stuff. So your goal is the same, but you can't fail even if your body is on a different time frame than you'd like.  

[wvugurl26]

Thanks! I'm just kind of at a loose end on where or what to do next. I've been to the ortho surgeon, the pain specialist, the chiropractor, accupuncture and two rounds of physical therapy with different therapists. I have an appointment with an oral surgeon for TMJ mid month. The chiropractor resolved it for a little bit with massage stuff but it's back and out of control. I've had a throbbing headache for 8 straight weeks.

It is very much out of my control and not something with a set solution. Which is very hard for my type A control freak personality to deal with. I am trying to do things like better food, more sleep, etc. It's so encompassing of my life and I'm sick of it.

[Cookies Galore]

Jan 5, 2015 12:24:59 GMT -5 t-dog said:

I want to start running as well. I am ready mentally, but not so much physically - I have trouble finding time for this.

You can do it! Just start slow and work your way from walking to jogging/running. A lot of people swear by Couch to 5k. Jeff Galloway and Hal Higdon offer (free!) weekly training plans on their websites.
My first attempt at starting a run program ended in a first day argument with hubs. Lol. I now feel like I'm missing something if I don't run!

I'm on Map My Run if anyone wants to be friends.

[Deleted]

Just to respond to Mich's comment ... I basically agree about the idea / myth of "New Year's Resolutions". But since I have always worked on a school calendar, Christmas is a time when I can slow down and "take stock", if you will. Same goes for the summer. 

I want to add another goal, for my own accountability: to see the docs I need to see. I have been getting very extensive dental work since April, I've been going to the dentist literally every week since April, except for August when we were both away. Once that's done (hopefully early Feb) I've got a bunch of "deferred maintenance" to catch up with. 

In Dec (when I realized the dental work would NOT be done by Christmas as I had hoped), I decided to schedule one doc appt every two months while the dental work was ongoing. So I saw one in Dec, I've got another one scheduled for Feb, so just 3 more to go. I want to schedule one per month for March, April and May. 

DH and I were both scheduled for an inpatient procedure last summer, and we both cancelled. Mine is a year overdue but his is 2 years overdue, so we really need to get that done sooner rather than later.   

ETA: And thank Gd I'm in good health LOL! 

[sapphire12]

Jan 5, 2015 13:37:30 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Thanks! I'm just kind of at a loose end on where or what to do next. I've been to the ortho surgeon, the pain specialist, the chiropractor, accupuncture and two rounds of physical therapy with different therapists. I have an appointment with an oral surgeon for TMJ mid month. The chiropractor resolved it for a little bit with massage stuff but it's back and out of control. I've had a throbbing headache for 8 straight weeks.

It is very much out of my control and not something with a set solution. Which is very hard for my type A control freak personality to deal with. I am trying to do things like better food, more sleep, etc. It's so encompassing of my life and I'm sick of it.

I'm sorry you are still in pain. Have you been to see a neurologist yet? I sincerely hope you have a resolution soon.

I'm still going to the chiropractor for treatment of whiplash from my car accident in Sept. My back spasms are less severe and less frequent. I think they are gone and then I try something new and they come back, though not like in the beginning. It is definitely a process.

[wvugurl26]

The last appointment with pain guy he kicked me to a neurologist but that was for the headaches. Which turned out to be caused by a migration of TMJ up to the temporalis muscles. The sides of my forehead have been absolutely throbbing for 8 weeks now.

Pain guy sent that report to primary care who decided she wanted to see me. I had decided I wanted a rehab place with less of a surgery focus. I asked her for a referral. I don't need one but the insurance list of providers in that category is daunting. She decided I had fibromyalgia and ordered autoimmune bloodwork. One of those came back barely borderline so now I have to go to rheumatology. She referred it to rheumatology at Hopkins and they called and said they didn't have the capacity to treat me and find me own rheumatologist. Reason #575 why I hate Hopkins. I have no idea how they are consistently #1 because in my experience they suck donkey balls.

Chiropractor never did a thing in 20 sessions to budge my pain levels. He did pop the dislocated rib back in. Which was a whole other level of pain after that.

It sucks because there is no clear cut path for fixing it. My muscles have spasmed so much my spinal cord is way out of normal alignment.