2013 My 13 Goals For The Year PLUS update on my 2012 Goals HOW DID I DO

Now that it is time to think about what my goals are going to be for 2013 I was looking back on what I had written at the beginning of 2012. There they were right on my side board looking at me was my 2012 Goals .

I have to admit that I have not looked at it in months. I wonder if I accomplished any of these goals. The following is what I wrote.


Hard to believe that 2011 is almost gone. Just days away till we start a new year. Time to work at planning what I would like to accomplish this next year.

1. Cutting down the cost of eating out expense. If we do eat out try to find a coupon to reduce the price or bring home some of it to eat another time
2. Pay down debt of $2610 this does not include our car that has a balance of $7500
3. Work at decluttering our home by selling items I buy items to resell faster. Boy things pile up fast. Cookbooks, books, barbie clothes and dolls and so much more.
4. Build up our eBay and Amazon sales to about $1,000 a month net
5. Read the New Testament on a daily basis. I have a 5 minute a day New Testament to help me accomplish this
6. Try one new meal a week and blog on it
7. Eat better and find time to walk daily with the goal to eventually lose about 40 pounds
8. Work on my family research on a weekly basis trying to break down some of the brick walls
9. Read at least two books a month one being a non fiction book.
10. Spend more time with family and friends and less time watching TV
11. Be more organized around the home with chores, coupons organizing

Regarding my goals for last year

1.  Still eating out a lot but we are using coupons, deals or eating at places that cost less. This is our main entertainment and works when we are out hunting for items to resell. We have been known to buy a sub sandwich on sale and a McDonalds $1.00 soda and eat in a park.
2.  Personal loan is $300 and car loan is $4,200, if we make normal payment March of 2014.
3. Working at decluttering is hard when we buy to resell, as items go out we add more to the pile.
I just bought more Barbie and friends dolls and items and I am busy listing and selling.
4. I have added etsy to the selling menus besides eBay and Amazon. We are selling a 1,000 or more a month among the three before costs. Hope to increase that by quite an amount so that it is $1,000 net
The rest of the goals have been hit and miss. I did not lose 40 pounds so that is on this years goal list. Did not get out and walk 1/2 hour daily.  I did read some books but did not get read as many as I would like to have done.
I did try a few new meals but did not do it on a weekly basis.
Lots of improvement to be done this year, but alot of goals and dreams to get done. Emergency fund is not there at this time

For this year Goal of 2013

1. Get that $1,000 in emergency fund
2. Pay off the $300 personal debt and attempt to get car paid off by end of year or sooner.
3. Work at selling some personal items that we do not need or want to accomplish goals number 1 and 2.
4. Continue to sell on eBay, Amazon and etsy working to increase sales above the $1,000 total.
5. Lose at least 25 pounds and hoping to get it to the 40 pounds by eating less and walking more.
6. Read my New Testement this coming year. I did that on and off this year. Into it this week and hoping to get into the habit before the New Year comes.
7. Continue to work on my photo and genealogy project. You can read about my family at my other blog My family Roots Run Deep.
8. We have joined a reading group based on Religion and Science. Our book for January now and into January is " The Great Partenship"  by Rabbi Jonathan Sachs. Hubby and each bought the book and hope to start this week. Goal is to read first 77 pages by the 9th of th of January.
I also hope to add a fiction to the reading list every month. I am in the process of reading  " Stalked"  by Brian Freeman. It is the third book in his series.
9. Look forward to finding more interesting recipes to try out and share with you.
10. Hubby and I hope to work towards a goal of traveling around the country this next winter. Means saving money and decluttering some of our items. Will share more of this if we go to the next step.
11.Continue spending more time with friends and family each  month.
12. Contine to work on being organized with meal planning, coupons, rebates and chores around the home.
13. To be find ways to make life happier and better for myself, hubby and family.

This is a good start on what I would like to accomplish this next year. Sounds like a lot but just a little every day will help on some of these goals.
Do you have any goals you would like to accomplish next year?
Thanks for stopping by.. hope to see you soon and lets keep saving together.. Grace

ARE YOU A HORDER OF STUFF Do You Think It Is Time To Start Downsizing?

ARE YOU A HORDER OF STUFF Do You Think It Is Time To Start Downsizing? Hubby and I have been asked to help a church member rid them selves of the items in their apartment.  She is about 80 and moved into an assisted living home. She loved to entertain and has about 4 sets of dishes at least. I know of a daily set of silverware and then there was the good silver ware. There is 2 china hutchs full of small pretty items and nice serving dishes. The cupboards are full of more dishes and pots and pans. There is a lot of furniture in this small apartment and the walls have nice art work. Nothing real expensive but nice works. The closets are full of clothes and hats.
We were asked if we wanted to help her sell her items. There are no estate sales allowed in the building so everything would have to be packed up and moved out.
Hubby and I decided it was to much work for us especially with the furniture needing to be dealt with.
We found a friend who deals with items like this. They will make a bid today and part of the deal will be to clean out the apartment of everything.
Our church friend asked us to deal with the silverware and we got a price on that for her.
As I walk into our apartment I look around at everything we have. Alot of it is items we buy to resell. Problem is it takes time to resell some of the items I buy and they pile up around here.
This month with the holidays I have held back on buying alot of stuff to resell. We went to a church sale and bought a bag of books for $5.00. We were fussy with what went into the bag. I have the civil war books up for sale on eBay and have a vintage Childrens Bible History book for sale on ebay with a bid already. My plan is to continue being careful with what I buy and to try to concentrate getting items up for sale as soon as possible.
Yesterday I took several collectible ashtrays to the antique store to resell plus a vintage child's sewing machine in box that I had bought several months ago.
Take a moment and look around your own home. Is it time to start to parting with your extra things?
This time of the year may not be the perfect time to start but it could go on your list of goals for the next year.
Thanks for stopping by. Grace

Tip For The Day ~ Choose Your Coupon Keeper

Tip for the day, choose your coupon keeper. Whether you like a small index card box, a check size accordian file, a binder with top loading dividers organizing your coupons will make your shopping easier.
A few minutes of organizing your coupons and remembering to bring them is like money in the bank.

Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

Tip For The Day Things To Toss Out

Here are a few items to throw out with out thinking. Sewing patterns with pieces missing, glues , pens and markers that are dried out, anything broken or beyond repair and any thing you can not identify.


Thanks for stopping by for Tip For The Day Grace

Tip Of The Day ~ Breeze Through Your Shopping

Tip Of The Day .. Breeze through your shopping. Get a map of the store. Next time organize your grocery list and coupons according to your journey through the store.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

Snowy Day We Deserve Comfort Food ~ Home Made Chili On The Menu

Yesterday was beautiful winter day.  About 35 degrees with blue skys.

This morning we woke up to a snow storm
Dinner tonight was Chili with shredded cheese and sour cream. Saltine crackers on the side. I had taken a couple of spoonfuls yesterday for last nights chili dogs. Recipe for the chili can be found on the right hand side.

Thrifty double duty dinner ideas. Today we stayed inside and just worked at putting items up for sale on eBay.
Hope the snow ends and I can get out of the house tomorrow morning. Thanks for stopping by. Grace

Tip of the Day Grocery List Smarts

Tip of the day is getting frugal and smart with your grocery list. Make your grocery list do double duty. Save one of the envelopes you get in the mail, make your grocery list on it and stuff your coupons inside.

If you happen to use all your coupons you just toss that envelope into the grocery store garbage.

If you go to a couple of different stores than just grab 2 used envelopes from your mail trash.

Thanks for stopping by Grace