[Darlene]

Thinking back on the past year is there anything you plan on doing differently to make it better than last year? I keep thinking back on how Judy (frugal is fun) turned many things around last year by planning ahead. Like learning from the year before that she really needed to plan ahead for the horrible oil prices and she was ready for them this year and has such peace of mind by doing so.
Others have stopped leaning on credit & I loved watching things being paid off in peoples signatures. Go You !!!:thumb:


What are you doing to give yourself peace of mind?

 

[Mamaw]

To make 2011 better than 2010 I need to work on my inner self talk. I am blessed with many good things and good people in my life and I realize I need to focus more on those as opposed to the inevitable problems or things that are not quite so 'good'. I hope in 2011 I can continue to improve on working to be calm and content as well as to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

 

[happymomof4]

2010 had a tuff beginning for us. Dh was layed off sense July 2008. He got a contract in the end of June just before his unemployment ran out. It was to be for 8 to 12 week ended being 6 months. He will finish up the contract this week. So things went ok for us the 2nd half of the year. Because he did take a $20 hour pay cut then he normal gets for his contracts. I wasn't able to get to much money put in the bank.

2011 he will be unemployed again no unemployment until April. So things aren't looking to good for the beginning of 2011 for us.

 

[geckoace]

I hope to relax a bit. Ive been so stressed about money and ds and me not getting to finish school and what will we di about dd's school, that I'm hoping to just let go a bit.
I know that I just need to stick to the plan and take a deep breath.
And stay on the village I wasn't on so much this year and I could tell. It really helps me stay focused and think about all of the things I can do to help our situation.

 

[acox68]

2010 was a good year for school because I was able to get good grades and complete 6 classes. I plan to complete 6 more classes and complete my Bachelors degree in 2011!!!

The major thing I let go of was my weight and health and I'm already taking that back under control. I have about 125 pounds to lose....my mobility hasn't been that good and I'm only 42. So, to that end, I lost 6 pounds this month, with a goal of losing 1 pound per week in 2011.

 

[Momto5RN]

well i will have less money wise since i quit my one weekend a month job but it should decrease my stress and that should help my health and i hope to be able to make up some of the lost money with my regulat job .

i paid off all the store charges and a visa so thats less worrying about paying all the bills on time - not that i ever paid them late- but it was the stress of remembering all the due dates etc .

i hope that having that weekend back ( which technically started friday aat 2ish and ended after monday AM) will free me up to do more frugal stuff get more organized do more with my coupons instead of feeling overwhelmed and just too mentally exhausted from the job i quit that it took me a week to recover .

and i think all of the above will make the home life a little more relaxed too

 

[pinetree]

2010 was suppose to be alot better than 2009, well surprise, this year wasnt better if not worse.

2011 I'm going to try and take one day at a time. I was hoping to get alot of bills paid off and didnt get anywhere. I need to learn that things happen, and all I can do is try to prepare for things to break, fall apart, things happen out of our control, now it looks like we are going to have to help pay for a funeral. (fil)

If I didnt have the emergency fund going, we would really be in trouble, I would be alot farther behind than we are. Sometimes keeping a positive outlook get tough, so I really need to work on that.

 

[Darlene]

Attitude really does mean bunches, wishing you my best Pinetree. :hug2:

 

[moasmom]

Well, 2011 will automatically be starting better than 2010, since DH and I will both be healthy (last year at this time we both had major surgery: me to donate a kidney, and him to receive one). So that's in the pro column.

The con column? Money is tighter than ever. However, we have really taken charge and at least feel more on top of it than ever before, so it's actually slightly less stressful. Slightly.

I do believe that overall, 2011 will be much better for us than 2010 has been, so that's a big check in the pro column!

Cheers,
Kara

 

[Sara Noel]

I plan to eat more flavored kettle corn.

 

[HisDaisy]

My DH and I are planning on taking control of our stuff in 2011. Over the year we have collected things without finding homes for them. We have also let papers get out of control. We live in a 3 bedroom home and we have a spare room that nobody wants to use.
2010 started with a whirlwind. We asked to become foster parents to 2 kids and had a few days to get ready for it. The beginning of the year was spend trying to figure out how to parent 2 abused kids. The rest of year was spent being parents. Now our kids are getting close to moving back in with their family. Now we are planning on taking in more foster kids. Our main goal for the first part of year is to make our home more usable.
We also need to take more control over our finances in 2011.

