Happy New Year!

I’m looking forward to a fulfilling and beautiful new year. While we have no idea what 2022 will bring, we can hope for good things, and we can set goals.

Goal setting for the year really helps me to focus on what I want out of life this year.

Most of my goals this year are to finish projects that we have started. I’d like more order in my life. I’d like more flowers in my home–ideally, flowers on the piano, on the entry table, on the dining table, and in the bedroom every day. I’d like to walk in a garden full of flowers and enjoy more meals outside. I’d like to enjoy fresh produce from the garden daily.

This means most of my goals are centered around the garden.

Garden:

We are currently making a pergola for the garden. Right now, we are only going to build one side of it. Should funds and time permit, we will build the other side, the top, and the end pieces this year. We have more steel works planned in the garden, including another arbor, a hose bib, and some cloches. As my husband finishes each piece, I will clean and paint the metal. Just cleaning the metal takes hours.

  1. Clean and paint whatever steel pieces we make this year.
  2. Sand and paint all six of the benches in the garden.
  3. Clean out, paint, and reorganize the shed.
  4. Run the remaining drip lines in the garden.
  5. Take cuttings from hedges in the front yard to grow over 1300 bushes in the garden to hedge the beds in the backyard.
  6. Add more rose bushes to the garden.
  7. Plant loads of flower seeds in the garden.
  8. Collect seeds from the garden to plant in fall and next year.
  9. Keep track of what varities are planted where and which ones do well in a garden journal.

Sewing:

  1. Hem the new curtains I purchased recently for the living room and dining room.
  2. Sew curtains for my bedroom. These have been on my goal list for 16 years now; I’d like this year to be the year it happens!
  3. Sew a curtain for a bathroom window.

Home Decor:

  1. Hang new pictures in the house using frames I already own.
  2. Replace or repair my desk chair.

Organization:

  1. Spend 10 minutes a day organizing areas that need it.
  2. Reorganize a closet, a kitchen drawer, and other areas in the house.

Personal Goals:

  1. Read my scriptures daily.
  2. Attend the temple once a month.
  3. Study French once a week.
  4. Watch photography class videos at least twice a week.
  5. Eat healthy daily, with a plan to lose enough weight to fit back into my dresses by April.

What kind of life do you want this year? What goals are you planning to get there?

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81 Comments

  1. I have some goals that I want to accomplish, and decided to start a Health Journal to help me remember and keep track of my goals, so they don’t get forgotten. I am dividing things up into three categories, physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. My list for physical health is the longest. Some things are as simple as remembering to take a vitamin or herb each day, or longer such as exercising. These are things I already do, but sometimes I forget a vitamin I want to take so my journal will give me a place for a check sheet and I can see at a glance if I have taken that vitamin already. I already am in the habit of exercising, but am also hiking with my daughter and we are having fun keeping track of the number of hikes we go on—last year we hiked 129 times together! Spiritual health includes things as my own personal Bible study as well as a group study and a read a thon of a spiritual book that will be starting up soon. My mental health is the main area in my life that I feel needs more in it. I tend to be busy taking care of others, but can easily neglect doing fun things for myself. I will be recording times that I practiced violin or viola—these are for me, and are free lessons my teen daughter is giving me. Well, not completely free, as my hubby and I DO pay for our daughter’s music lessons! 😁 But she started teaching me violin three years ago, when I was 53, and I am crawling my way through the Suzuki books. Not fast, but even an inchworm crosses a room if they don’t give up! I am ALMOST finished with violin book 2. With viola, she just started teaching me about a month ago, so I am starting that instrument at age 56! These give me something in common with my teen daughter, and I know learning new things is good for my brain! I need to add in some time doing other hobbies that I enjoy, such as sewing and such. This I am not currently taking the time for at all, so hope by recording when I do that I can make it a goal to at least get a little in a couple times a month. This would be a big improvement from not doing any at all like currently!

    Looking forward to reading what goals others have. So appreciate the support active community here!

  2. Brandy you have some great goals. I always make a list with Hubby. It really helps. We do monthly, yearly, 5 years and 10 years.
    Max out 401K for Hubby $27k
    Do Roth IRAs $12k
    Build deck in backyard
    Pay cash for YD’s spring and fall semesters of college
    Fix boiler
    Pay extra on mortgage ( get it under $100k)
    Do at least 2 more raised garden beds
    Declutter and organize basement
    Inground sprinklers in the front yard
    Lose 30 more pounds
    Get umbrella insurance
    Paint office desk
    Finish electrical in basement
    Work out at least 3 times a week
    Plant 2 more fruit trees.

  3. Like you, I have had some goals on my list year after year. It is the pressing forward that counts. The hope that this could be “the year”, lol

    My goals are simple. Two words will frame what I do, think, buy, plan and work towards: “curate” and “listen”.

    Scriptures daily
    Temple weekly…as they have appointments!
    Continue healthy eating to lose those last few pounds
    Socialize more
    Fresh flowers
    Organize our unfinished basement
    Monthly mani pedi at our local tech school
    Learn to use chopsticks
    And of course, save more.

    I want to be thoughtful and deliberate in my choices, to look forward with hope and purpose and to really live.

    While I may not make all of these to completion, the Lord loves effort! Improvement is made up by tiny daily choices!

    Thanks for inspiring me for many years!! Happy New Year!

    1. We taught our children at a very young age to use chopsticks. Using the wrapper they come in fold it up till it is very small and place it between the two chopsticks about two inches down from the top then using a rubber and wrap it around that area. It will keep the paper in place along with keeping the chopsticks together. Super easy to use this way and learn how to use them. Kinda like training wheels. I hope I explained it well enough.

