Seasonal Goals: Spring 2016

Steph and Sara have decided to do a seasonal goals link-up. And, even though I'm more of a monthly goals kind of person (and will continue to post my monthly goals and results), I've decided to join in. Since today marks the first day of spring, it seemed appropriate that I share my goals for the season on this date.

The thing about monthly goals is that sometimes I intentionally leave things off because I know there's absolutely no way I'll be able to complete everything I want to do in 30-31 days. Some projects just take a little longer (at least for me).

So for the purposes of this link-up, I've decided to focus on a few of my more time consuming goals over the next three months. (And if you're wondering, I'm giving myself March 20-June 20 to complete these goals ... So exactly three months.) These are some of the things I've considered adding to my monthly goals but wasn't confident I would have the time and/or energy to get all of it done in such a short amount of time.

Spring 2016 Goals

1. Purge and reorganize my closet (including shoes, underwear, etc.).

Last year I donated a bunch of clothing I never wear to Goodwill, but, for whatever reason, I still hung on to some things that were in the "Maybe I'll Wear This Again One Day" pile. This year I need to be ruthless. I have so much shit in my closet, and I can honestly say that there are many items that I probably haven't worn in the last two years. They're just taking up space and they need to go.

2. Buy a few new things to update my spring/summer wardrobe.

I've been trying to be a little more frugal this year, though I've definitely spent a little more than normal this month (whomp whomp). I do try to buy a few new clothing items every fall/winter and spring/summer, though. If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't love spring and summer clothing ... So about 75% (at least) of my clothes are more fall/winter appropriate. In the spring and summer I usually just wear t-shirts and jeans (or maybe shorts if it's really hot) and call it good. And, while there's nothing wrong with that (at least in my opinion), sometimes I feel like I have nothing to wear if I want to go out for a nicer dinner or just simply feel like wearing something a little nicer than a band t-shirt and skinny jeans. (And that's my typical outfit because I own a lot of band/concert t-shirts.) I don't want to go crazy with spending, but I'd like to pick up a few cute things over the next three months.

3. Pay off 25% of the remaining balance on my auto loan.

After doing the math, I realized it wouldn't be too hard to do more than that. However, I'm going to be a little more conservative here and say 25%. If I can pay more, great. But if I need or want to use extra money for something else, I don't want to feel like I can't just because I've committed myself to paying off the majority of my car loan.

4. Finalize planning and booking our 3 year wedding anniversary trip for November.

Eric and I already have a location in mind, but the prices keep fluctuating quite a bit (it might be a difference of $200-$500 depending on the day) and we want to make sure we're getting the best deal. Because of the ever changing prices, we've both been a little hesitant to buy and more willing to wait it out a bit ... But I don't want to wait too much longer. This is one of those goals that would probably happen regardless of whether I post it here, but posting it gives me added incentive to pull the trigger when the price drops again.

5. Spend more time outside.

This probably seems like a silly goal to some people, but whatever. I don't think I take advantage of nice weather often enough, and spring is one of the best times to enjoy being outside. In Omaha it can get ridiculously hot and humid in the summer, and all I want to do on those days is seek air conditioned shelter. But in spring the weather is usually pretty mild ... Or at least mild enough that I can go for a walk/jog without sweating my ass off and feeling like I might die. This goal doesn't have to be strictly about exercise, though. It could be something as simple as sitting on the balcony of my apartment to read, going to a (mostly) outdoor place for the day (like an outdoor shopping center or the zoo), or opting to dine outside at a restaurant on a nice evening. I basically just need to spend more time enjoying the nice weather.

6. Plan Eric's birthday dinner.

Eric's birthday is June 13, so I have plenty of time for this. I'm kind of a planning weirdo, though, and like to spend a lot of time reading reviews and looking over menus before choosing a restaurant. We really don't do much for birthdays besides a nice meal out, so I want to make sure the place I pick is awesome.

7. Go to the eye doctor.

This is probably another kind of silly goal, but this is something I keep putting off. I don't even know why ... I mean, going to the eye doctor isn't pleasant, but it's not awful. I need to go pretty soon, though, because I know I'm overdue for my annual exam and I need to order some more contacts. I'd also like to get some new glasses. I've had my current glasses for an embarrassingly long time, and even though I only wear them around the house and they're fine for that, I'd like to get a cute new pair with my current prescription that I wouldn't mind wearing in public. And it might be nice to give my eyes a break from contacts now and then.

8. Update my recipe index on the blog.

I've been tempted to put this on my monthly goals list each month since the beginning of the year, but I haven't because I honestly didn't know if I'd get around to it. It's not that time consuming, but it does take a little extra time and effort, and most days I just haven't felt like doing it. I'm so far behind with updating it, though, that I honestly can't even remember the last time I did it. And, while it's obviously not the end of the world, I'd like to get it up to date. I mean, why even have the recipe index at all if I'm not going to update it regularly?

9. Update the look of my blog.

This is something I've been toying with for a while. I don't want to spend a ton of money on it right now, but I've also grown tired of my current template. I've had this design for about a year now (I think), so it's probably time to switch things up. I've been checking out different blog designers on a semi-regular basis and have a list of several I really like, but I need to narrow the list down to a top three or so and then go from there. Also, if anyone reading this has had any really positive (or really negative) experiences with a specific blog designer, please tell me about it. If I decide to splurge a bit and go the more custom route (as opposed to just buying a premade template like I did before), I definitely want to make sure the person I'm working with will do a good job!

10. Read at least 4 books I own (not rereads).

I think I've mentioned before that I'm trying to avoid buying new books until I finish all of the books I've previously purchased. And, while I'd like to stick with that, I've been getting an overwhelming urge to buy a bunch of books lately. (Especially since a few of the books I really want to read aren't available at my library.) I have a couple of gift cards I could use for this purpose (Amazon and Barnes & Noble), so I wouldn't be spending any of my own money (or very little of my own money, anyway) ... But I still feel like I should stick with my original plan. So, as a sort of compromise, I've decided that if I can read at least 4 of these previously unread books, I can buy some new ones. That seems both reasonable and doable ... Well, as long as I don't keep getting distracted by all of the awesome books my library does have!

Looking back at this list, it seems like a lot. I have three whole months to complete everything, though, and I think that, realistically, it can be done.

Obviously I'm more excited about some things than others (I don't enjoy purging and reorganizing my closet, for example, but I'm looking forward to planning and booking my anniversary trip), but these are all things that I would like to accomplish in the near future.