Tips for 2009 New Year’s Resolutions
Wow! The end of another year is upon us and what a year it has been. In an effort to look forward to the New Year 2009 with optimism and hope I wrote this article for BellaOnline and would like to share it with you. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!
“As the New Year approaches, it is only natural that we reflect upon the past year and what has happened in our lives. Probably for the many, it has not been the best of years.
Since there is no way to turn time back, it is a good time for each of us to look ahead to 2009 and to form a plan. Go ahead and make those resolutions no matter how silly they may seem. Write them down so that you can return to them throughout the year. By the end of the year, some will be accomplished, some will sound silly and some will be useless. Remember that the idea behind resolutions is to have goals. Here are some ideas for 2009 New Year’s Resolutions:
+De-clutter - go through old papers, bills and junk mail and shred whatever is not necessary.
+Clean out closets - give away clothes, toys, furniture, etc. to charity.
+Clean out cabinets - give away unused and unnecessary items that are cluttering the cabinets and garage.
+Keep maintenance at a minimum by repairing things as they happen. Do not allow repairs to pile up.
+Keep your home’s condition as if you will be selling it tomorrow. This is a great way to always keep it neat, clean and in constant repair.+Check your credit report and clean up anything that is required.
+Put credit cards away and make a resolution not to use them unless it is a dire emergency.
+If still using cash, save any change. By the end of the year, there will be a nice sum of unexpected money saved up.
+Go over your home owner’s insurance policy and make sure that you are not over or under insured.
+Although this one can be difficult, make a plan and try to save some sum of money each week for an emergency.
+Start a budget if you don’t already have one. This can help to keep you on track to save some extra cash.+Eat healthy - this can reduce your food bill by not having to buy as much meat and processed foods. Experiment with different foods.
+Cook more and eat out less - this will save money and will be much better for your health in the long term.
+Exercise - get out and take a deep breath of fresh air. Go for walks in a park. It’s free and will do your body, mind and soul a world of good.These are just some ideas for New Year’s resolutions. Everyone’s individual lifestyle is different and requires different needs. Taking the time to think about and coming up with goals can be a great stress reliever for this time of year. It will also give you something positive to look forward to in the New Year.
At this time, I want to thank everyone who returns each week to visit this site and the BellaOnline site. My wish for each and everyone is for a very Happy, Healthy, Safe, Successful, Stress Free and Positive New Year. Enjoy and Be Safe.”http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art60092.asp
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_a.png?x-id=89f86454-3edc-4c06-9d19-56c8f00b705d)
Blog Carnival Edition No. 8 - A Carnival of Everything Home
Welcome to the October 8, 2008 edition of a carnival of everything home. The next edition is scheduled for October 22nd.
As always, there are lots of great contributions to this Carnival. Remember to include a link back to this post. Thank you again to everyone who contributed and I look forward to reading each and every post.
Green Living
George L Smyth presents One Minute How-To - How To Hang Laundry posted at George L Smyth, saying, “Charles Hodgson explains why one would want to hang laundry, and the most efficient way to do it.”
AdmirableIndia.com presents Trip to Wayanad: Day 2: Part 2: Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary or Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary posted at AdmirableIndia.com.
simon presents Principles of Operation posted at Pellet Stove Guide.
Condo Blues presents Twenty Percent Home Energy Reduction Challenge – Summer Update posted at Condo Blues, saying, “I’m trying to reduce my home’s natural gas and electricity consumption by 20% this year without replacing eveything I own. And guess what? It’s working!”
greenandchic presents I have a headache! - A word about perfumes posted at Green + Chic, saying, “The is about the use of perfumes and frangrances.”
kara thurmond presents An Hour In the Kitchen » Yogurt posted at An Hour In the Kitchen.
simon presents Quality of Shelled Corn posted at Corn Stove Guide.
Dave Hobbs presents The Right Nectar for Hummingbird Feeding posted at Hummingbird Feeding Guide, saying, “If you want to add beauty to the exterior of your home, consider a fine blown-glass hummingbird feeder. This post will help ensure you fill it with the right homemade mix to help attract these amazing creatures without doing them harm.”
KuleKat presents LED Home Lighting - Halogen Light Bulbs as an Interim Solution posted at KuleKat . com.
Heather Levin presents Green Cleaning- Go Green On A Budget posted at The Greenest Dollar.
