Let’s talk resolutions…

Being completely honest, I’m big on setting New Year’s resolutions but not that big on keeping them. Normally, our goals are huge – get married, buy a house, save $10K, get pregnant, etc. I can happily say that we normally accomplish these goals, but gosh – I don’t want anything big to happen in 2015! I want to be content and lay low this next year.

Starting with 2011, here’s how our past four years have looked in a nutshell:

2011: Got engaged, got married, got pregnant, started living off one income, bought a house

2012: Moved into house, had a baby, got pregnant again

2013: John started a new job, we had another baby, I had my best year yet freelancing

2014: Moved across the country from AZ to NC

For 2015, we don’t have any “big” goals and I’m so happy with that. This will be a year of stability, growth, relaxation and fun! That being said, I have set a few goals with John that we’re excited about! (Check out this awesome free printable from How do the Jones Do It here!).

Physical goals

Before we moved, I did Jillian Michael’s workouts on YouTube (for free!) on my TV. I think I did one video for about 6 weeks straight and all I can say is WOW! Her workouts kick my butt and I could SEE results. My stomach looked better than it did before having babies! When we moved into our second-story apartment this past August, I just never got back into it. The woman who lives below us is a stay-at-home mom and I didn’t want to disrupt her during the day. Not to mention our massive couch takes up the whole living room and there’s not really room to workout in here (I know, excuses excuses…). But…we’re moving in two days, so I’m definitely bringing back my workouts!

Marriage goals

Are we the only ones who set marriage goals? John is my best friend, lover and partner for life. While some days I want to ship him off to some far away land, most days I love having him to do life with. We’re the couple that holds hands in the car, kisses in public, talks for hours on end even after being together for so long and calls during the day just to say “hi.” Our marriage is one of our top priorities and even though we have it pretty good, there is always room for improvement. Having a good marriage takes work and that means you have to be intentional. You have to work at keeping the love alive, learn to grow together and stand by each other in tough times.

So, our goal for our marriage is to find a babysitter so we can enjoy some actual out-of-the-house date nights and to “revamp” our Friday Night Date Nights. We started Friday Night Date Nights a little over a year ago, right before our second daughter was born. It would involve getting the girls to bed, cooking a new recipe together, sharing some wine, talking and watching a movie. This lasted probably 8 months and have now evolved into “let’s get some beer and watch a movie” nights. While still fun, it’s not exactly special (or romantic). So, we’re going to each take turns planning our date nights, with a casual Friday in between. So John will plan the first Friday, then we’ll skip a week, then I’ll plan the next Friday, then skip a week, and so on and so forth.

Financial goals

With both of us working for ourselves, we can’t exactly predict how the year will go but we have set some goals we think we can achieve. For starters, we need to save up more money for a down payment on a home. We will be renting for another 1 1/2 years minimum, but time goes by fast and we need to start saving more NOW. The goal? $2000 a month, hopefully more. We also want to continue contributing to our retirement accounts, spend less money on food and continue to live simply. I mentioned I’m going to be refurbishing furniture once we move, so hopefully that will be a great way to save on furniture for our new house. And who knows – maybe I will really enjoy it and sell some of my stuff to local shops!

John and I both want to grow our businesses in 2015. I feel like this will be a successful year for us and I’m excited for what’s to come. I have big plans for my blog and John has big plans for his handyman business. We want to get creative with how we make money, take on more side hustles and thrift whenever possible.

Family life

As of January 1, John and I are deleting Facebook for the entire month, possibly longer (OK – now it’s on the internet…I have to stick to it!). I want to focus more on being in the moment in my life, not in other people’s lives. We want to spend more quality time with our girls, go on family walks a few nights per week, eat dinner together every night as a family and do fun things throughout the year. The girls are at such precious ages and I want to really enjoy them instead of always being so distracted.

Dreams

2015 is the year that I turn the big 3-0. 30 has always seemed “old” to me, but since John is four years older it doesn’t seem that bad anymore 😉 We want to fly my parents out to NC for my birthday week and have them watch the girls for 3 nights while we go on a trip just the two of us. I would LOVE to go to the Bahamas, and since I’m dreaming – why not?!

So, those are our goals for 2015, but again, the main focus is going to be on growing our businesses, finding stability in our family and new life in North Carolina, relaxing and enjoying the moment. I love fresh starts, and while technically every day is a chance for one, there’s something invigorating about a new year.

Happy New Year! What goals are you setting this year?