Friday, January 1, 2010

Lovely Links: New Year's Day Edition

-My husband's favorite artist, J.C. Leyendecker, was famous (among other things) for his annual New Year's baby. I thought it'd be apropos to feature cover from a hundred years ago on here today.-

2010. Can you believe we're starting a new decade already? It doesn't seem that long ago that we were all excited about the beginning of a new millennium and wondering if Y2K was going to shut down civilization. I love the prospect of a new year, of a clean start, a fresh beginning. It's a nice feeling to put the busy, indulgent holiday season behind us (as fun as it was) and refocus on everyday life and goals. Hence the reason for my goal-oriented list of links...

Making Financial Goals for 2010 - Simple Mom
This link offers a lot of great ideas about how to refocus on financial goals, especially after the holiday spending blitz. I particularly liked how she talks about various funds - this year, my husband and I will be working on our six-month emergency fund (Baby Step 3 of the Dave Ramsey program), while also contributing to our car fund and vacation fund. The most important thing about this post, I think, is that it is a good prompt for some self-reflection and a great starting point for a discussion with your spouse (if applicable) for about the state of your financial life.

Welcome 2010 - Small Notebook
This link has some other great links to ways to stay organized and to streamline your home and finances. I feel hypocritical writing this because my house is an utter disaster right now, but I think it's really hard to live a frugal lifestyle if your house is messy and if your finances are unorganized. It's difficult to be creative in the midst of chaos and no one wants to cook or spend much time in cluttered kitchen. Don't get me wrong (seriously, you should see my house right now - DISASTER) - I don't think one's house needs to be spotless to live well, but it sure does help my mood and it lifts my spirits when my household is running in a neat and organized way.

Three Goals to Guide You
by Thomas S. Monson
The previous links were about getting your finances and your household in order, but, you can't really enjoy any of that if your personal and spiritual life is in disarray. The three goals in the article: study diligently, pray earnestly, and serve willingly. Great advice for anyone, of any faith.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
-
Theodore Roosevelt

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails