Thursday, July 1

2010 is halfway over!

Since the year is half over, I guess it's time to revisit my 2010 motto and see how I'm doing.

My 2010 motto:

LESS is MORE.
Less stuff, less debt, less weight, less stress, less waste.

Less Stuff
Goal: I hate clutter. And we don't have much clutter, especially since 2009 was the Year of the Family for us (I dubbed it that) and I got rid of tons of clutter. But with the kids' toys and my photography stuff, it's getting to be a bit much. I am ready to get down to basics and get rid of everything but the bare necessities.
Update: Since we decided to rent a furnished place when we moved, I've done great on this one. I sold about 80% of what we owned at a garage sale before we moved. We still have too many kids' toys, but I am working on that.
Grade: A

Less Debt
Goal: We did a great job in 2009 of paying off debt. We're down to a personal family loan and DH's school loan. They're both pretty large, so we won't be able to pay them off in 2010, but I intend to make a good dent in them while also saving a nice chunk of change.
Update: We've continued to make payments while also saving some money. However, we did take on some additional debt when we decided to keep DH's car instead of selling it. But we've managed to build up a savings cushion while paying down debt and not incurring any (real) new debt.
Grade: A

Less Weight
Goal: I started 2010 at 335ish. I will be under 250 (hopefully by quite a bit!) by the first day of 2011.
Update: As of today, I am 287.6 lbs, meaning I've lost almost 50 lbs so far in 2010. I am pretty sure I'll hit my goal of under 250 by 2011.
Grade: A

Less Stress
Goal: DH and I have some big changes heading our way, and if all goes well, a HUGE part of our stress is about to be alleviated. For fear of jinxing ourselves, I won't go into detail yet, but I will soon.
Update: HAHA! When I wrote this, our move was still totally up in the air. But it came through and we are here, and yes, a huge amount of our stress has been alleviated!
Grade: A

Less Waste
Goal: I really want to make this year about wasting less which will help with the less stuff and less debt parts of my motto. No wasted food, no wasted money, no buying unnecessary stuff, no impulse shopping (grocery or otherwise). We are also going to work on being greener - fewer one-use items and so on.
Update: I have been really working on this. Reusing leftovers, freezing them before they go bad, using reusable shopping bags, consolidating errands, etc. And now that I am a SAHM, we don't have the extra money for any impulse shopping, so no worries there.
Grade: B

Overall, I am impressed with myself! We've made some big changes in our lives, and they are paying off. I know I just need to keep working hard for the next six months to keep us on the right track.

11 comments:

  1. Great progress! I de-cluttered a few years ago and love the openness of my house. The basement seems to grow stuff as each year I throw or donate boxes of stuff. Just got hubby to clear out all his old files that were taking up 3 shelves down there. My other goal is to waste less too. I find it hard to buy less stuff at the grocery store. My mind hasn't settled into the smaller portions yet. Good thing my son and hubby like leftovers. Keep it up. The next update will be fabulous, just like you.

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  2. great goals and even better progress.....

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  3. Great post! you have given me alot to think about in my own areas. I think I could use some new goals now that we are 1/2 way through 2010. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  4. You are awesome. I only had one real goal for 2010 and that was to get approved for surgery. Hopefully once that is behind me I'll be able to focus on some other things. You certainly have inspired me!

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  5. You should get an A for the less waste too.

    And thanks for the comment...it was exactly what I needed. I know everyone's different but there's always someone who's similar. =)

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  6. You've done great, its something that I should embrace a bit more, especially the clutter and the money aspects!

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  7. Yay Amy! Don't it feel good.

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  8. Nicely done! Wanna come to my house and help me? I hate clutter too.

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  9. Great goals!!! I'm stealing some of them!!

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