 

[{Jenny}]

I have a number of hopes/goals for the New Year.

For me personally the big hope/goal for me is an attempt to figure out how to live while working the night shift....not just sleep, and work.

My husband has been working on our finances and we are beginning a huge money crunch in an attempt to build up an emergency fund, and pay down my student loans.

 

[ncarr]

If all goes according to plan I will graduate in August with my masters degree. No loans!

other than that I really need to get a handle on the clutter. I was doing so well before I started grad school. I have let things go a lot being busy with school.

 

[Brat]

I spent the end of 2009 and the first 3 months of 2010 watching my dh give up the fight for life..He passed on March 16 and I have spent the rest of the year trying to get it all together to go on with things.

My hope for 2011 is to make a new start..Getting everything back to normal (what ever that is) lol..

 

[Jamielane]

Well 2011 is starting a better note for us without a doubt. Last year at this time we were in dire straits financially and even unable to buy sufficient food some weeks. Now my dh's job is more secure he is working a regular schedule of 40 hours a week again and we are able to buy what we need. I am used to squeezing every penny now and can make them go very far. I am a good couponer and plan on getting even more hardcore as time go by. Me and the kids hit the thrift stores if we need something but honestly the few we have around here are no cheaper for clothes than walmart most of the time and sometimes even more expensive.

We need a more dependable , safe newer used car for dh to drive to work. The truck he drives now really does border on dangerous. It has well over 200,000 miles on it , has no heat, one door is closed only with the help of a bungee cord and the tires dont hold air for more than 24 hours at a time. So no one can say it doesnt need replaced. Its about 18 years old.

The thing I really want to do is declutter the closets and get rid of everything we don't activley use. Continue to build my stockpile and get even more organized with what I have in reserve and what I want/need to add.

Last and most importantly I want to save save save money every chance I get. I am lucky because dh is totally on board. I just want my family to be together and healthy and happy honestly and anything I can do to facilitate that is top on my list.

 

[Gotonenerveleft]

Like one of the previous posters....my goal is to work on the inner me. I need a change in attitude. I need to channel my inner Pollyanna. There are a few people around me that are very negative and it brings out my negative side just listening to it. Since I can't cut them out of my life I hope to diffuse the bad vibes by reminding them of the good. This will help me focus on only the good also. I hope to change the language the most. It's so easy to say things are "bad"...."it's so hard"...."why me?".....without realizing if that is really true or not. I've yet to meet a person, no matter their circumstance, that wasn't blessed in some way. You just have to realize and acknowledge that the blessings are there. It's easy to focus on lack instead of abundance and that is what I hope to change for myself and a few others in 2011.

I also want it to be a year that I lighten up and enjoy myself. I think that God gave us a big wonderful life and when we're not happy with one thing or another I can just picture him saying...." Helloooooo......I've given you the world.... the least you can do is enjoy it" I haven't been unhappy I've just been way too conservative and I think that allows me to miss out on the joy. Who knows I might turn into someone who'd wear a clown nose to the grocery store.....nawww doubt it!

 

[August29th]

Like one of the previous posters....my goal is to work on the inner me. I need a change in attitude.....SNIP SNIP ....A It's easy to focus on lack instead of abundance and that is what I hope to change for myself and a few others in 2011.

I also want it to be a year that I lighten up and enjoy myself .... SNIP SNIP ....!

This is what I've been working on, too. I've been feeling down and lonely -- wondering why I don't have better friends and why people don't like me enough, and all kinds of sad miserable stuff.

Now I'm pretty bored with that and realize that it's up to me to BOUNCE out of that attitude and figure out a way of being more popular and more liked by others. More out of my shell and less waiting for someone new to come along.

Being here amongst you is a good start ... being able to say things freely & getting feedback is lovely.

(I was thinking of starting a new thread: How to be happy. or How to find friends.)

 

[Heather Groce]

I need to just be strong and get my $ under control. I also am going to work very hard on my marriage and build a better realtionship with my son because he is a strong willed kid and sometimes I get overly frustrated with him.

 

[Palooka]

To learn to take time out for myself more than I do now, in several areas. Ya know, when mom is happy the house is much happier.

 

[Guest]

I don't know yet, I'm still in the process of reviewing last year. Next year promises to be full of changes - DH is going back to work after being unemployed, I'm trying to change jobs, and we've decided to try for #2. I really just want to be able to roll with the punches!