4 Important Ways I'm Preparing for a New Year

1. Organize your kitchen

I wanted to get my pantry organized. 

With the last few months of having people over and holidays and buying foods that I don't typically buy, I realized that my pantry was a mess, and I needed it to get organized. 

My daughter and I took everything out of the pantry. We put everything in its proper spot, and I'm just feeling so good about the pantry.

What are those things around your house that have been eating at you? Are there things that you need to get done but you haven't? This is the time. 

This house is a place of peace for my family. It's so easy, though, when we're coming in and out of the home, with busy schedules to let things get tossed, thrown, or shoved in drawers, especially when company is coming over.

So what are those things we can eliminate? What things can we pick up and clean up so that we start the new month and the new year off on the right foot? 

2. Prepare my budget

When I am heading into a new month, and a new year, my budget is one of the things that I think about. What do I need my grocery budget to be next month?

We are in a savings goal period right now because our master bathroom desperately needs to be finished. So we have lowered our grocery budget to $600 a month, and I am sticking to that budget. 

I like to stock up by buying bulk on certain items because I can get them for way cheaper per ounce or per pound that way. You have to have the storage space to store the bulk items, but you can use it under beds, dressers, closets, or whatever you have.

For January, I always like to stock up on our household products. Shampoos, conditioners, body washes, laundry detergent, floor cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, you name it, I'm shopping for it. 

Then during the year, it's no big deal if I need to pick up a little bit here and there. Looking at the whole year as a budget, along with a month-to-month budget, is essential.

What I mean by that is we like to purchase a package deal where you get your AC service in the spring and your furnace service in the fall. That is something that I pay for in April. I need to start thinking about these upkeep costs of our home and how much it will cost us throughout the year. 

I want to get my carpets professionally cleaned. It costs about $300. So that is something I need to think about and what month I would like to do that. Also, you need to think about back-to-school. 

I have a section where I can write out future planning in my planner. 

In the planner, I can write that January's focus is stocking up on my household products. April is when I'm going to be paying for my AC package. In July, I need to make sure I have money for back-to-school. I want to make sure I'm saving this month for birthdays. Every month I save for Christmas. 

You want to have a plan and stick to your plan. Start thinking about your yearly budget each month, and then you'll condense that into your monthly budget. You need to be a good steward of that money coming in and going out every month. 

3. Choose a focus word

The next thing I want to suggest to prepare for the new year is to choose a focus word for the new year. For 2023, our focus word for our family is intentional. 

We want to be intentional about every aspect of our lives. Some intentional goals that we have are saving for our bathroom and getting that remodeled.

We want to be intentional and take our kids on a road trip north to the Pacific Northwest. We would love to take our children on a mission trip where we can teach them about serving others outside of our community. 

These are those wheels that are constantly turning in my head that I'm thinking about. For this year, I want to be intentional. It's important to have that focus word, which is circumstantial. 

4. Learn new things 

I think it's so vital for us always to be learning something. What is that one thing you want to learn in 2023, and how will you get there? I want to learn how to invest. I do not currently invest, but I will open a Roth IRA in my name. 

I think it's such a big deal because it's scary to me. My husband has investments through his work, but we don't have anything outside that.

How do I even do this? I've been reading articles; I've been watching YouTube videos. I have been reaching out to some friends on Instagram with Roth IRAs and asking them questions. I'm starting to compile some information that I'm feeling good about. 

I'm excited to learn another thing that interests me: how to prune fruit trees correctly. I know there are specific ways to prune a fruit tree not to produce, but you can also prune it to produce in abundance. I want to learn how to do that. Those are the two things that I want to learn for 2023. 

Preparing for a new year

I hope I've given you some ideas for how to make a fresh start in the new year. What do you want to learn in 2023? Share your learning goals in the comments below. Have a happy, healthy new year!