5 SIMPLE RESOLUTIONS for 2016

It's that time again....a new year with new resolutions.  How many of us actually accomplished all of our resolutions from last year?  I know I didn't.  But this year I have a plan!  FIVE SIMPLE, yet life changing, resolutions!  Each of the 5 resolutions is simple and straightforward  so they should be easier to follow through with, right?  Well, hopefully! But the real plan is that they become lifetime habits that I eventually don't even have to think about!

​Health

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​1. Eat Whole Foods - this is not a diet but if done properly should lead to losing weight and feeling more energetic.  Eating whole foods means exactly that: eating fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats instead of anything that is processed.  If the foods are all organic, then even better!  If the food required some sort of processing in a plant and has ingredients added for whatever reason, then it is OUT!  Need some help with this?  Then check out the following site:

• Five Foods You Should Never Eat - this is an excellent informative video by a nutritionist about why diets don't work and why eating whole foods does work.  Of course it goes into 5 foods everyone thinks are healthy, but really aren't.  The video is a little long and the goal is to get you to buy into their program at the end, but the information and inspiration makes it well worth watching!

2. Exercise - Five minutes a day is all that's needed to get started and it can be simple like walking to the store instead of driving!

• Check out 4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit.  They share a simple, and painless way, to get started now.  I started today!

​Family

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3. More Quality Family Time - are you usually too busy for your spouse, children, or even your parents or siblings?  Then make time for them before it is too late!  It doesn't have to cost anything either!  You can simply make a plan to do something for 1-3 hours each week.  It can be as simple as playing a game like monopoly, or going for a nature walk at the local park.  The idea is to make it a priority and schedule it in if you have to!  

• Read How to Make Quality Family Time a Priority.  The article shares many great points about why and how to do this!
• Check out my Pinterest Page Inexpensive Fun for great ideas for spending quality time with anyone in your family this year!

​Household

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4. Organize - get the house in order!  This will make everything so much simpler this year.  It makes it easier to clean, takes less time to find what you need (Don't you hate searching for something?), and of course frees up quality time to spend with your family!

• Check out The Household Organization Diet - this gives a list of 15 minute per day tasks toward cleaning, organizing, and decluttering your home in just 31 total days.  It was created for 2015, however I am pretty sure it will also work for 2016!
• Check out How to Become a Minimalist - yes, this is the new "buzz word" however, I think it is a great one and I truly live by it as much as I can. Why?  Because I believe in it.  I believe that too much stuff leads to stress (must protect and take care of that stuff), less time for other things (stuff must be organized, cleaned, and have other stuff to supplement it)....etc.  I think you get the picture!  You don't have to go to extremes, however less stuff = simpler life with more time for your family!  Not to mention you can save a lot of money....
• Check out our Pinterest Home Organization Page for more ideas!

​Financial

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5. Grow Your Savings - even if you have debt, it is important to have some money in a savings account.  Having money saved makes me feel protected in case of emergency like when our stove blew up last year.  I usually set a certain goal to reach each year. I don't always meet it, but it helps!

• Check out How to Grow Your Savings for basic steps to getting started.  
• Check out The Budget Diet - How to Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month - not all of these will work for everyone (For example where I live there is only one electric company.) however there are some great ideas that will definitely  help you to get money in the bank!
• For more ideas on how to save check out our Pinterest Board Household Debt/Budget.

I wish you and your family a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Thank you for visiting :-)