2023: What's Staying, Going, and New

 

Welcome 2023! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season and are ready to begin the new year with hope and enthusiasm. Whether you are a fan of new year’s resolutions or not, it’s nice to have some things to look forward to and fun and/or meaningful projects to plan. In this post I’m sharing what I’ve decided to keep in 2023, what I’m kicking to the curb, and some new things I’m adding to my life. I’m not viewing these as resolutions but rather ways to reach a better place personally.

What’s Staying

Budget and Tracking Spending: I’ve had a budget for many years, which helps me assess my income and expenses and gives me a good overview of where my money is going. I keep the categories simple and tweak it as needed. Included in my budget is a column which tracks my spending in each category. Last year I adopted the practice of tracking every cent I spend, and the running balance for each category is kept on my budget spreadsheet. At times it gets tedious if multiple categories of spending are on the same purchase and need to be separated, but I find it very satisfying to see my actual spending and know if I’m keeping within budget. In 2022, I was exactly $3.47 under my estimated budget, which frankly impressed me considering I had multiple unexpected expenses during the year.

Money Saving Browser Extensions: Last year I began using Capital One Shopping and Rakuten (affiliate link) browser extensions when I shopped online. Between the two I saved $87 last year. Compared to most people I don’t shop online often, and I’ve only used Rakuten since November, so your savings will likely be higher. The only caveat is that you have to pick which one you’ll use at a particular website, as you can’t use both simultaneously. I’ve found that Rakuten in general provides more savings, with the exception of shopping on Amazon since Rakuten currently doesn’t partner with them.

Walking: I’ve been an avid walker for many years, and it provides me both exercise and mental clarity. I’ve gotten blog post ideas and received solutions while walking, and the impetus for retiring 2.5 years earlier than planned began during a walk. Even on days that I don’t receive any particular inspiration, I enjoy the feeling of moving my body and releasing any excess energy and tension I may be carrying.

This Blog: Although I haven’t blogged as frequently as my ideal self would like, I’ve enjoyed getting back into writing this past year. It’s a creative and therapeutic outlet for me, and if any of my readers find it helpful or inspiring then I consider that a bonus!

What’s Going

Sugar: Eliminating processed sugar from my diet is something I’ve attempted many times over the years, with varying degrees of success. For the first five months of 2022 during my Healthy Low Buy Year I did exceptionally well, and then I fell off track during the remainder of the year. I have felt for a while that sugar consumption has been holding me back, despite the many other positive changes I’ve made to my diet. I’ve begun using date syrup as a sweetener substitute, and I immediately noticed how much better I felt than when I consume other forms of sugar, including paleo-approved coconut sugar and maple syrup.

Stocking Up: During 2022 I stocked up on some essential food and toiletry items, partially because of availability issues, as well as to save money when I found a good sale due to inflation being so high. What I realized, and also a reminder as to why a minimalist lifestyle works well for me, is I feel too overwhelmed having even a small stockpile of extras. To remedy this, I will use up the extras I have on hand, then going forward I will keep only one extra item in reserve. This amount allows me to feel like I have plenty minus the overwhelm or urge to rush out and purchase a replacement.

Things That Aren’t Worth My Time: Last year I played around with some new ways to save money, and while I did earn over $500 from free gift cards and cash payouts, not all of these avenues were worth the time invested. This year I’m keeping the ones that are easy and worth my time and letting go of the rest.

What’s New

Annual Budget: This year I’m setting up my budget on an annual rather than monthly basis. Since tracking every cent I spent during 2022 and keeping a running total throughout the year, it makes sense that my budget is set annually as well. I’ll be able to easily see how my spending is doing as the year progresses.

Personal Goals: I took some time at the end of the year and the beginning of this one to envision what I’d like to accomplish during 2023. I have a short and meaningful list of goals which I believe are easily obtainable as long as I put in the time to work on them. I may share some of these with you later this year.

May your 2023 be off to a great start, and I wish you happiness, health, and abundance!