2013 - A FRESH START....

Today is the second day of 2013, and I have been giving some serious thought to my hopes, dreams, wishes and goals for the coming year.  This past year has been a year of ups, downs, and transition for me...and I don't feel as though I have really "lived life" for the past 14 months or so.  I have been on hold, in limbo, as I wait for someone to finally diagnose the symptoms that have been plaguing my days.

That is definitely going to change in 2013!  I do not have to sit by totally helpless and allow the physical aches, pains, tremors, shakes and weakness to grind away at my soul.  I love life WAY to much to passively slide from day to day, as I have been.  Yes, my body, the machine that moves me through this life, is in need of some TLC and healing...but I, the essence of who I truly am, am not encumbered.  I can still love, laugh, hope, and dream.

So here are my 2013 resolutions:

Faith - The trials of the past few years have strengthened my faith in The Lord.  I don't need to know where I am heading in life or how I am going to get there, as long as I have faith that my future will be exactly as God wants it to be; and He will be there for me to lean on no matter how many twists and turns I encounter along the way.  I can find peace in knowing that I truly can, "Let Go...Let God".

Family - My family always has been, and always will be, my world.  In just a few short weeks our son will be moving out on his own and hubby and I will officially be "empty nesters".   It is a time in our lives when we can refocus on the love that brought us together 30 years ago, held us together through thick and thin, and will continue to deepen each and every day for the rest of our lives.  It is a time for rebuilding as a couple and planning for our golden years together.

Although our son is leaving the nest, he knows I will always be there for him and his dear girlfriend.  My challenge is to do so without smothering them (easier said than done...but I'm trying!)  As an only child, J and I have always had a very close relationship.  I understand that in some ways his dear girlfriend is taking my place; and that is how it should be.  He doesn't love hubby and I any less, his heart has just expanded to love her too.  I feel as though I am adopting a daughter, and I can't wait until the day she is "officially" my daughter in love.  She already feels like family.

Both hubby and I have very small immediate families and now that life is slowing down I hope to spend more time with those we hold dear.  They are precious to me, and I want to make sure they know how tightly I hold them in my heart.

Finance - Money.  The root of all evil (or so the saying goes).  This coming year is going to be a time for reigning in spending and padding out savings as much as possible.  I want hubby to be able to retire as soon as possible, and to do that we need to be debt free and have money in the bank!  Too bad it took me so many years to realize that spending does not bring happiness!  I want to start, and stick to, a REAL budget.  I have already begun researching cheaper alternatives for some of our expenses (auto and home insurance) and have managed to save a significant amount of money for this year's coverage.  I have a lot more expenses to research in the next few months! 

For Sale! -  In 2013 I want to purge through our entire house and sell whatever we no longer need or want.  Any money I can acquire will be added to our bills and savings, divided equally. 

Freebies -A friend on a forum that I frequent offered a challenge to acquire "A Freebie A Day".  It is amazing how many free samples are available on the web and how many sites are available where you can earn points just by searching the internet or doing surveys.  I hope to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can in 2013!  You can check out the tracker on my sidebar and you can see how I am doing in my quest for a freebie a day!

Freecycle - Freecycle is a wonderful concept and in 2013 I intend to make much more use of this venue...giving away what I no longer need and do not sell, and posting "Wanted" requests for the items we need.  It truly is a win/win/ situation for all involved!

Frugality - Oh, there are SO many frugal activities I want to undertake this year.  If only I had the energy to try them all!  But I will try, a wee bit at a time, to change my behavior on a daily basis to become more and more frugal, live a simpler life,  and reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose. 

Above is just a general overview of the goals I have for 2013.  How are you doing on your list, and is there anything I have totally overlooked on mine?