It’s now January, and the new year is officially upon us. While many make New Year’s resolutions, I almost never do. It’s simply too hard to hard for me to keep them. I also tend to set goals throughout the year instead of only during new years time. Instead of calling this list “new year resolutions,” I’m going to use the very creative name “things I want to do this year.”

Buy a farmer’s almanac and use it

You don’t have to be a farmer to use a farmer’s almanac. These handy dandy little books have information about weather, planting times, and other useful information. You can even find home remedies for sicknesses or injuries too.

Compost

We have to take our trash to the landfill ourselves, so we have decided to try to reduce the amount of trash we have. We have been recycling for a while, but we decided instead of buying compost, we will start making our own.

Shop smarter

I have learned that most clothing stores are trying to clear out their winter inventory in January to prepare for spring and summer inventory. This means that you can really score some good clothing deals in January…while it’s still cold enough to wear them. Likewise, in August, stores are usually cleaning out their summer inventory in favor of fall clothing.

Stores also have a “white sale” in January, where they mark down things like bedding and towels.

More exercise and more sleep

I used to take fantastic care of myself. This year, I got in a bad frame of mind and stopped exercising and getting enough rest. This year, I’m going to start taking care of myself again- eating better, more active, and more rest.

There are plenty of other things I want to do, like save money, screen in the back porch, and travel. More on that later.

What things are you planning to do this year?