I appreciate Crystal encouraging us to share our goals for this year, and I have many, so I thought I’d share them as well. This year, I feel, is going to be particularly tough. I have been feeling the need to really start preparing for the worst; here are some of my goals with that in mind for this year:

• Settling debt: When we were forced to close our business this past August, we were left with a ton of debt as a result. Without the business’ income to help pay the loans, we were suddenly unable to pay the high rates, and were falling behind fast. Our debt payments were over $400/mo. WAY too much for us! I tried all I could to work with the banks to negotiate a better rate or a payoff amount, but they were unmoving. Our interest rate was 18%! OUCH!! So, we decided to pay off the debt with a home equity line with an interest rate of 2%! So now, instead of our payments being $408/mo, we are paying $40/mo. Much, much better! So now, the only debt we have is on our home. Though a little more now, much more manageable.

• Start my very first garden. You can read all that I’ve accomplished so far here!

• Publish a Christian Children’s Book that I’ve been working on for almost 2 years! I’ve actually had it ready and waiting. I just need to find a good illustrator now…

• Reducing our power bill. Currently it’s over $200/mo! I’m sure there are things that we can do to knock that down. I know it’s winter and all, but that’s crazy! My goal is to get it under $100/mo.

• Get some farm animals. If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m fascinated with homesteading and living self sufficiently (if you’re interested in this kind of stuff, you need to be reading my series: The True Queen of Frugal: Lessons from Butterberry Farm). One of my goals is to begin acquiring some useful animals around the house. I’d like rabbits, chickens, maybe goats, a milk cow, and maybe a pig… maybe. I’m hoping to have at least one of these by the end of the year.

• Plant fruit trees.

• Make my own cloth baby wipes, and perhaps try the Family Cloth idea.

• Make my home safer: adding fire extinguishers, a driveway alarm, teaching my kids fire safety, preparing an emergency kit, etc.

• Stocking an Emergency Pantry with six months to a year’s worth of canned goods, flour, sugar, etc. Including learning to can, dry, and freeze my garden’s produce for storage.

• Learning to sew. Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

• Fix up our single wide and get it rented out. This would help bring in some much needed extra income.

• Investing for my kids. If you missed it, read more about how I’ve started investing HERE.

• Sell unnecessary items. We have lots of yard sale things boxed up and ready to go, but also lots of inventory and such leftover from the business. I am hoping to liquidate everything in order to put away some money in an emergency fund.

• Make a will. I’ve been really needing to do this for years. I really need to make a will, for the children’s sake.

Well, that’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure that I’ll think of more to add later. It will be good for me to have this all written down, so that I can come back to it throughout the year to remind myself of things I may have missed. I am really hoping to accomplish all of these things and more. Prayerfully, diligently, and maybe even a little naively at times. But I am determined to do my best!