  4. For the last few decades I have spent the week between Christmas and the New Year looking at the year before to see if I met my goals and to set goals for the next year.
    I met most of my goals for last year, but not all of them. This doesn’t bother me since the last few years have been so “shaky” for all of us.
    I am not setting lots of goals for this year since I feel we are still deep in the Covid “mess”. I fear we are all going to struggle for another year. With that said…here are things I want to get done.
    Purging! Yes…I am still into that. I am not a hoarder like on the TV, but I have a lot of things. I started this purging last year. I have accomplished a lot…yet there is more to do.
    I sew for extra money and I want to sew more items for my Etsy shop. This means I need to reorganize my sewing area.
    There are a few “building” projects in the house that need doing. Nothing big…more fiddling with the time to do it.
    Gardening is going to be a big thing again this year. Food and flowers.
    Part of my purging is going to be to sell most of my Victorian glassware. I have tons of it and my children and grands have no interest in any of it. I think it is better if I sell it and have the money myself.
    My health is starting to decline a bit. I am finding it almost impossible to walk more than 20 feet. Both of my knees are blown. I am working on better health. My doctor (a new one at our clinic) seems more interested in working on “fixing” the health problem than having me “learn to live with it”.
    Happy New Year to all of you.
    Thank you Brandy.

      1. I may sell some of it in Etsy…some on Marketplace. I can send you a link when I get to them. They are second on my list. I am going to finish a quilt for my 3rd child before I do anything else.

    1. Becky,
      I got new knees Fall of 2019. Recovery wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

      I saw my surgeon in 2021 and told him truthfully that I feel 10 years younger.

      Goals: keep exercising these knees!

  5. Brandy your photo is beautiful! My goals are pretty simple.
    1. Lose 30lbs
    2. Max out Roth IRA
    3. Keep building emergency fund and savings accounts.
    4. Find some hobbies
    5. Spend more time with the Lord.
    6. Say goodbye to my 18y/o daughter who is going off to college in August. How do u let them spread their wings? I cry everyday.

  6. Lovely goals. I was to max out IRA savings this year, walk an hour a day five days a week, lose 10 lbs, save $500 a month for new roof on retirement house, plant dandelion greens at retirement house, and continue working part time at my old job. I would also like to fly to visit my grandchild three times a year. I want to read halfway through the Book of Mormon this year also, and the first three books of the New Testament. I want to continue eating lots of greens, beans, nuts and berries every week.

  7. Here is my quick list — I have broken each category down into specific tasks on a more detailed list.
    * Daily prayers and reading of bible.
    * Work on my flexibility and strength as well as more mindful eating
    * Make time with husband, daughter and each pet, listening and doing what they love to do.
    * Continue connecting with old friends and reach out more to new friends to foster deeper friendships.
    * Add to savings each month and pay off debt.
    * Home repairs and finish projects.
    * More gardening this year.. last year I grew zucchini and watermelon. I am going to add lettuce, green onions, celery & strawberries. If this year goes well, I am going to add potatoes, corn on the cob and cherry tomatoes the next year, and then peas, green beans, carrots and cabbage after that. And always flowers (but my husband is in charge of those). I am planning to start an herb planter box this year too!
    * Fun family day trips to historic parks and museums that we always say we are going to visit but never do.

    This is our year to complete the “Never do list” in all areas of my life!!

  8. My goals are:
    1. Finish writing, proofreading, assembling book.
    2. Continue enjoying the simple pleasures in life – the flowerbeds, the birds, and photography.
    Find the seeds I misplaced last year so I don’t have to buy seeds again. Spend an absolute minimum for annual
    plants.
    Replace my roses that seem to have died or expand the flowerbed and move out the roses
    that may have survived so they are not shaded out by the jungle peonies (who would have known that the
    peonies would get so big?). I’ll have to hire someone to dig out the bed (because of my tendon).
    3. Try to find scion wood for my apricot tree that has been whittled down to size probably by the neighborhood
    deer.
    4. After the covid surge dies down, invite an electrician in to install my new bathroom fixture ($60 on sale from
    $1,000), fix a kitchen light.
    5. After the covid surge wanes, invite a plumber to instal a new garbureator in the kitchen.
    6. Finish the 5 photo albums with 300 photos and genealogy. Send 1 to a museum, 3 to recipients, keep 1.
    7. Make an album with my best bird and other photos.
    8. Grow several sunflowers so I can harvest the heads and use those instead of buying seeds. Ask my friends to
    each grow a couple for me if I give them the seeds so I’ll have a lot by next fall.
    (the reason being that most commercial sunflower seeds have potential cross contamination with peanuts)
    9. Because of doing the book, I have met (online) several local archivists so one of my goals is to find homes in museums and archives for old maps, books and things in the basement. So far I’ve found a home for all of the back National Geographics, the old Encyclopedia Britannicas. Three friends are keen to receive old history books. Reduce the amount of furniture in the house (in basement)by giving some old furniture to charity. I would like to find a good home for the collection of Gourmet magazines too. This may all work out – gradually.
    10. Eat 5-7 veggies and fruits each day. Try to grow cabbages but with deer, mice, moose, hares in the
    neighborhood that might be difficult without better fencing.
    11. Try to play the piano everyday – because of my broken tendon, I’m not sure whether I can but I will try.
    12. Read books for enjoyment, starting with “The Old Ways” by Robert McFarlane (but only after our own book
    is finished).
    13. Practice sewing with the Bernina sewing machine I inherited from my friend. Finish sorting her documents
    and get them to the city archives. Find a home for an extra sewing machine.
    14. Does anyone in YYC or close by know of anyone who’d like an old piano that’s in good shape? A friend is
    looking to rehome a piano.
    15. See if I can find help to build an arbour out of twigs I have. I
    saw one at a friend’s church a couple of days ago while we were in the parking lot. I will use it as a model.
    And fix a couple of willow trellises I have
    16. Write a book of poems illustrated with photos.
    17. Don’t make resolutions about losing weight. Don’t diet. If so, I only gain weight.
    Have a happy new year everyone.

