New Year's Resolutions 2016

Happy new year everyone! Personally, I'm a big fan of a good list of new year resolutions. Having general, reasonably attainable goals for the new year has proven to be really positive in my life. In the past I've accomplished a fair few resolutions myself - like experimenting with hair color, losing weight, and getting better grades. So here are my goals for 2016!

Cheers to 2016!

First and foremost, "lose weight" has to make an appearance on this list. Let's just say 2015 was not my year in terms of health. In 2014 I actually went to the gym on a consistent basis for the entire year, but somehow that stopped in 2015... I think I'm going to try exercising at home, since I'm graduated from university now and will have lots of time off. With YouTube nowadays it shouldn't be hard to find lots of good cardio workouts. I even bought a yoga mat that remains unused (oops lol), so I could probably squeeze some yoga time in there.

Next, I would like to achieve my business goals. As you may or may not know, in 2015 I started my own business selling planner stickers on Etsy. I have a separate list of business goals that I would like to achieve, which includes things like keeping track of my expenses more diligently, and achieve 1000 sales. Wish me luck!

I would also like to get back on that 52 week savings plan! If you don't know about the 52 week savings plan, essentially you deposit money into a savings account every week of the year, and every week you add $1 more to the amount. So for the first week of January you deposit $1, the second week $2, then $3, etc. You won't ever have to deposit more than $52 per week (totally doable) and by the end of the year you will have saved over $1000! Last year I only made it to $450, but I'm going to try again this year.

Seeing as I will have more time on my hands this year, I do want to make the effort to blog more. I know I'm like a broken record and I say this nearly every post, but this time I mean it! For some reason I guess I wasn't inspired to blog last year, but I'm already feeling more up to it this year. I think the key will be low-maintenance blogging - i.e. not worrying about word counts or quality images, and keeping expectations on the lower side.

Another thing I want to make an effort to do this year is to leave the house at least every second day. I know this may seem ridiculous to some, but since I'll be working from home this year, I so easily see myself forgetting to leave the house for days on-end. Even if it's just grabbing coffee at Starbucks in the morning instead of making my coffee at home, I really feel the need to stick to this one.

The last thing I want to accomplish in 2016 is to Instagram more! It may seem insignificant but I didn't post nearly enough photos in 2015. I love looking back on my Instagrams at the end of the year and I was thoroughly disappointed by my lack of posts this time around. That has to change!

All in all, I wish you a good 2016, and I hope you accomplish all the goals you set out to achieve :) Best of luck!

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

I was looking through my Instagram earlier and thought a year-end post was in order!

Some highlights of 2013:

• Going to DisneyWorld with my mom and cousins
• Doing the walk to fund Arthritis research with my family
• Signing up at the gym and losing 15 pounds
• Having a fun and relaxing summer at home
• Getting an A+ in my media production class (for 2 consecutive semesters!)
• Going ziplining with my friends in the fall
• Seeing my brother succeed in school
• Getting a new job in a children's library
• Expanding the list of meals I can cook
• Moving to our new home

Things to look forward to in 2014:

• Starting a new internship in the Winter semester
• Being a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding
• Designing and decorating my new room
• Continuing going to the gym and eating better
• Blogging more often with better quality content

Overall, I'm really pleased with how 2013 turned out and I'm excited for 2014. Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!