The Frugal Bookworm: Staring Down 30

Twenty-ten—2010. It’s a New Year, and 2010 has special significance. At the end of January, I’ll hit the big 3-0! I also like to describe it as “the first anniversary of my 29^th birthday”. For so many people, turning thirty is a death sentence milestone. I have that typical mixture of dread and excitement. I don’t feel like I’m near 30…I don’t feel a day over 25! With it being 2010, or “twenty-ten” as many describe it, and my looming birthday, I’m emphasizing the significance of the number 30 this year. You’ll see a lot of blogs focused on the number thirty this year, from tips to goals and lists of projects.

With the theme of 30, I thought 30 New Years’ Resolutions might be a little overwhelming. Ten resolutions seem more manageable, and I will revisit these goals each month to let you know my progress. My financial goals will be another blog entry.

1. Clean out and organize closet!

With the snow and days off from work this week, I was able to accomplish this task within two or three days.

2. Get the Frugal Bookworm blog back up and running.

I think we’re making progress on this, don’t you?

3. Start history blog this year.

I hope by late spring / early summer to have this blog up and going. I want to have a blog that is a resource for history teachers, as well as for homeschool moms, and I’ll be sharing and selling some of my own teacher-created materials.

4. Finish all craft projects in progress (30 projects for 2010).

I’ll be sharing this list in a future blog entry! I already have one major project finished, and two more on the knitting needles.

5. Read 30 books in 2010.

I have named 2010 as the year of biographies. I just started with Anne Somerset’s biography of Elizabeth I, one of my favorite historical figures. Stay tuned for short reviews of each of the biographies I read!

6. Lose 30 pounds in 2010.

This is a health goal I intend to accomplish in 2010, and it will get me very close to my goal weight. I’ll keep you posted on my progress! I will warn you, however, I’m not exactly going about this frugally, as my family and I are sticking with the Jenny Craig program.

7. Start exercising at least 30 minutes a week.

I know I should exercise 30 minutes at least three times a week, as doctors recommend. Fitting that into my schedule, however, is a problem. This is a resolution I intended to change as the year goes forward. Maybe by the end of 2010, we’ll see that moved up to 30 minutes three times a week!

8. Complete the couch potato to 5k program and run my first 5k.

This program requires an hour a week, so it will accomplish resolution number 7. And thankfully, I have a wonderful friend, Whitney, who has promised to run my first 5k with me. Now I’m waiting for the snow to melt so it’s safe enough to run outside! I might also be bribing my dad to help me move the treadmill back into the house too!

9. Finish what you start!

This will be a goal that’s very hard to measure! I have a bad tendency to start books or start craft projects and then lose focus. Many of the 30 books and 30 craft projects will be finishing things I’ve already started. I’ve decided to start journaling again this year as well, and I’ll be keeping a journal that I started nearly five years ago! I hope that many of my blogging buddies will help keep me focused as I journey through 2010.

10. Make my health a top priority!

This is another resolution that will be hard to measure. I get caught up in work, so I tend to make myself and “me time” less of a priority. I’m going to make a checklist of things I can do weekly and monthly to try to make myself a little more of a priority.

Stay tuned for more as I keep you updated about my New Years’ Resolutions and the different ways I plan to attack them! What are your resolutions for 2010? How do you plan to attack your resolutions?