      1. Thanks for the suggestion. It is really difficult to give away a piano here — the give away market is flooded.

    1. Schools and churches may be looking for inexpensive or free pianos as well. I know both our children’s private school and our church have very gratefully befitted from free/low cost pianos – 2 free spinets for a classroom teacher who loved to do music with her students and the for the music room and a low-cost grand for our church when the sound board split in the one we currently had.

      Lea

    2. i an curious where are you getting a wonderful sales such as $60 for $1000 retail price or was it a typo n it was $100??? i am looking for a sink for my laundry room n looked last weekend at an antique store but even there prices are exorbitant…

    3. Most schools and private teachers now teach on electronic keyboards. I have not found free home for pianos or my organs. I am going to give my last organ (used transistors) to my husband to take apart as I know it cannot be easily refurbished even if there was interest. I am only keeping my 1921 player piano.

  9. I always love hearing about other people’s goals! Since I do monthly goals and am currently working through a 101 in 1001 list (where you write down 101 things you want to accomplish or experience in 1,001 days), I don’t have any typical “resolutions” for this year. However, we are doing a lot of big projects with our flower farm, including building a high tunnel this month! I’m excited to try and extend our growing season through the use of the high tunnel, and I can’t wait to be able to get planting again. Like you, many of my plans for the year ahead revolve around the garden/flower farm, and I’m excited to see what kind of growing season we have ahead.

    Best of luck with your 2022 goals, and Happy New Year!

  10. Goals
    -continue to review finances and net worth at the end of each year-done yesterday and on track.
    -max out RRSP and TFSA contributions to reduce taxes
    -pay off DD student loan in the summer once the 6 month interest free grace period ends
    -retire again in June from my childcare job-much as I love it I would like to have more free time for travel, fitness, helping others etc
    -continue to scout out new sources of well priced foods

  11. 1. Talk to an admission counselor at our local technical community College. I need one science class for my AA degree, that I would like to finish to move on to get my bachelor degree.

    2. Make extra payments on my truck. I didn’t find my second job until November, so I only accomplished one extra payment last year.

    3. Complete at least 2 home improvement projects

    4. Find ways to reduce expenses. We “almost ” paid off 2 credit cards last year. I want to get them paid off, then 2 more this year.

    5. Take an actual vacation. Even if it’s just for a few days.

    6. Build up savings.

    7. Continue to declutter the house.

  12. Hello Brandy ~ Long time visitor to your site ~ first time commenting.
    New Year projects:
    ~Purchase and hang mirrors for a bathroom
    ~Replace countertop in same bathroom
    ~Paint 2 bedrooms
    ~Clean out an upstairs room (began this yesterday), repair walls and paint.
    ~Change out existing receptacles to white
    ~Replace a ceiling fan
    ~Install ceiling fan for front porch
    These are a few projects that I hope to have completed by June.
    Thank you for your dedication in keeping this lovely site for people to enjoy and learn!
    Happy New Year!

  13. My goals are.
    Save more money.
    Paid off my SUV.
    Paid off my doors.
    Paid more on my mortgage.
    Sew more.
    Make more my jewelry for gifts
    Loss weight.
    Get rid of our junk..
    Have a garden
    Thanks for all that you do Brandy, on this site and all comments from everyone

  14. Brandy, I don’t want to be intrusive, but I’m interested in some of your rites. Is the Temple a different place than your regular Sunday church? You can see I don’t know any Mormons.

    Goals:
    1. Lose the 5-6 holiday pounds. I’ve done this before, I can do it again.
    2. This year we are pulling out carpet and putting in flooring. Have already gotten the estimate and will have it installed right after the new dishwasher.
    3. Install new molding and baseboard around the living room. We’ve been talking about this for years.
    4. I think I will purchase a grandfather clock this year, also. Have to start looking around after the new flooring is in.
    5. Work on the garden. Much smaller than Brandy’s, of course, and subject to many experiments year after year.
    6. Try very hard to let go of anger at family members who I know will not change. It’s my place to deal with it.
    7. More exercise, more veggies is perennially on my list. Would be nice if “this was the year.” 😀
    8. More day trips.

    1. Not intrusive at all! It is a different place. Here’s a simple explanation.

      Your house is going to be very nice when you are done!

      I know grandfather clocks can be very expensive. Children do not always want them after parents pass; you may be able to find one that you like on Craig’s list.

  15. My main goal for 2022 is to declutter my entire house, category by category, room by room. We decluttered a lot when we moved here 3-1/2 years ago, but not enough; and we sold our vacation home and brought home whatever wasn’t included in the sale (we sold it mostly furnished and equipped). Everything needs to be gone through, but I am 75 years old and it ain’t gonna happen overnight. In the last couple of weeks, I have gone through all of my daughter’s clothing and decluttered gift wrap, cards, etc. In this next week, I intend to go through all of the Christmas decor (as I put it away) and donate everything I’m not using and, especially, the fiddly stuff.

    I also want to meet and make friends with 4 of my neighbors. This means introducing myself to one household every 3 months and then getting acquainted and maintaining those friendships. At the moment, I can’t tell you which 4, but it is gonna happen. We were among the first people into this brand-new subdivision that was finished just before Covid hit. Surprisingly, a lot of houses have already changed hands, and I didn’t even get to know the first residents. We don’t really know anybody! (well, a few). Along the way, I hope to meet more neighbors as we get to know each other and meet their neighbors, and so on…IYKWIM.

