Another New year, another bunch of unfulfilled resolutions, right?

I am 37 years old.
I have made resolutions each new year for just about 25 of those years.
One year, I think it was like 1997, I actually made a checklist and I actually STUCK to and CHECKED off every one of those resolutions.
Alas, that was before I was a Wife and Mother and business owner, and everything else I am in between.
Lets face it, sticking to your goals is hard.
One year, a coworker, Jason and I wrote down 100 things we would accomplish in 1 year and we shared our lists...and ya know what...I accomplished MOST of it.
So basically, 2 out of 25 years, I have stuck to the proverbial resolution list and won.
But this year, I thought, what the heck, why not go for 3. It is a charm, right?

So, here it is January 13th, 2 weeks into the new year, and I am ready to share my "resolutions" with whoever reads this...maybe just my mom, or aunt, or cousin Amanda, and Val ( she stalks me...lol!)
But, here it is, none the less.

It isnt really a list per say, as much as it is a new year realizations compilation.

I waste $ on crap, er crafts really. Yep, me, the girl who gives so many others money saving advice and sticks to a budget.  NOPE, turns out, I dont!  I went to Michaels twice so far this year, and I have spent approximately $65 on well....nothing ....crafts that I have good intentions on doing, and well, I dont.
It gets worse. I wrote down my spending on an index card. I spent nearly $45 on bagels and burritos and fruit and nut salads. So, I wrote an eye opening, truth be told list to myself, based on these "realizations". And I made notes as to how I was going to change it. It goes a lil something like this: A: I LOVE lottery tickets. I walk out the door with $5 extra change at the grocery store and I spend it on scratch offs.  If I do that 5 times a month, I waste $25 on the lottery, which has yet to make me a big winner!  B: I am an uneccessary clearance buyer. Last week, I bought 20 Reindeer pez dispensers, because they dont go bad and I will give them to Audreys classmates next year. You're laughing right?! C:  If I have a coupon for Gymboree, I HAVE to use it. I have $25 Gymbucks waiting to buy $50 worth of stuff this week. My kid could go 4 months without wearing the same outfit, so what am I buying it for? Because, its Gymboree, and I cant afford their stuff when I dont have a coupon! BUT, Audrey cant wear two outfits a day. D:  I need yardsalers anonymous.  I guesstimate that I spent $500 on yardsale stuff last year. I love it, its exciting to me...many of those things were in my yardsale in October.  E:  I LOVE catalog parties because I love friends. So I host one to see my friends and get free stuff...and then I spend another $100 on the other stuff I didnt get for free. F:  My guesstimate on K Cups @ $6.99 on sale for 4 weeks a month. I bet I spend $35 a month on K Cups.  I need to drink coffee out of the pot more often! G: I have GAS ASS( pardon my bad word) I need to group my errand running and I ALWAYS have to be on the go...what's that spell???  A full tank of gas in a Silverado with the gas point discount $75! Whew! So I am planning better with errands and visits and client runs, etc... a schedule.  H: Applesauce costs $1.49 for 6. It costs $2.49 for 4 for the drinkable kind! What am I saying, easy and cheap is more expensive. I:  I use my freezer alot....the problem, the food I buy gets pushed to the back behind the food that I use, and I waste great meals because the ingredients get freezer burn...what does this mean??? This week, I went thru what I HAD before I went to the grocery store. I spent $37. Most weeks, I spend $125, and if I hadn't have stopped and built meals around my current ingredients, I would have spent the $125 again! I also waste by not freezing the leftovers for a following week or two. I forget them in the fridge and then viola....yuck! AND last on this list, but goodness knows there is so much more J:  BIG IDEAS: Lets see, the garden, the pool, the bike stroller...yeah, they are just a few of my BIG IDEAS...guess what? The pool doesnt work on a slanted yard, splash and spill, right down the back hill, the garden managed to yield 6 zucchinis and 2 tomatoes....and I dont even want to think of what I spent on setting up the 20 some plants. ALTHOUGH, I did like the garden. The Bike Stroller, $50 , for the beach. 1 trip and screaming later and the kid weighs 45 lbs....have you ever tried to pedal a bike with a 45 lb kid and 10 lb stroller attached. Well, good for you Lance Armstrong. These chubby thighs cannot do it!
So what do I plan to do to fix this?
I already had a FAMILY budget in place...but if the bills were paid and we could still do everything we like, I dont follow it.  HOW TO FIX THIS IS EASY. I make the budget a DAILY chore for myself. AND GUESS WHAT? The BUDGET IS the FIX to all of this...well that AND a simple INDEX CARD.
I carry it around like a cell phone, always at my reach.  Both of those things and a whole lot of HONESTY with myself.  If I buy it, I have to write it down....yes, even the $200 Disney on Ice Tickets! If I write it down, I have to type it into the budget. EYE OPENING...IT IS!

So really my resolutions are all tied to one BIG CHANGE( no pun intended) that I have just noted.
What does this change provide to me:
1.  Better Health( Eating out or eating at home...you do the math) Eating healthy, less eating fast food
2.  Family Dinner/More Quality Time. Make a point to make a menu and sit down with my husband and kid.
3.  More $ into Savings and Jims 401 K, BIG THINGS: I want to pay for my kid to go to college before college starts and I dont want to have to work everyday til I die.
4.  Simplify Everday, less running and more reading, more time on the playground and less time in the car. This is perhaps my biggest struggle.  I like to Go Go GO.  But ya know what I realized as of late. My kid likes me to play puzzles and practice letters with her and we dont have to go anywhere other than the living room hassock to do that.
5. BUDGET my own time more, I love everyone, but I dont need to know what they are doing 24/7.  So, I am going to try to limit my FB time to 30 minutes each day, 10 min morning, noon and night. AND, I have created a schedule for my business. I have to say NO and refer when its not on my schedule.

I am looking forward to this being 3 times a charm.
Realizations and Resolutions.