Lauren Rose presents THE CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES | Own Home Style .com posted at Own Home Style .com, saying, “Nowadays due to the introduction of new hybrid varieties in vegetables, which are susceptible to pest and diseases, there is demand for more plant protection, usually with toxic chemica”
Alexis presents Store cooked pasta for 6 months and still eat it??! posted at Gadgets and Tricks for Saving Money In the Long Term, saying, “Hi, my blog is about how people can save recurring living costs by getting products that will help them cut down demand for goods and services on a recurring basis.”
Ben Dinsmore presents Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF): The Best In Green Building Technology posted at Trees Full of Money, saying, “Building a home out of Insulated Concrete Forms is substantially better for your wallet and the environmen vs standard wood frame construction.”
Home Decor
Jeune presents Master Bedroom Musings posted at Remodelle.
Giorgina Devereaux presents How to Clean Furniture posted at Home Decor Blog.
Dust-Mites.org presents Allergic Reactions to Dust Mites posted at Dust Mites, saying, “Article describes various allergic reactions people may have to dust mites.”
Annette Berlin presents Free Curtain Patterns posted at Craft Salad, saying, “If you’ve been considering making your own curtains, there are plenty of reasons to go ahead and do it.”
Other
Dave Hobbs presents Tiki Torch Parties in Autumn with Fire Pits posted at Tiki Torches Guide, saying, “Don’t let the onset of Fall drive you indoors just yet. With the addition of an outdoor firepit, you can keep your tiki torch parties going for another month of two!”
Jocelyn @ A Pondering Heart presents A Simple Woman?s Daybook: Week #8 posted at A Pondering Heart.
Alex Smith presents How to Teach Kids Self Defense Without Teaching Them Martial Arts posted at TBO-TECH.
Fiona Lohrenz presents After School Daycare Curriculum - What’s The Best Approach? posted at Child Care Only.
kara thurmond presents An Hour In the Kitchen » Introduction posted at An Hour In the Kitchen.
fred xiao presents 15 more selected blog stress releasing videos posted at Easy money attraction, saying, “15 more selected blog stress releasing videos”
Alex Smith presents Pet Safety Products posted at TBO-TECH.
Fiona Lohrenz presents Are Daycare Requirements And Day Care Regulations The Same Thing? posted at Child Care Only.
axel presents 2 Healthy Snacks posted at axel g.
Toni presents Fat-burning Soup posted at Wifely Steps, saying, “All-vegetable soup that’s good for you! And they say it’s fat-burning too. Easy to do!”
Cade Krueger presents How To Tie The Knot With The Best Home Based Business Opportunities posted at Write To Right.
Real Estate
Joe Manausa presents Bailing Out The Banks? Actually Bailing Out America! posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “While mainstream media refers to this as the “fat cat” bailout for Wall Street, you might be surprised who really needs this bailout to occur. What would happen to your job if the credit market stopped for even 1 week?”
Reba Haas presents Certified Septic pumping companies for King County till end of 2008 posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying, “If you plan on buying or selling a home that is on septic (aka, on site sewage) in King County, WA, then you’ll want to get to know this list of certified septic pumpers. Several articles are on this blog to help you learn what you need to know about King County requirements for septic systems.”
Greg Shuey presents The Beauty of FHA Streamline Loans posted at Utah Mortgage.
Matt Everson presents How to Sell Your Home Fast in a Slow Housing Market posted at Astuteo: The Free Advice Blog, saying, “At the time we listed our property, homes in our area were averaging over 110 days on the market. We sold ours in three and half weeks. While I can’t guarantee you’ll have similar luck today, I do know a few tricks for unloading your home fast.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a carnival of everything home using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: a carnival of everything home, blog carnival.
Blog Carnival Edition No. 6
Welcome to the September 10, 2008 edition of a carnival of everything home. The next edition will be posted on September 24th with a deadline for submissions on September 21st.
Well, I guess the Summer is just about over and the Holidays will soon be upon us. So many things happening in the news, too. Hope everyone has a productive Autumn in preparation for the coming months.
As always, there are lots of great contributions to this Carnival. Remember to include a link back to this post. Thank you again to everyone who contributed and I look forward to reading each and every post.
Green Living
AdmirableIndia.com presents Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore: Part 1: Ancient Watch Tower and Organic Cultivation posted at AdmirableIndia.com.
Edward Sanderson presents What You Need To Know About Solar Greenhouses | Greenhouse Kits and Plans Information posted at Greenhouse Kits and Plans Information, saying, “Solar greenhouses help us grow our own food, year round. Building one is easy when you know the basics.”
Jesse Moran presents How to decrease your electric bill by 5 - 20% posted at CompGifts - The Frugal Way of Living.
