Goals: Looking Forward in 2011

After looking back at 2010, now comes the time to look forward.

Why put this out there for you? Well, a couple of reasons:

1. I think it’s healthy to set goals and aim to accomplish things over a period of time. This helps us see our progress and be better able to evaluate. There’s something about having a list and seeing them checked off that makes us feel great!

2. I hope you’ll be inspired to set your own goals- especially after you see mine aren’t all that complicated!

3. And I hope you’ll be excited to see what changes might be coming around here as well as new ideas, recipes, and how-tos!

So here goes:

Home

1. Replace living room carpet with a prefinished wood floor- yes, this is at the top again, but I’m happy to say we’ve saved up for it and the money is waiting for us to decide on the type of floor! This is doable this year- whew.
2. Update kitchen– we’ll start with installing an over-the-range microwave, then move to new counters, beadboard backsplash, and a new coat of paint on the cabinets. This is step 2 in the kitchen remodel ( step one was painting the cabinets, changing the hardware, and putting in glass doors after moving in 6 years ago), though we didn’t think it would take this long to get to the next step…
3. Tear off back deck and replace with hardscaping– this is now a safety issue, so no putting it off again!
4. Convert a shed into a chicken coop– I think this may really happen this year- wahoo!
5. Finish the laundry/mud room– believe it or not, we’ve never finished applying the moldings and creating a gardening/seed starting area from, like, 5 years ago…

Personal/Financial

1. Pay off our one remaining debt (aka: garage debt) to make Dear Ramsey proud. Then start putting that money into retirement savings.
2. Save for a vacation– we didn’t do anything last summer, so we’ll plan another fun trip in our vintage trailer for this summer.
3. Save for the replacement of our Jeep– and at 214,000+ miles, this is not too far off!
4. Keep the food budget under $400– even while eating real food and using coupons only for dairy, health & beauty, protein, and things that don’t come in a box!

Blog

1. New Design– not huge, but just a “cleaning up” and refreshing of the look around here. This is a bit overwhelming for both Brian and me, though, so I’m not going to say when. But wouldn’t it be great to coincide with the 2-year anniversary of the blog? Yeah…too bad the anniversary is February. *smile*
2. Recipe Index– I’ve wanted to do this for awhile now so that it will be easier to find all the recipes. I like seeing the names of the recipes and clicking on them if I want to, so that’s what I’m aiming for.
3. Craft/DIY Tutorial Index– similar to the recipe index, but this would list all the tutorials so that when you’re looking for an idea, you’ll know where to find it.
4. 2-year Blog Anniversary Celebration with my first giveaway (I know, I’m a late bloomer in the giveaway department…).
5. Continue to work out some of the lessons I learned from the Savvy Blogging Summit, including networking and guest posting.
6. Easier Interactions with you– I would love to be able to respond to comments through people’s emails to facilitate conversations (anyone know a great resource?).
7. More DIY tutorials, recipes, and continue connecting with all the great Tuesday Garden Party participants!
8. My first eBook– oh man, I can’t believe I’m writing this down…I guess now I’m committed to at least trying!

What things would you like to see around here? I’d sure love to know!

–Jami