New Year's Resolutions

I know many people make resolutions at the beginning of the New Year to get off on the right foot. I feel like the majority of people put losing weight as their top resolution. Sure for me that is key, as I'm trying to shed the last of the baby weight, but I've actually come up with a list that I think is good for me. I don't see me failing too easily either, which is a good thing. You never want to set yourself up for failure. I don't have a magic number of 5 or 10, just somethings I thought of that I think will not only keep me happy, but sane for the year.

1. Continue with my weight loss that has been going well since before Christmas. I decided when I went back to work in December I really need to get back to my feel good size. I started weight watchers and lost 8.8 lbs in less than 3 weeks. Unfortunately the week between Christmas and New Year's I went back to a lot of my old habits so I gained 3 lbs back. Not exactly how I wanted to start off the New Year, but after New Year's Day, I got back on track and have been there since. Hopefully I drop those pesky 3 lbs when I weigh myself Friday morning.
2. Dress up a little more for work. I mostly dressed very down, but don’t want to look like a schmo anymore. I don't feel like a slob, but I don't feel professional. I know a lot of this has to do with my weight too. I have nicer shirts I want to wear but need to lose a few more pounds for them to fit me nicely. I'd also like to wear my boots that I bought last year.
3. Pay off debt. We did a lot to our house in 2012 and that limited what we could pay off in debt so that’s a top goal. We've knocked out one major bill so far and are continuing to work on other things. We're hoping to knock off another 2 major ones by the end of March. We are hoping to knock out most debt by the end of the year. We know it very possible to do, so I'm confident we will.
4. Save money. I need to get into the habit of saving more money. I don't save enough. I found this weekly money saving idea and think I'm going to give it a whirl. Starting the first Sunday of the year, you put away a dollar. The second Sunday you put away $2. Third Sunday, you put away $3 and so forth. The last Sunday of the year you put away $52. In total it's over $1300 that you've saved. At the end of the year I'll decide what I want to do with my money. Nice chunk of easy savings!
5. Cook, a lot! I did this well in 2012 and tried to make new recipes, but I found either not having the ingredients in the house to make it. This partially goes along with my next resolution. I definitely want to try new recipes this year because I get bored with the same old stuff. Plus making tasty recipes will help with my weight loss goals.
6. Plan meals better, so I can spend time with my family. Commuting to work limits the time I get to spend with my daughter so I need to plan things out a lot more. She is in bed by 8:30pm. Since I get home around 6:15pm, it's really limited time with her, but I try to make the most of it. It's hard when I'm trying to get dinner ready. So far some of my plans for this year include doing make ahead meals for the week. On Sunday I will make 3 items that can easily be heated up when I get home from work. Those foods will be for Tuesday-Thursday nights. On Monday night, my husband is bowling so I can make something very quickly for myself, whether it's a lean cuisine or just an English muffin pizza. Fridays I'm dedicating to the crockpot, but I'll explain that in my next resolution.
7. Use the Crockpot every Friday. My job is very flexible and I'm telecommuting on Fridays now. I'm a big fan of the Crockpot and have always said I wanted to make more stuff in it. Since I'm home Fridays I can always just throw the stuff in it during my "lunch break" and it will be ready for dinner. Last week I made shredded BBQ chicken which can be used for sandwiches or what I easily made were bbq chicken quesadillas. My husband loved them so I know this will be a meal I make again. This week I'm planning to make chicken fajitas. I'm looking forward to these easy Friday night dinners!