Resolutions for the New Year

2008 was a difficult year by any measure.  Personally, I lost a business but rediscovered a career I love.  I'm financially in a huge hole, and I have to start digging myself out.  Nationally, our economy is a disaster, and I keep hearing that it's not going to get better until consumers start spending again.  Sadly, I will not be one of the consumers to help turn it all around.  I can't afford it.

I never believed in New Year's Resolutions.  It seemed a worthless endeavor, just a way to set yourself up for failure.  But this year, I need to do some things differently in my life.  So I'm going to try making some resolutions.  I'll set them up like work goals:  they must be measurable and achievable.   My plan is to check in on them weekly. 

So here are my goals for 2009:

1. Try for 5:  I spent a few weeks on the South Beach Diet last year, and it showed me how few vegetables are in my daily diet.   When I went back to my normal eating habits, I found there were entire days that I consumed not a single vegetable - and sometimes not even a fruit! Although I'd like to lose weight, I'm not willing to diet.  I just don't have the commitment.  But I am willing to commit to increasing my fruit and vegetable intake - and my family's as well.   So my food goal is to eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
   
2. Exercise 1 hour, 4 times a week:  Again, I'd like to lose weight, but I really just want to be healthy.  I have never been a regular exerciser.  I go on kicks where I'll work out daily for a few weeks, and then I'll get sick and fall off the treadmill.  But I am willing to commit to regular exercise this year.  I have scheduled 2 workouts a week with a colleague from work, and I'll exercise on Saturday and Sunday.
3. Live on a Cash Basis:  For many years, I have lived on the expectation that I'd be making more money next year.  And for many years that was true, and my increasing debt was not a concern.  But when I started my business, my income dropped precipitously.  I continued to rack up debt as I cleaned out my 401(k) and savings accounts and lived on plastic to cover the shortfalls between income and expenses.  I now have a great job, but it's with a start-up and the salary is lower than I had hoped - but I believe there's huge potential for growth.  But the only way I will ever get out of this huge hole is if I live within my means.  So this year, I will commit to living on a cash basis.  The only plastic I'll use is my debit card.  My exception will be American Express for reimbursable business expenses.  But this year, if I can't pay for it out of my checking account, I can't have it.  This is likely to be the hardest resolution to keep, but it's also the most important for my family's secure future.

As part of living on a cash basis, I'm getting rid of stuff.  I have never been good at throwing things away or selling them.  But this year, I'm committing to getting rid of things I don't use and clothes I don't wear.  Our garage is so packed with stuff we can't fit even a single car in it.  So this year, I'm getting rid of the 6-year-old baby clothes, the TV we haven't used in a decade, and the books I've planned to read for more than 3 years.  I've already gone through my closets and pulled everything I haven't worn in a year or more.  Salvation Army and eBay, here it comes!

That's my plan for the year.  Ambitious, but I believe it's manageable.  What are your plans for the year?