Amanda and Patrick

Today’s Resolution: Turn the Tables

Today's Resolution: Turn the Tables

Need a change in scenery? You don’t even have to leave your home. Try rearranging a piece of furniture or two for a different perspective.  Move a sofa, change the direction of your bed, or relocate some lamps. It won’t take much movement to give your place a fresh look. Caution: This may require a little cleaning too if you have not vacuumed under the sofa in a while!

Today’s Resolution: Simmer Sweet Smells

Creating a subtle scent in your home can be as close as your lunch. Save orange rinds and apple skins, and place in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. When you have enough to cover the bottom of a small saucepan, add water, cinnamon sticks and simmer for an aromatic scent. Experiment with different fruits and spices. If all else fails, bake some chocolate chip cookies!

Today’s Resolution: Reach for the Stars (or Your Toes!)

Even if you can’t exercise each day, a good stretch will go a long way. Spend 2-3 minutes at various points during the day to stretch those muscles. If you are sitting at a desk, raise your hands above your head and reach as high as you can. Lift both legs and flex your toes. Hold that position for 30 seconds and relax. Try rotating wrists and ankles periodically. Standing? See if you can touch your toes or place the palms of your hands on the ground with straight legs. Try to make progress with flexibility each day.

Today’s Resolution: Put It in the Bag

Give some new life to your overnight bags, travel bags, and sports bags with a whiff of freshness. Before you tuck them away into a closet, add a small sachet or some potpourri to keep them from smelling musty or like the last hotel you stayed in. If you have a favorite athletic bag that is used regularly, it might need a good “airing” outside!

Today’s Resolution: Be a Calendar Curator

Too many things to keep track of? Many people take advantage of electronic calendars and organizers (Blackberry Butlers) to sort out the day’s activities. Sometimes an old fashioned oversized blank desk calendar can provide universal access in a household to everyone’s appointments, meetings, and activities. Put it on the refrigerator or tack it to a convenient bulletin board. Even if you live alone, having everything in one place to view without relying on technology can help you sort things out with just a quick glance. No buttons required.

Today’s Resolution: Make a Paper Trail

Keeping track of expenses makes good sense, but managing the receipts for them is practical sense. Receipts are multi-faceted with what information they can yield when you need it. Many stores offer online survey information in receipts that can net you credits or discounts. Instead of jamming receipts into a wallet or some other convenient place, designate a large envelope for them.

Would you rather go paperless? If purchases are made on credit cards, many companies organized receipt information for you by the category of the purchases to track spending habits. Those small slips of paper can help a great deal in the long run when trying to stick to a budget or sort out tax information. 

Today’s Resolution: Build Brain Power

When was the last time you learned something new? Consider taking a course online through your local community college, library, or elsewhere. Take something for personal enrichment, for skill-building in your job, or to work toward a degree. There are many free and informational classes as close as the internet. Listen to a free lecture on a topic of interest through i-Tunes University or even watch an educational clip through YouTube. If you are seeking less formality, check out a “how to” video or article.

Today’s Resolution: Invest in a Dime a Dozen

There are many people who will swear by the “bulk” method of grocery shopping whether they are purchasing for an individual or a large family. With accessibility to so many bulk distributors, it does seem very appealing to shop this way. However, do not always assume you are automatically saving money here when you shop.

Check out locations near you and see if the prices add up to savings. Even though most require an annual membership, many do provide free “guest” visits. Take a calculator and calculate the price per item for your favorite products. Don’t forget to consider gas money if you have to travel some distance.  Then decide: To bulk or not to bulk?

Today’s Resolution: Put Time in a Bottle

You don’t really need a bottle for this. Create a small time capsule that you can “dig up” at some future point to relive the events of the day.  A Ziploc bag or shoebox could be suitable. Add a note about where you are in life right now. Put an image of something meaningful to you in it. Clip a current newspaper article and insert.

This can be personal and only you need to know about, or it can be a shared family activity. Set a date and write down where you have placed it (so you don’t forget about it completely).

Today’s Resolution: Exhume Your Resumé

Whether you are content in a job or are in the process of looking for work, now might be a good time to review your resumé. Update any skills you might have recently learned; add any experiences which might be pertinent; include any coursework you may have completed. Gather some honest and objective feedback from a friend or colleague. There are many templates for layouts and designs to be found on the internet or word processing programs to give your resumé a fresh face. You never know when that perfect job may show up on your doorstep; you’ll want to be ready when opportunity knocks.

Image Source: ProfessionalResumes on Etsy