Friday, December 31

2010 in Review

It's the last day of 2010. They were the best of times, they were the worst of times...OK, not really. 2010 was actually a BIG year for me. Losing weight, moving, becoming a SAHM. I feel like I made a lot of positive changes and am positioned for 2011 to be my best year yet. To review, my motto for 2010 was:

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: I think this will always be a battle, but we got rid of 90% of our stuff when we moved. I'm working on paring down the kids' toys and getting back to basics. But overall, I did really well on this.
Grade: A

Less Debt 
Goal: We did a great job in 2009 of paying off debt. We're down to a personal family loan, DH's car, and DH's school loan. They're 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 continually paid on our debt without taking on any new debt. While I wish it was gone, I knew it wouldn't be completely gone by the end of 2010. Not taking on new debt is HUGE for us, though, so I call this one a success.
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: I stalled out for the last 3 months, but I am right at 250. Not under by quite a bit, but I did lose 85 lbs this year!
Grade: B+

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! I need to find a job, which is stressing me a tad bit, but I've worked hard this year to establish routines that destress our lives. It's a work in progress.
Grade: B+

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. I got a bit lacksadaisical with it the past few months, so time to tighten up a bit as we head into the new year.
Grade: B

Overall
I think I get an A- for 2010. I accomplished a lot of my goals and made significant progress towards those I did not accomplish. For the first time in a long time, I feel peaceful with the year that has gone and hopeful about the one to come.

7 comments:

  1. Aside from managing your weight well, you are doing an excellent job managing and changing your life for the better. I think this is awesome!
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  2. This is a wonderful post! It is really nice and encouraging to see the goals one sets for themselves and then compare that to how they actually did. And I agree, u did very well! I hope 2011 is just as productive for u!

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  3. What a great post. You inspire me to have "less" too!

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  4. I personally think your grade for your weight loss is a little low! 85 lbs. We all hope to lose 85 lbs in one year! I get that you were hoping to not lose focus but I want you to be so happy that you lost 85lbs!

    You are so much better then me at thinking your goals out. I plan them then promptly forget them! Gack! Here's to 2011!!

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  5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your list and your updates. I swear I feel like I could have written this post! I think I'm in the place now where you were a year ago. I'm facing a layoff or a relocation in May (I've known about this for about a year now). We're choosing not to relocate b/c I want less stress in my life (fewer work hours). I am the main breadwinner - I just happen to make more money - but we don't have any debt except our home. That's been a big focus of mine considering our income is going to drop to about 1/3 of what its been. I've been in save/spend less mode all year. The clutter thing is a huge deal for me too- I need to declutter - kids xmas toys, my clothes, just STUFF in general. I feel like all we do is consume and I don't like it. I also hate to be wasteful and have been focusing on freezing/etc. too. Anyway - congrats on your year in review and having done so well!

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  6. great post! Love the updates! sounds like you had a great year!!

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