You can’t help but think about them this time of year. At least for me, the end of a year has always brought me to inner reflection, overall revisions, and just really thinking about how I can go from one year to another and make the next one better somehow.

I know lots of people do this by their birthdays instead of New Year’s. It makes sense, and for a while I found myself thinking of things that way. Probably moreso because by the time April rolls around, I’ve broken any
resolutions I’ve made on January 1st, but really, it’s about selfishness. It’s about me. What can I do to make myself feel good? Successful? Like a better person?

Lots of these resolutions are things that most of us should be thinking about at ANY time. Not just at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Being more organized, eating better, exercising more. Those are things that I think about at various times of the year, however it really does hit me a lot harder right after Christmas.

Right now, I’m looking around my house and my office with utter disgust and despair. Things are SO messy! Dust and piles of stuff everywhere. I’d decided that I was going to take the majority of this week and the month of January to really get things cleaned up around here back in the week before Christmas. Being a business owner, I have to get tax info ready for the accountant, and really get a filing system set up properly to keep better track of past and current (and future) projects. Wouldn’t you know it though, I got hit with a project for a big client of mine that has a cannot-be-moved deadline of January 6th! At least it’s just one week, and it’s not a solid 8 hours a day kind of thing. It’ll actually be a relief to get my butt out of the chair after spending a few hours working on something while I wait for approval from the client to go on to the next step.

I’m also feeling highly motivated by my recent weight loss. :) Looking at it overall, I’ve dropped 14 pounds since the end of July, which is no grand endeavor (14 lbs in 5 months) - but it’s kind of one of those “Woah, look what I did without even trying!” kind of things that makes you just wonder what you could do if you were really conscious of the whole thing.

For Christmas, I bought my dad (and secretly, myself) a Total Gym knockoff (By the way, if you go to that site, there’s a link where you can enter to win a free one!). It’s a knockoff because I can’t afford the Chuck Norris version, but all the reviews I read say that it’s the same thing. Here’s the one I bought. I really can’t wait to get it set up (where, in this mess of a house, I’m not exactly sure) and get on it. That, combined with the treadmill I begged and pleaded for a couple years ago should really help me do the trick. I can’t afford $300 a year right now for a gym membership, and these are really the only two things I’d need. It’s just a matter of carving out time to do it. That’s another one of those things that overlaps between resolutions - organizing my time to get healthy.

Money management. *sigh*
Something else I really need to get back on top of. I’ve let a few bills slip past me a couple times this year, and while not much has caused any permanent damage, I really LOVE being on a payment schedule with stuff. Considering the fact that I’ll be making a little more, a little more often at this point, I can really plan on things and get them paid as they come along - as long as I’ve been managing the money that does come in carefully. It’s not about overspending with me right now… it’s about making sure the cash is there when the bills come around. I also need to figure out how to find an extra few bucks a month to sock away in the IRA that’s been sitting dormant for over a year now. :P For anyone who’s interested in saving MORE money, I can’t help but recommend INGDirect. Right now I’m earning 4.50% on my savings accounts there, which is at least two whole percentage points above what the local bank is issuing out. AND it’s compounded monthly, not quarterly or annually. If you’re interested, leave your email address in the comments section (or email me using the contact form - I promise I won’t share your address with anyone except INGDirect) and I’ll send you an invite that will get you an extra $25 when you deposit $250 or more, and will place a cute little (but highly welcomed) $10 in my account. :D I joined ING in September of 2004 and back then the interest rate was only 2.8%, so in two years, it’s nearly doubled - so I’m just only able to say that I’m madly in love with them. I even convinced my mother to join!

I’m also planning on working on a few new ideas to create ongoing residual income. Making new sites, signing up for a few programs, that sort of thing. Last year I started this idea with a site called Coffee Can Cash, but things got busy and I just had to let things fall to the wayside. (Don’t mind the fugliness right now!) But if you go there, I’ll be discussing the things I’m doing in more detail, and hopefully I can help you all decide if trying the same things would help YOU create a little extra cash flow. Everyone can use extra money, even if it’s just $20 a month! (So far, I’m up to about $250 a month on average, with all the different things I’m doing - so I have to give myself a little pat on the back for that!)

So all that said, I’m feeling really ready to welcome in 2007 (and my 30th birthday in April) with a little more of a smile and a plan for myself. For personal growth and inner peace. For more money and less body. :)

What kinds of things are you guys thinking about right now? Resolutions? Reflections? Let me know in the comments!!

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