Thrifty Resolutions for 2010
>> 1.04.2010
The compulsive planner in me thoroughly enjoyed reading through all of the resolution posts scattered throughout my Google Reader last week. That flood of determination and motivation through the blogosphere didn’t quite get me on top of my own sharing post, but seeing that my 2010 calendar is already hanging up on my wall, I’d say it’s about time to share my own resolutions.
Last year I took the plunge on one giant resolution that I knew would take a lot of focus to complete, but now that I’ve tackled that monster I’m feeling the confidence to tack on a few extra tasks.
With the final sunset, my Project 365 for 2009 was over.
My Thrifty Resolutions for 2010:
*Solve the great coupon conundrum
I shared, you advised… but now it’s time to take action on the crazy mess-o-coupons that I currently call my wallet. I’m going to try all of the ideas you gave me back in this post and hopefully get some organization back!
*Sign up for a rewards program
I’m ashamed that I’ve been missing out on this for so long. Currently, I get absolutely nothing for spending on my credit card (unlike Nate who gets hundreds of dollars towards his REI purchases each year). I don’t plan on collecting credit card debt, just earning the rewards while paying off the balances. I’ll keep you posted on which card I end up going with.
*Spend less on the house and more on school
With 2010 comes a (hopeful) entry back into school to get my master’s degree. In order to be able to pay this off in cash, I’ll need to cut back on all of these house projects I have on my hands. Lucky for you, this will mean I’ll be sharing even more DIY and money saving tips :).
Let's hope for fewer messes in 2010!
… and because I’ve never been one to settle for easily attainable goals…
*The 2010 Ten Party Project
Now that I’ve conquered Project 365, I need one more giant task to occupy my time with! The Ten Party Project will be just as it sounds: I’ll host ten parties in 2010. The parties will range from small dinners to a giant New Year’s bash. All will have similar set-ups including: invitations, an activity, food, décor, and budget. I’ll recap (and sometimes plan) them here on the blog with full budget breakdowns.
My goal with this project is to become a more confident hostess while finding motivation to whip my house into shape. For a person who has only hosted one or two parties in her life, I’m sure that hosting an average of one per month will be a huge adjustment! I’m up for the challenge though… and did I mention that I’ve already planned a party for Thursday?
Now I'll have something to do with all of these napkin rings and matching napkin sets I keep bringing home from garage sales!
Q. Will I continue my Project 365 into the new year?
Well, I haven't decided that one yet. I'm continuing to take my camera everywhere I go and taking pictures as I find them. We'll just have to see if inspiration continues to strike for the next 361...
Nate and I did make a point to get up for the sunrise on day 1...
Did anyone else infuse a little thriftiness into their New Year’s resolutions for 2010? Did you decide to do Project 365 (if so, comment with your blog's link so that I can follow your progress!)?
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28 comments:
@Kate~ My house isn't quite party-worthy right now, but I'm just going to go for it! If I wait for all of my furniture to be refinished, trim painted, and chairs recovered... I'll never have anyone over :).
Thanks for the tip on the card, I'll look into it!
Kasey- great resolutions. And I feel ya on not waiting for your house to be perfect to have people over. And anyway, how can they appreciate the "after" if they never saw the "before" and "during"? And here's a secret- you actually motivated me just the bit more that I needed to sign up for the Big Sur Marathon. If you can blog, fix up a house, entertain friends and a bf, AND train, then I can do it too!
The Ten Party Project is such a great idea! I've also been wanting to host more parties and small get-togethers at my place. I am not sure I could commit to so many though! Good luck on Thursday :)
I love the 10 Party Project Resolution - so great!
Also, I do the same thing re: credit card rewards, I have a capital one card (no blackout dates for travel) but you can also get giftcards (home depot, macys, best buy, etc.) and numerous other things. It also has no annual fee. I've found that these cards usually have higher interest rates but if you pay off the balance each month it doesn't really matter!
@Jamie Lee~ I’m looking at studying the organizational side of software programs and websites. It’s basically an extension of what I do right now. My hope is to one day work as a freelance consultant from home and/ or start my own business. (Exciting, I know ;) )
great resolutions - love the idea of hosting more parties, I've been tackling that one slowly including an upcoming super bowl party. For a credit card, I'd recommend the Discover More Cash Back card - my bf and I got this to use for all of our big furniture purchases and other joint purchases and the cash we earn is really piling up. My personal one is an Amazon Visa - its fun to get $25 amazon gift cards every once in awhile!
http://lydiasnextstep.blogspot.com/2009/05/moving-on-up-splitting-bill.html
I'm currently taking on Project 365 and posting my picture of the day (as well as other inspirations) on my blog everyday! I'd love some encouragement from someone who has been through it...I think it's such a great idea and has been so fun so far. Here is my blog...
www.honeyandthemoondesign.blogspot.com
I also love your idea of hosting the 10 parties...maybe I'll steal this resolution for next year ;)
Also, the rewards program..my husband and I do it with our debit card from Chase. It's really great..we recently cashed in our points and rewarded ourselves with several gift cards to our favorite stores. :)
oh my gosh! what an AWESOME project! i can't wait to hear all about it!
in our early married days, the hubby and i were constantly hosting little get-togethers, but we've totally slacked off in the last few years. in fact, for the last 6 months we've been saying we're going to do a brunch, but never get around to it...can't wait to be inspired by all your soirees!!!
what a great idea Kasey! I dont know if I am ready for it but I may try to attempt it myself. Ooh I am afraid to commit to it though. I think I will commit to 5 partys for now and then try to go for ten.
