Every December I look for a paper planner that will help me get my sh*t together and this year I might have found THE ONE! I’ve been using it for a about a week and love it. It does take some time to set up because you have to decide what your long range goals are then break them down into monthly and weekly goals. I tried using an electronic calendar but they don’t give you that big picture look on where you’re going; they are more of just a calendar. I want to be able to write down my goals and break them down into manageable pieces then tackle those pieces. This planner does that for me.
This planner also suggests different areas of your life that you may want to make goals toward and gives you examples. I do the finances in my house and I love managing our money so every year, all my goals revolved around building our net worth with a couple other “life” areas thrown in. This year, I’ve made family, social, and personal development goals as weighty as my financial goals because those areas as just as important, if not more so.
So, in the spirit of sharing, in the hopes that my examples can motivate others and to hold me more accountable, here are a few of my resolutions for 2018:
- Buy 2 more rentals. This obviously is a financial goal but it also serves as personal development for me because I learn so much every time I buy another rental. We currently have three rentals and I just put an offer on rental #4 so dang if my goal setting is not working! 🙂 I really want to buy one when no one else is looking because it’s like buying property on SALE (and who doesn’t love a sale!). Typical buyers are not looking to spend a bunch of money right after the holidays and don’t want to go out looking when it’s 10 degrees outside (like it miserably is here). I offered about $10K less than I normally would in Spring and Summer. Fingers crossed that I get it! BUT… if I don’t, there are a bunch more in the wings.
- Plan 2 outings per month for the family. My kids are getting older (they’re 13, 15, and 17) and very soon they will be at college and will want nothing to do with us. So, I want to spend as much FUN time with them as possible. Typically our weekends revolve around cleaning the house (fun! NOT.) and soccer games with an occasional play, symphony performance, or party thrown in. We live very close to Washington DC and I can’t tell you the pitiful number of times we’ve taken advantage of sightseeing in our nation’s capital. So, this year, there will be more trips to DC and more outings in general. I want my kids to be sick of doing too many fun things with me!
- Volunteer once a week at a local school. When my husband and I were both in law school, we scraped by and lived in an area where the schools were good but not great. Just before our oldest was to go to middle school we moved. We wanted more room and could finally afford it. However, we still have fond memories of the elementary school that our kids left and for the past few years, we’ve donated money to the PTA and to the school lunch fund. While my kids were at the school, I was the PTA president for while and volunteered in the classroom a lot and I loved it! I felt like I was making a difference, however minor, and really liked interacting with the kids. So, I want to do it again at that same school. The little kids are the cutest and that’s where I want to spend my time so every week I’m volunteering to tutor reading with the same kindergarten teacher that one of my sons had. I start this week and can’t wait!
- Move into a McMansion. Yes, that is what I wrote in my planner. Dream big, right? I have never loved the house that we live in. I love the memories of course but not the physical house. It’s a colonial and very segmented. The whole “open concept” floor plan was but a glint in someone’s eye when our 1986 beauty was built. We’ve talked about hiring a contractor to make in more open but the cost and hassle of that seems far bigger than just moving into another house. We don’t necessarily want a bigger house (not that we live in a McMansion now, because we don’t), but I want a more open feel. And maybe a pool. And maybe a hot tub. 🙂
Okay, so that’s 4 of my 10 resolutions. They will get done little by little. Hopefully one of the two rentals properties that I want to buy will be done this week then that goal will be 50% completed! What are your New Year’s resolutions? Please share!