Home Decor
Meg presents The Collection: The Living Room posted at The Stickley Museum At Craftsman Farms.
Aharon Hill presents My rules. posted at Truly Madly Deeply, saying, “Hi there! I am just now learning about the blog carnival concept, and this is the first one I have ever applied to. I look forward to hearing from you…. Thanks so much, Aharon”
Nancy Stewart presents Fairy Gardens - Blue Moon Gardens posted at Lost in Vero Beach. (Note - I have not been able to get this link to work. Rosemary)
Home Improvement
simon presents What Pellet stove appliance features should I look for? posted at Pellet Stove Guide.
simon presents Basics of Pellet Stoves posted at Corn Stove Guide.
Other
Michael Snyder presents 15 Things That Are Wrong With America posted at The Moral Collapse Of America.
Stephen Miracle presents Dream Engagement Rings in 3 Steps posted at Engagement Rings Only, saying, “Every home begins with a good family and every family begins with a good marriage proposal from the husband. In this article we discuss 3 steps to ensure that your potential spouse will say yes on that big day.”
Jason Rusch presents Choosing Boxer Dog Food posted at boxerdogessentials.com.
Jason Rusch presents Boxer Dogs Through Rescue Groups posted at boxerdogessentials.com.
Judy Garland presents Baby Monitor Buying Guide posted at Baby Monitor Reviews.
Real Estate
Joe Manausa presents How To Dispute Your Property Taxes posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “As long as the assessed value does not exceed the market value they will raise the assessed value, so it is important to know what your property is worth today!”
Amy L. presents How to Find an Affordable and Safe Place to Live posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “Without question, the downsizing of our economy is forcing many people to reconsider where they’re living and whether or not they can really afford it.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a carnival of everything home using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: a carnival of everything home, blog carnival.
Home Childproofing
Since so many readers have babies and young children, I decided to share this video that I found regarding childproofing your home. It describes many of the accidents that can happen in the kitchen when you have young children. In fact, when I was watching it, I sort of cringed knowing that I was probably guilty of some of these when my children were young. In fact, they always played with pots and pans when visiting their great-grandparents. Well, I am happy and relieved to say that they made it through their childhood with no accidents and are now happy adults.
So go ahead and take a look at this video about childproofing your bathroom and kitchen. I am sure that you are familiar with most, if not all of these things.
Home Security
Home security is important to everyone. It’s a good idea to take a look around your home when you are cleaning to make sure that your home is secure and safe for your family. Doing the best that we can do to assure this will put your mind at rest both when you are home and away from home.
Here is an excerpt from http://www.homesecurityblog.com
“Unfortunately, most people don’t think or do anything about home security until they or someone they know has had a break-in. Burglars look at homes they think are easy targets. There’s many things you can do to make your home less likely to be burglarized.”
Here is a list of things to check for when looking around your home:
smoke alarms - for every bedroom and hallway; make sure batteries are always fresh. Install a battery operated alarm in addition to any electric alarms you may have.
fire extinguishers - you should have at least one or two in the house and one in the garage. It is important to make sure that they are full at all times.
carbon monoxide alarms - always important in order to detect high carbon monoxide levels especially in winter months when we are heating our homes.
windows - in addition to latches on windows, there should be locks on each window. These are easily installed and removed to open the window. You can even open the window a few inches and reinstall the lock so that the window cannot be opened further.
doors- all entry doors should have a deadbolt lock. In some cases, you may also want to install a chain lock. Installing a peephole in each door, especially the front entrance door, is another very good idea. It is advisable to have a lock on screen doors. Some even come with dead bolt locks nowadays. Sliding glass doors have locks but an additional safety measure is to put a rod or piece of wood inside the track.
garage doors - this is a common place for burglars to enter a home. Make sure that the garage door locks when closed. If you use an electronic garage door opener, make sure that you have programmed it; never leave it with a factory programming.
motion detector lights - another home safety measure to deter intruders is to install lights that go on when motion is detected outside at night.
security camera - you can now purchase security cameras and security systems in any large department store or home improvement store. They can be easily hooked up to a television set.
fence - yard fences should always be locked especially if you have a pool. It is important to prevent wandering children who can fall into the pool or get hurt on backyard toys.
shrubs - keep all greenery trimmed and away from the house. Do not block windows. This not only will eliminate a hideout for intruders but will also protect the house in case of fire.
first aid kit - always keep one handy in the home, garage and also in the car.
It is up to us to be proactive to create a safe environment in our homes. What other things do you do in regards to home security? Please share your thoughts and ideas below.