    I desperately need to clean and reorganize the office/sewing room and KEEP IT THAT WAY. Maybe schedule a once-over, once a week?

    Hopefully, I’ll get a lot more things done, but I’m going to focus on the big picture for now.

    I moved and transplanted some shrubs in the fall and hope to finish in the spring. The south side of my house, which should be in the sun all day, gets more shade than I thought when I planted. I need to move some things around and probably buy a few more shade-lovers.

    1. Forgot to mention, I’m working on keeping my mind active this year. I’ve just started playing Scrabble on wordswithfriends dot com. You actually play other people, not the computer. Our pinochle group, which all but disbanded during Covid, is re-establishing itself. I write a lot of e-mails and comment on blogs (have ya noticed, LOL). I have read that writing, games, puzzles, etc., can help stave off dementia for up to 5 years. Sudoku is supposed to be the best, but I’ve never really caught on to it. My mother did jigsaw puzzles (which absolutely make me nuts), fairly easy crosswords and the Jumble puzzles in the newspaper. Don’t know if it helped, but she was sharp until the day she died.

      1. My grandmother did puzzles and crosswords, but still suffered from dementia, so I am not so sure they help! Do what you enjoy!

        1. My mother did all of the above (puzzles, crosswords, daily walking, etc), and still ended up with dementia. But maybe it delayed it for a few years. We’ll never know!

  16. My goals include:
    Get in better health.
    Once in better health, I hope to have a garden this year.
    Organize my house.
    Finish projects that need done.
    I hope to take a vacation with my husband this year, even if only for a few days.
    Read less news, relax more. Spend more time with my Bible.
    Study languages more often, especially French for enjoyment.
    Spend time playing musical instruments for fun. Sing with my husband more often.
    Go to at least one concert or play.
    Be attentive to the people I love so they know that I love them.
    Take pictures with my son. Photography for enjoyment for the both of us. Record my son’s poetry. Write a bit myself.
    Do more things just because I enjoy them. Stress less. I’d also like to grow more flowers this year.

    1. “Be attentive to the people I love so they know that I love them.”

      Tammy, this is beautiful. Well said, as it’s all too easy to forget in the thick of day-to-day life that sometimes folks just want us to look them in the eye and pay attention, even if just passing in the kitchen for a moment.

  17. Happy New Year!
    Pay off the house by the end of 2022.
    Redo one bedroom.
    Work on getting rid of more stuff.
    See more of my son and his family out east.
    Convince hubby to see a doctor about his knees. He needs one replaced for sure.

  18. I reviewed the Christmas decorations that we have used the last two years. I have several totes full of decorations that we have collected through the years, but we use two of those totes. It is time to go through them and give away what we no longer use. That will free up some space in the garage, which has been an ongoing goal for about three years.
    Friends have set a goal to donate gift packs for those going through cancer treatments. To support that goal I am going to make rice packs. My goal is one per month and more when possible. I have the materials, just need to dedicate the time to the sewing.

  19. My goals for 5his year:
    ***Daily Bible study and prayer. I started today using my Facebook friends and am praying for one friend a day and message them to let them know I prayed for them. In my message I also tell them qualities I see in them and encourage them. I will also look for opportunities to secretly give gifts of encouragement when I learn of someone struggling such as a quilted bookmark, flowers from my garden, a get well basket, card, etc.
    ***Study French with Duolingo
    ***Learn to use camera on manual. Maybe join a photography group in our area that goes to locations to take photos
    ***Garden: expand by 8 more beds, trellises for grapes and blackberries. Look at Co-op classes
    ***Workout and walk daily. Hike, bike, 5K, kayak. Lose back to 125 lbs.
    ***limit screen time. Get to bed same time and get sleep.
    ***Entertain monthly at home. Go out with friend monthly.
    ***travel to Mississippi, and Texas to visit aunts and uncles that are in 80’s so I can see them before they are gone. Travel to Memphis and meet birth father, birth sister, and birth uncle I found in 2021.
    ***Sew curtains that are cut out. paint pieces I have in the garage. Reupholster setee and two chairs
    ***Frame photos for gallery wall on staircase. I have frames I got from yardsales.
    ***Be purposeful about using coupons with sales. Buy coupon items and donate to a soup kitchen. Give meat from each deer husband shoots also.
    ***Do backsplash in kitchen of camper and add rail behind stove. Put floral removable wallpaper in bath, with tile look backsplash. Then, camp! Enjoy traveling and finding waterfalls.
    ***Sew things such as mug rugs and coasters from recycled quilts. Make bag tags with embroidered names for each person. Use as a gift tag, Then they can use on backpacks and luggage.
    ***Can, dehydrate, and freeze food. Make cakes and breads as birthday and gifts. Work on techniques.
    ***Cut flowers for arrangements.
    *** Co time to pay an extra $500 on mortgage a month

    1. I can recommend an excellent online photography class if you’re interested. If so, I will send you a link in am email.

