New Year, New Resolutions

I always still think of September as the start to a new year more so than January 1st. After all those years of a new school year starting in the fall, that time of year feels like a fresh start more so than the beginning of a new calendar does. 

But in the spirit of new beginnings, I wanted to force myself to get some plans for the new year down on paper to hold myself accountable. This year I am going to forgo the typical resolutions (eat healthier, work out) and in favor of some more personal motivations. Its widely known that most people can't hold more than a few ideas in their mind at a time, so I am going to focus this list to only a few items, in the hopes that they are then more likely to be remembered and fulfilled.

I have way too much stuff. Point blank. It has become increasingly apparent to me now that I live in a small studio apartment and I hate it. I use only half of the items I own, so why am I holding onto the rest? This is the year that I am going to really clean out a bunch of the miscellaneous crap. I am pretty good with cleaning out my closet but I want to extend this to the rest of my belongings. I plan on picking up this book, to encourage myself along!

With so much noise these days around food, weight loss, healthy eating and the various diets, detoxes and methods that come with them, it can be overwhelming to even know where to start. Rather than go for some fad plan, this year I want to focus on 'holistic' health. To instead think about eating for energy, long-term health and system balance. I love food way too much to deprive myself, but I could stand to get some more balance in my eating life, between the good-for-you foods and the just plain tasty foods. I love the ethos behind Simple Green Smoothies, am excited to try some recipes from Eat Pretty and look forward to using more of my juicer!

I have struggled to keep my skin looking good for a long time, and I finally feel like I have found some products that really work. As I'm sure we have all read before, the key to getting results from skin products is routine and consistency. I want to continue my diligence as I know it will pay off in the long term with clearer skin and less wrinkles. Another resolution of mine is to wear sunscreen everyday. In the past I have primarily only worn sunscreen at the beach or somewhere very sunny, but I know that needs to change. As a Kiehl's devotee, I plan to continue my routine of my favorite products, all of which I highly recommend - this toner, this moisturizer, this serum and this spot treatment.

 I have been historically bad about keeping up with haircuts. Usually I only get them twice a year, at most (!). However this year, I not only want to get my ends cut more regularly, but I want to be better about deep conditioning and home treatments. I would love to try a simple at home hair mask, like this one or one of these. I also need to get my s'ombre (subtle ombre) touched up and I am planning to bring some inspiration from this photo and this photo.

 

Oh 'the save' more goal - so simple to say yet so hard to enact. Now that I am done school and finally have an income again, I am planning to get a little more serious with my saving. As with healthy eating, it is all about the balance. Any spend diet devoid of indulgence will only result in a shopping binge. I also was recently checking out this list and it has some great ideas to save some extra cash.

I signed up for Digit this year and have loved using it to save some extra cash. You sync up your bank account with Digit and set a weekly limit. Any time you spend under the limit, Digit moves the difference to a separate account. Its crazy how fast the money adds up without you even knowing. It's a great way to trick yourself into saving. Try it out for yourself here!