I love your party project idea! Hopefully you'll receive some nifty hostess gifts throughout the year, too. Will each party have its specific theme?
For Christmas we received a fancy schmancy waffle maker and I thought about hosting a 'breakfast for dinner' party. Oh, the lil wannabe Martha Stewart in me is going nuts right now!
@Dolores~ I'm still in the brainstorming process, but my hopes are that my parties become more elaborate as I gain experience and inspiration. To be honest, some of the themes might just come from a great deal I score or thrift store find I have crammed in a box somewhere :).
For Thursday, the theme is simple: watching our old college football team win another national championship! (I'm for Texas)
I'm doing the picture-a-day this year. I have a feeling a lot of the pictures are going to be of our bathroom remodel :) And last night I got up, after I went to bed, to take my picture of the day (since I forgot) of my shiny sink. One of my goals for every night before I go to bed.
Great goal with the parties. Not technically a party but my housemates and I use to have a themed dinner about once a month - we'd find recipes, head to the markets for ingredients etc and then play matching music (ie. bollywood numbers for indian night) and match drinks where possible. Most of our music came from the local library.
Re photos - I'm blogging a weeks worth in review each Sunday. Also participating in this little challnge - http://www.photochallenge.org/2009/12/2010-challenge/ Maybe as that isn't 365 but is thematic, you might enjoy?
Funny that you are talking about the rewards program - I had a post written up about that very thing that I finished up today. I am all about rewards, otherwise, there is no real purpose to using credit cards other than convenience of not having to carry around cash or worry about debit withdrawal limits.
Kasey, get a rewards card right now! I love my Discover card, you get lots of options for using your reward dollars, and you earn them pretty fast. Too fast, in my case....if you check out my newest post you'll see what I mean! haha
Having more parties is a great resolution! We need to have people over more too. Looking forward to more thrifty tips in '10!
I love the idea of hosting 10 parties throughout the year! Where did you get that idea? Original to you, or found somewhere else?
Keep up the great posts in 2010!
This was my first year hosting Christmas Eve and I was really into it. The only part I didn't really do so well, was having too much food. Next year, I will need to do less food. lol. Great plan!
I like the idea of 2010 Ten Party resolution and one of these years might have to give that a try.
I was inspired by your 365 Day A Picture A Day commitment and I did start a new blog at http://kmom14.wordpress.com/. Even flipping back over the past few days it has made me realize that my world revolves around my son, shopping, cooking and crafting and will have to see about expanding my boundries, like maybe shopping at the mall instead of department stores and eating out instead of cooking. Just kidding; I am going to try to do a new to me recipe and do something creative every week.
My thrifty, I have made a 2 month pledge not to buy any "new" clothes but update the ones I have or work from my fabric stash.
Thanks everyone for sharing your favorite rewards cards! I'm looking into all of them to find the one that works best for my lifestyle :).
@Liz~ I got the idea from my general goal of entertaining. I started with '12 Party Project,' but decided '10 for 2010' sounded better (and gave me more wiggle room).
@Christina~ Funny you mention a big pot of soup... it's already on the menu for Thursday!
I love party planning, this is why I work in an event organizer :) good luck for the project!
ps. just read your comment and I'm so excited if you wanna join Project Barbie. Can't wait for your picture in pink dress on February 3rd :)
I love your party resolution - that is a wonderful idea! I can't wait to see how they all turn out! :) Also - couponing has COMPLETELY changed the way we save money and make everyday purchases. There are so many blogs out there to assist with couponing and a thousand ways to organize - I know you'll find the perfect system for YOU!
Ok, here's one more. I normally don't post much on blogs, but I have this idea I'm working on that I HAVE to tell someone about, and where my hubby won't find out (like on facebook)
I'm trying harder to do more thrifty shopping, esp w/ groceries, and then will be "siphoning" about $10 out a week from the debit card and stashing it away so that when Wicked comes to either Seattle or Portland, I can surprise him with tickets, and hopefully a night away from the kiddos.
Whaddya think?
I did decide to do a Project 365... all because of your post. I also got my best friend back in MI to do it as well!!!
My photo blog is http://www.jenniferrearicksphotoaday.blogspot.com
And my personal blog is
http://www.therearickfamily.blogspot.com
@Steph~ Oooh, I love it! You have no clue how much I want to see Wicked! I bet your hubby will love it even more when you let him know that it was semi-free (or at least didnt' come out of the monthly budget)!!
I'm loving visiting all of the new 365er's blogs out there. Thanks for sharing with me :)!!
What a GREAT idea to have 10 parties over the year. One of the first parties my husband and I had in our new house was a Christmas party for 75 people! Hectic, yes, but boy did I learn a lot. One of the biggest things I've learned over the years is that the party's mood is set by the hostess and that something will always go wrong. Laugh it off and enjoy yourself.
I'm a few weeks late on the credit card suggestion, but my wife and I have one through PNC Bank co-branded with Entertainment.com. It offers 4% back on gas and 2% back on groceries and restaurants, which is where most of our money goes, anyhow. Every 3-4 months, we get a check for 100 dollars attached to our statement. Pretty sweet deal.
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