    2. “I started today using my Facebook friends and am praying for one friend a day and message them to let them know I prayed for them. In my message I also tell them qualities I see in them and encourage them.”
      What a fantastic idea! Way to use Facebook for GOOD and love! 😀

  20. My goals for 2022 are:
    1. Get better at rotating our freezer food storage by using 3 things from it every week in our meals or canning or baking.
    2. Reducing number of eating restaurant or takeout food to twice a month.
    3. Keeping my gift cupboard rotating and replenished. With 36 grandchildren and 11 children plus spouses, if I am always watching for or creating things each one would like for their birthdays, it will save me time, money and stress!
    4. Finish redoing the other brick walkways in side yard and garden- leveling them and adding special sand as a filler between bricks to keep weeds from growing!
    5 Rebuild the 4 wooden benches we have by replacing the wood and painting the metal.
    6. Keep learning and experimenting with plant propagation not only as a free way to increase our garden but also as a source of side income.
    7. Quilt 100 quilts from quilt tops clients send my business, but also by reducing my own UFO stash of quilt tops.
    8. Every week, spend at least 1 hour decluttering and organizing a specific spot in the house.
    9. Keep up with the reading of Old Testament for Come Follow Me program.
    10. Attend Temple once a month while we still need to travel out of state until the renovation of our local one is completed this summer. Then we will attend once a week.
    11. Take more care of myself through a more regular exercise and healthy eating plan and also scheduling the “routine” health visits- dentist and doctor.

    That’s 11. If I can stick to those in my focus, I will feel satisfied! And I will celebrate each step that I make forward on each goal!

    Gardenpat in Ohio
    HandmadeinOldeTowne.com

  21. Like many have mentioned, our goals for 2022 center on house projects. We built our house completing it enough to move in in 2019 but it was far from finished. We have loved the whole experience (well, maybe not some of the time!) but this is the year to finish one-time tasks. A home and large property always has daily maintenance so getting the “once and done” tasks completed will free us up to more easily take care of everything. The things left to do are mostly ceiling trim, and interior painting. Then, the fun part of hanging my favorite art pieces. I haven’t seen them for so long, it will seem like Christmas. I am also sure I will have some things to sell or donate and that will make our storage closets less full. I will be glad for that. The biggest task will be painting all the windows. We have done a few of them and it takes FOREVER as, to do it right, we have to remove the windows and all the hardware. I am not exaggerating when I say it takes a whole weekend to do two windows. But, we will get it done when the weather warms up. My husband also hopes to build me some book cases and shelves so I can have my beloved book collection out again rather than in boxes. I always edit my books and rarely purchase books anymore unless I adore it and know I will re-read it again and again. So, I hope we will have space for those special books that mean a great deal to me, many of which I have had since childhood or are books that originally belonged to my mother, grandmothers, and grandfathers.
    I also always have garden plans – don’t all gardeners strive to expand, change or otherwise improve their gardens? It really is an expression of yourself just like a house can be. I am eager to see how all the cuttings I so gratefully received from neighbors last year come through the winter. Every year, I take stock of what does well and what struggled and try to adjust. I also try to keep track of how much we eat of certain things and adjust to have more of that and less of what we seem to leave to the last. I also hope our pumpkin patch does better this year as my boys and I have such fun selling them in the Fall. Most years, we do well but last year was not the greatest pumpkin year for us. But, it is fun to keep trying.
    As a home educating parent, I always am researching and trying to learn new ways to help my children attain the skills they need while helping them explore and discover interests that inspire a love of learning. It changes all the time as they grow and I love to see the paths they take to discovering new things. My goal is to continue to have the energy to keep up with them!
    We would like to continue to foster kittens and help with the Trap Neuter Release program in our county to help the adult cats living in rural areas such as ours. It is a tough problem and one that is not solved as quickly as I wish but every bit we do helps and provides us with priceless experiences. Being frugal helps us have the time and resources to do this.
    One of the great things frugality has allowed us to do is to have margin in our lives to notice when others need help or to experience things we wouldn’t if we were constantly running from this activity to that obligation. I hope to continue to be able to see things that need to be done and do them, to be a good neighbor and do the little things that can bring a smile to their faces or make their lives easier, or to just have the time to chose a different route home and discover new things. I have always encouraged my children to be good “noticers” and I will continue to do that.
    So, it sounds as if most of my goals are to continue doing a lot of what I already do and that’s fine with me. I think the small things are what life is made of. Must be why one of my favorite quotes is that of Mother Teresa, “Do small things with great love.” Sometimes, I think that’s the best goal of all.
    Happy New Year, all!

  22. I have a goal for a cleaning schedule for the kids and I to do the basic cleaning chores more regularly.

    I am really excited for my micro garden. This winter, I am taking an herbal Botany course and an herbal horticulture course. Next spring I am going to try and grow marigolds and basil from seed. I am going to try growing snow peas. Two new plants I am purchasing are a rose bush and lemon verbena. I love red raspberry tea and want to try tea with lemon verbena in it.

    1. Lemon Verbena is my FAVORITE herbal tea!

      The tags say they are supposed to grow six feet tall, and mine never have, so I am now growing several small plants. I have to cover them in winter or they will die from a light frost.

      1. I love lemon verbena as well! Here in Piedmont N.C. It gets about 3 feet high, and can overwinter if I cover with mulch or leaves. It is so good in water for a refreshing drink or with stevia to make a lemonade!

      2. My lemon verbena plants are taking over the property, unless I continuously dig up self-seeded starts and bushes that keep growing. My mint is the same, of course. But, it’s never been 6 feet tall. So, I guess it’s all in the strain, or the weather where you live, I guess:)

  23. I have several goals for the year.
    1. Expand our vegetable garden in both size and variety of vegetables grown.
    2. Change other gardens around so that there is more room for flowers.
    3. Finally get back to sewing after many, many years away from it. We will be changing over the room we used to homeschool in to a sitting/craft room. My sewing machine will be going in here in a cabinet that I was gifted from a friend.
    4. Eat more vegetarian/plant based meals each week.
    5. Continue to sort and declutter room by room.
    6. Continue to complete surveys and quizzes for Amazon codes. I use these Amazon codes to buy food.
    7. Continue to put the fruits of our decluttering up on our local buy nothing group and continue to take free items of use to us such as food, clothing, household items and wood.
    8. Walk 20 minutes each day that the weather allows.
    9. Read one fiction book and one nonfiction book every week.

