Goals for 2018

Around here, we don't really set new year's resolutions, but having goals to work toward is always a good thing.  We've got some big and some small, but having them all together and written out really helps hold me accountable.  So, here's the list, complete with rationales, in all its glory.

More Veggies:  This year, as a part of the healthier me initiative we're working towards, I've got a goal of including more veggies at every meal.  We generally eat pretty well, but I know that there are meals where we aren't as good about including veggies as we should be.  Even if it's steamed frozen broccoli, I've got a goal of including at least one more serving of veggies at every meal.  The hardest for me is breakfast, but I'm finding that eggs with sauteed veggies or some sort of root veggie hash is awesome and really sticks with me.  If there are mornings I do oatmeal, I think stirring in some pureed winter squash or shredded carrot could fit the bill and not change the texture too much.  I've also been sneaking in veggies into waffles, pancakes, and muffins (think pumpkin, zucchini, etc.) without too much fuss.  The overall goal is 80% veggies, 20% protein/grain on the plate.  The trick is going to be getting the boys on board with more veggies.  We'll see how the carrot sticks in the lunch box went over today...

Move More:  Again, as a part of a healthier me, I'm making a commitment to move more each day.  Most days, this will mean some sort of workout after the boys are in bed.  It's not necessarily the ideal time, but it's what works for our schedule right now.  This might be 10-15 minutes of cardio with YouTube, or some resistance training with resistance bands, or maybe some yoga at the Children's Council (dinner's provided and there's free child care... win win!).  I'm not looking to lose weight, just looking to tone things more and overall feel better.

Try 26 new recipes:  This works out to about one every two weeks, which is totally reasonable.  Many of these will be crock pot recipes, thanks to our new America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker books (yes, we have all three now).  They are great books, and some recipes are really easy.  They're also stretching us to try new ingredients and flavors, like Thai chicken soup, which is fun.  I'm sure I'll find some nice salads to try too, and maybe some summer wraps to try when the warmer weather comes.

Spruce up:  We're in the process of trying to spruce up our house with the possibility of selling (we're waiting to see if the land we want will work out... such a saga there).  Even if we don't sell, there's still interior trim that needs to be re-caulked and refreshed, windows that need caulking, doors that need a fresh coat of paint, etc.  There are some light fixtures that need repair, and our basement steps need a little help with trim, carpet, etc. to make them worthy of the real estate market.  If we do sell, we also need to do a little work to the apartment to make it work (install another door, etc.).

Clean out!  We have so much stuff!  With the possibility of selling our house and moving, we're really trying to look critically at things and determine how much we need.  So, the goal here is to toss/donate/sell at least 400 items from our home, from the tiny toys from the treasure box at the dentist to the larger items like the side table that we've never been able to fix the wobble on.  And then there's the clothing... so much!  And we'll keep some as hand-me-downs, but others can go.  We've already shared quite a bit with a painter friend of Benny's, and we're looking forward to being able to share more.

Build up the emergency fund:  We used up some of our emergency fund to pay for some of my medical expenses and a new water heater at the end of the year, so we'd like to build this back up.  We'll do this through Benny picking up some more hours at work as he can, selling more on eBay, and me trying to make a few more Mary Kay orders throughout the year.  We'd love to have at least three months worth of expenses saved up in this account.

Build a new house!  This one is on here because if you put something in writing, then it makes it more real, right?!  Well, we'd love to be able to build a new house in mom's neighborhood, if the land thing works out (prayers please!).  There are so many pluses to this:  boys could walk to mom's as they get older, the neighborhood is a real neighborhood where people actually support each other and do things together, and it would cut our mortgage by at least 5-6 years.  Plus, we could build this one with our rental spaces in mind from the beginning, so it would be a better fit for us all the way around.  And, we'd love to build this home with a few more eco-friendly things in mind, like maybe solar hot water and better day lighting.  So, I'm putting this in writing because when we expect things to happen, they usually do!

So, what are your goals to live and save green this year?  I'd love to hear from you!