  24. Oh my! Reading goals is so enjoyable to me and helps me to see areas that I haven’t thought of that could be addressed with goals!
    There is a common theme of growing more flowers, Brandy you serve as an inspiration to us all with your stunning photos of cut flowers and arrangements! *As I think of garden goals I know there is weeding to be done to prep for spring vegetables to be sown. I hope to clean up my blackberry patch(it is a wild one) and prune the blueberries and pear trees.
    *Health- lose the 7 lbs gained during the last two years. Bike/walk 30-60 minutes a day. Weights and core on opposite days. Body brush daily. Detox baths weekly. Stick to my GF diet, I blew it over Christmas.
    *Gardenpat, I don’t know how you can do gifts for such a big family. I would love to know what kinds of things you give/ make. This is not one of my gifts and is one of the most stressful parts of my life. I need to organize my gift cabinet and linens.
    * Organize and stock my stash for carrying meals to folks. I keep glass jars and plastic containers on hand, but would like to designate an area to store things.
    *I hope to do more praying with folks, with their permission. This has been on my heart and it just takes intentionality.
    * My husband and I would like to do more dinners with old friends, just need to get those on the calendar.
    I am so thankful for this community and the encouragement it brings each week!

  25. Thank you for posting your goals for the year. I don’t do goals for the year. I try and do them month by month with an overall theme for the year. But these words from our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, are definitely my yearly goals. I plan to implement them in personal ways in my life. This is not meant as a religious sermon to anyone here – this is for me and what I plan on doing.
    1 – First, resolve to strengthen your spiritual foundation. This may involve setting a specific time and place to study the scriptures, praying more often, making temple worship a bigger priority, and letting God prevail in all aspects of your life.
    *Personal, I’m planning on involving myself in family history by indexing and starting to catch up on my scrapbooks to record our families experiences. Daily prayer will continue to be who can I help today and what more can I do to help my family, neighbors and community in small and simple ways.

    2 – Second, resolve to be kind to others. When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate contention in our lives. So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow to judge, and be quick to forgive.
    *Personal – learn to be a better listener, make sure my conversations are kind but also do not lower my standards. But I do not need to judge someone’s circumstances. If I can help, then I will help. I will also apply this doctrine to myself in that I will be more kind to myself in my thoughts and actions. I will continue to seek joy and happiness in my small and simple life. I would like to really learn to have a kinder spirit when dealing with more difficult situations and let things go that I do not need to or stop wanting to control.
    3 – Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to “wax strong in the Spirit” (Mosiah 18:26).
    *Personal – I will continue to improve my knowledge in certain areas of my life – food storage and preservation, making do with less, learning to repair and re-purpose more items, letting go of things not worth my time, working on my garden and working on my health.

    Happy New Year to everyone!

  26. Brandy, what a very lovely photo!

    This year I hope to:
    -Spend more time with Jesus
    -Spend more time with my husband doing fun & frivolous things
    -Expand my vegetable garden
    -Purge my house of all the excess
    -Cook and bake 90% of our food
    -Plant more trees
    -Review the budget and find and eliminate unnecessary expenditures
    -Build a fire pit

  27. It took me a few days to nail down my goals for this year. Normally I’m all over it, but I think this year I needed a few days of recovery from the holidays before I could focus on the new! 😂

    My first goal is to expand my garden substantially. We have already laid the ground work for it and have done a lot of soil amendments (we have heavy clay). But beyond expanding it, I want it to be bee friendly and full of flowers. My hope is to grow enough food to permanently cut our grocery budget by half.

    My second is to be kinder to my body and mind, and to feed both the good stuff they need. Time alone, and in nature, healthy food, investment in my hobbies, and being present with my children and husband.

    Last, I hope to gain control over some financial pieces of our lives that have gotten a bit out of hand. We have already started that with a low spend January. Aside from buying no extra this month, I’m going to try and come in under half of our budgeted grocery allotment. Banking that extra would be a huge help. I may try to sell a few items, too.

    That’s it for me! Happy new year, everyone!

  28. I need to improve my health (lose weight, eat healthier foods, walk/exercise for heart and overall health). I also want to not waste food or other resources, save more/spend less so I’m prepared for emergencies, keep up with the garden and yard, keep the house organized and relatively clean so having people over doesn’t require a massive cleaning, play and cuddle more with my cats, and get back into my hobbies, such as cross-stitching.

    It sounds like a lot but after really thinking about it for the last few days, to accomplish most if not all of that will require that I stop wasting time. I spend far too many hours each week scrolling through things on my phone and thinking about what I need to do before I can do the things I want to do. Therefore, my major goal this year is to be a better steward of all my resources, especially my time.

    Happy new year and may we all meet our goals.

  29. I think with the last several years I’ve decided to work harder on focusing on the things I can change and control and less on things I can not. I have a huge list that I’m breaking down into smaller monthly and weekly blocks but my main goals are:
    •Daily Bible reading and meditation
    •Loose 30lbs I’ve struggled to shed after my 4th child and then hysterectomy. I know with being intentional with eating and exercise this is my year!
    •Double my garden space and fence it in. Most of my goals also surround my garden.
    •I want my garden full of flowers in all seasons to enjoy, cut to bring inside and to share with friends (goal of giving a bouquet weekly).
    •I want to have intensive successive vegetable plantings to eat daily and preserve.
    •I want to create a more peaceful backyard space that my entire family can enjoy.
    •I want to be more intentional about keeping an accurate garden journal with notes so I can look back and make improvements and adjustments.
    •Indoors I would like to purge more unneeded items that just add weight and take up space. Each month I plan to tackle a room and focus on what it fills it and does it bring us joy.
    •And ultimately want to spend more quality time together with my family.

    While the world is full of chaos, I want to work on creating a haven for my family and spend my energy more on those I love.

  30. My kids think I’m weird but New Year’s Day is my favorite day of the year. It full of hope and a chance to start fresh. I started publicly keeping goals a few years ago on my blog and it has been a great motivator. This year I’m trying to be more adventurous so I am trying to get in 12 hikes and 12 museums with my kids in addition to my usual goals. My number one goal is always to walk 500 miles by the end of the year and I also upped my reading goal to finish 100 books in 2022. Happy New Year’s!
    https://thethriftyeducator.com/2021/12/31/2022-goals/

  31. Not sure where I saw this, but I am sure it was a video of your husband swinging with childlike abandon and glee! That is the emotional level I would like to achieve this year! Just watching him made my heart sing!

      1. He looked so happy and content to just let go and play for a bit! I need to follow his example.

  32. Hi Brandy
    Thanks for sharing your goals with us. Great photo too, I love to see women wearing hats.
    My goals for 2022 ( in no particular order)
    Swim in the sea at least once a week and preferably more. (Yes it’s cold in the UK but it gives such a buzz and is so good for me).
    Cook more vegetable based meals and eat less meat but better quality meat.
    Keep up with the mending
    Finish the redecoration of our sitting room and a guest bedroom, sew cushion covers, hang existing pictures etc
    Arrange removal or sale of excess furniture in the house
    Help my husband in the garden more
    Have another year of not buying cut flowers but picking from the garden all year round. This year I only bought one bunch of flowers at Christmas to help fill out my table centerpiece
    Keep moving towards less waste, more sustainable purchasing and consumption, replacing single use items, reducing plastics etc.
    Talk less and listen more.
    Looking forward to sharing 2022 with you and all your lovely readers.

  33. My goals for 2022 include (and not necessarily in priority):
    -Continue to exercise my body. Walking/aerobic activity 6 days a week for 30 minutes, and yoga/weight lifting 6 days a week.
    -Eliminate food waste. I am really good for a while, but then it creeps up on me. I think the key for me is to cook less, eat more leftovers, and put more time between grocery trips.
    -Try to spend 2 hours a day working on my art (as I can)
    -Declutter a little each day
    -Find worthy charities to donate money to each month
    -Have simple dinner parties more frequently.
    -Maintain the good habits that I already have (reading, knitting, service, temple worship, scripture study, cleaning up after myself)

  34. I’ve decided to break down the year into 4 month groupings as this works well with the weather here so changes will fall into line more easily.
    For January through April the goals are:
    .Finish paying off the small CC – should be done by the end of February
    .Get taxes sorted for this year
    .Save even a small amount each month for anticipated expenses – I have made a list of things & have set up saving envelopes for each category
    .Lose at least 30 pounds by lowering carbs, going back to intermittent fasting and upping my daily exercise
    .To keep meals from becoming boring I am determined to try out new recipes – especially more vegetarian ones
    .Finish the paper purge! I made really good progress last year but it’s still not quite finished
    .Read more non-fiction – listen to the Great Courses lectures that I have on streaming
    .Continue to reach out to friends (it can become easy after 2 years to let things drift but I am determined to keep up with people)

    Since we are just waiting for some announcements from our premier about going back into a bit more of a lockdown it looks as though I will be back to WFH for at least January. Since I can set my own schedule I will work some of these goals into my daily schedule to help break up the day and keep me focussed.

    I am trying to be more of an optimist (rather than being just my natural pragmatist) so that as more friends seem to falter I can be there for them. I think that being a natural introvert who loves her small apt. has made it easier for me to adjust during the pandemic and my mental health is still fairly good so if I can be a good listener for others then that is a blessing.

    I acknowledge that these are “goals” and that I may not make all of them but I think it’s good to have something to focus on and to work towards.

    Happy New Year everyone and Good Luck to us all in these endeavours!

  35. 2022 Goals

    *Sew curtains for the living room
    *Sew a window seat cushion
    *Increase savings
    *Continue learning piano
    *Continue learning to play tennis
    *Lose the Covid weight with consistent healthy eating
    *Remain regular with workouts
    *Take vitamins daily
    *Update our will and create a living trust
    *Weekly Bible study through church
    *Home improvements including flooring, baseboards and a new door.
    *Transition son to adult/college life next fall

  36. For 2022:

    *Pay off our house
    *Plant 4 more asparagus plants. (My old bed is slowing down, by the time my new bed is producing well I can plow under the old. I planted 4 plant starts last year.)
    *Continue with my garden- harvesting, canning, freezing, and dehydrating to decrease food costs.
    *Hand make at least 50% of my gifts for Bdays this year and for Christmas next year
    *Make scrapbooks for the last 2 years for 3 of my grandchildren. I do 2 years at a time and only pictures I take. They get them on their Bdays. I do 3 one year and 2 the next. This is the tough year with 3, due in May and 2 in September. I have started.
    *Volunteer more at church and several non profits we support
    *See my dad weekly (he is in a Nursing Home 1 and a half hours away
    *Like everyone else declutter, use up what I can and donate the rest. If I haven’t used it in a year I probably won’t!

  37. My list is not as written out as yours but in terms of organization I read something that stuck with me recently about organizing ‘inside spaces’. That if your open and flat spaces are cluttered, it may be because your ‘hidden’ and ‘inside’ spaces of closets, drawers, and cabinets are disorganized or full not allowing more to come into them. I decided to start small with our bathroom vanity. I will do this in several areas that are full and could use some cleaning and purging. I hope to have a more organized and less stressful home in the coming months.

    Wishing you a happy new year Brandy!

    1. I LOVE this! I really want to start with a drawer but there are a couple of larger things that I have been thinking about starting. Such a great point. If there’s nowhere to put stuff, it spills over.

  38. I pretty much have similar goals each year, but there are a few different ones…
    1. I want to grow another huge garden. As always, I’d love to keep the weeds out during the end of the summer—I’m not sure it that’s ever going to happen, but I’d like it to! By that time, I’m canning so much it’s hard to find time to weed.
    2. I want to preserve as much food as I can from our garden, and any other produce I can find from other people for free, and then buy the small amount I still need from local farmers.
    3. I want to use as much home-canned and preserved food as I can. I want to buy in bulk and on sale for the rest. I’d like to keep my grocery budget the same this next year, even though food prices are rising.
    4. I’m going to teach Sunday school this next year for the first time in quite a few years. I realized I really missed working in that area at church after a break of about 6 years, so I was actually excited when I heard another teacher was needed to assist in the 3rd and 4th grade class.
    5. I want to continue reading the Old Testament in-between other Bible reading/study. I’m just reading along when I get the time, because it’s not the part of the Bible I often read. I’ll keep it up until I’m done, but am putting myself under no pressure or timeline.
    6. I’d like to plan a small get-away with my husband in the fall, as it is our 40th anniversary this year.
    7. I want to continue working on my blood sugar HBA1c numbers. This includes more exercise, low-carb eating, and managing my insulin pump. (I’m a type 1, so my body doesn’t make insulin at all.). My numbers are very good right now, but I’ve been working extremely hard at it, and don’t want to stop and get lazy about it because that’s when the numbers creep up…
    8. I want to organize gifts better this year. As with many of you, with a large family and extended family, it can be overwhelming to get it all together if I wait too long. I’d like to do more home-crafted gifts this year–last year, I didn’t get the time to make as much as sometimes, due to the grandsons. (one is now 18 months and the other 6 months–busy year!)
    9. I’d like to make a couple of baby quilts for special people who are expecting. Since I’m not Gardenpat:), it takes me a LONG time to make one, so I’d best get started on that goal!
    10. Last, but not least, for this list…I want to spend every moment I can with the above mentioned babies, while they are still babies:)

  39. I’m super late to this game, but this year we are both opting to eat healthier and be more consistent about taking our vitamins and supplements.

    This year we are trying to do a “no buy” on certain items. We tend to have a habit of buying whatever we want, whenever we want, and we end up with WAY too much stuff and repeats. We hit a couple of exceptional store-closing sales last summer and ended up with a huge surplus of some items because they were so cheap. We also have a habit of shopping when we are bored. We each made a list of items we are going to avoid purchasing this year. This includes things like cosmetics (my hobby/fun items), knives/pocket knives (husband’s hobby/fun item), clothing and shoes for both of us, bar soaps & lip balms (one of the store-closing deals), shaving soaps/blades, and a few other household things. It may sound silly, but it will end up saving us money, working on our discipline, and we will work through some of our surplus of the items and focus on buying items we actually need.

  40. Love this post! Beautiful photo Brandy and great goals.

    My goals for 2022 are having a no spend year. That is, only buying groceries and necessities. So no shoes, clothes etc. No entertainment costs, except camping, the local public/county pool and theatre tickets to The Nutcracker in December (annual Christmas tradition).

    Decluttering has been great, so much out the door and I have one cupboard, with two shelves remaining. I sold some surplus stock in my present cupboard, getting 50% or more profits. I’m now happy with the stock I have. My present budget this year is a total of $150, which includes birthdays and Christmas.

    I’ve also intentionally chosen to invite less people to my house for a visit/meal for many reasons. This was a difficult but liberating decision. Today, we met friends for a bike ride, play at the park and morning tea at the park (I took slices of homemade quiche to share and for myself a thermos of tea).

    Another goal is to slow down as my life is very busy at all times. I, like Brandy, want to have more of our meals outside. We started this yesterday by having dinner on our veranda then the children had a water fight (it’s a hot, humid and tropical summer here and more daylight hours).

    I want to continue growing mandarins, lemon, basil, rosemary, tomatoes, pumpkin, capsicum (peppers), pineapple and whatever else may come up when we bury the fruit and vegetable scraps in the garden.

    Lastly, I want to do the above money related things to achieve a two year financial goal to be realised at the end of 2023.

  41. Brandy,
    Love your photo- you look great!
    Some of my goals for the new year are to re-do my newest veggie/flower bed. Unfortunately, we are having flooding rains and the water has destroyed my raised bed so I will have to re-do that bed come spring. I hope to spend more time at our beach cabin and actually walking the beach. It seems other things always get in the way of this and my husband’s goal for this year is to do more lake fishing which is no where near the beach so we have conflicting desires and I might just go to the cabin by myself while he is off fishing. I hope to spend more time playing with my grandson and going on a few nearby adventures with him. I have a goal to play more games of pickleball with my family. I got a new paddle for Christmas so I am anxious to try it out. Finally, I will stay on top of our finances and save as much money as possible with the hopes of retiring in the next couple years.
    I fully realize 2022 might be another year of having to be very flexible with my plans and not get discouraged if things outside of our control mean we have to change and adjust.

  42. My goals for 2022 are to be a better steward of the resources I already have and to spend more time outside in nature.
    Wishing everyone a peaceful and productive new year !

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