View Full Version : what 3 things do you want to finish in 2020?
Get rid of the extra stuff in the storage and attic
Return edited memoir to publisher
Use the seeds I have and plant others too!
These aren’t resolutions, but completing things in process. My resolutions tend to be social or emotional: being more involved in civic matters, etc.
You?
1/15/20: the memoir edit will be delivered to the publisher this weekend!
2/24/20: DH and I have vowed to be out of the storage as of 6/30/20. We’ll see if we make it!
1. Finish getting rid of old clothes I never wear (I'm about 2/3 of the way there, but this project has been stalled for months.)
2. Finish getting my finances organized. (I've got a 401k and HSA still with my old employer that I want to roll over to etrade, plus a money market account I want to close. After that I will make a list of how to access it all for SO in case I get run over by a bus one day. rebalancing the rest of it got taken care of earlier this month.)
3. Plant the rest of the seeds I have. This one will be tricky because I've agreed to go house-sit/pet-sit for my sister in San Diego for 4 weeks in May/June, so I either need to plant things after that or I need to enlist SO in watering/monitoring everything while I'm gone.
pinkytoe
12-31-19, 12:51am
I want to get rid of the last of my antique dealer days stuff which amounts to just a few boxes. Just today, I sold an old rare book I acquired for free long ago for $500 so that felt like a win.
And also more than anything in 2020, I want to get rid of the angst of not knowing where to live. Here, there or somewhere else...
Teacher Terry
12-31-19, 1:14am
PT,I really hope you can figure out where you want to live. For me after 30+ moves you couldn’t get me to leave Reno even if my husband died. My Wisconsin friends think otherwise but the friends I have made in the past 23 years are priceless. Plus my oldest son and wife and youngest step son love it here.
catherine
12-31-19, 5:30am
I want to finish the basic improvements we should have done two years ago when we moved in--painting the exterior and interior, finishing projects started like our outdoor shower enclosure and the countertop for our new cabinet.
I want to finish my Master Gardener internship which entails 40 hours of volunteer work.
I want to finish paying off debt, which won't be easy considering my DD is getting married in September.
I like the question--you think of New Year's as starting over, but it's nice to think about taking care of unfinished business first.
1. Finish saving up for a new car.
2. Finish growing out my grays.
3. Weed out enough of my junk clothes that I can get to a one in, one out system as things wear out.
rosarugosa
12-31-19, 6:18am
Finish kitchen remodel
Re-do landscaping on the south side of the house
Finish reading JL Collins' "Stock Series" online
ETA: I also like the idea of setting goals. I don't do "resolutions," because they seen to suggest deprivation.
happystuff
12-31-19, 8:31am
1. Put more time and practice into my spiritual well-being
2. Increase my sprouting and grow more food-base and other plants IN the house (hoping to turn my brown thumb into a green thumb!)
3. Be open to whatever comes along. :)
1. Put more time and practice into my spiritual well-being
2. Increase my sprouting and grow more food-base and other plants IN the house (hoping to turn my brown thumb into a green thumb!)
3. Be open to whatever comes along. :)
Sounds like mine.:)
1. Get back to my desired weight.
2. Complete writing project.
3. Figure out where to live and make it happen.
SteveinMN
12-31-19, 9:45am
1. Lose the rest of the weight -- don't have that many more pounds to lose compared to what I've lost, but I want to finish it and get to my goal.
2. Finish remodeling our basement. It needs a reconfigure because the space is poorly used now and there are some cosmetic updates to apply.
3. Get back on my bicycle or address the physical reasons I can't (while we still have good medical coverage).
iris lilies
12-31-19, 11:35am
1) to complete sorting and purging 1/2 of my book collection. This year, just 1/2 is my goal.
2) to set up word processing on my Mac Pro and figure out how to use it in a basic way. Will need to transfer 100 files at some point. Ugh.
3) finish setting up Social Security income. Will turn that on some time in the next few months.
1- get to my weight goal
2- scan photographs gathering dust
3- go on at least 8 hikes
rosarugosa
12-31-19, 1:36pm
Pinkytoe: This is a bit of a digression, but can you please remind me why you moved initially? I think I would have a very tough time adjusting to a new place, so your postings about sense of place and where to live really sound like such a difficult thing to grapple with.
Teacher Terry
12-31-19, 1:57pm
Rosa, when younger I found moving exciting. Now I love the stability of living in one place with friends and family.
Move to the "new" laptop that I've had so long it's practically obsolete. In my defense, this one has been a workhorse and has outlived its life expectancy.
Continue with intermittent fasting (for the third year!), with ongoing tweaking. It's easy and saves me money and time.
Continue to downsize and organize. Ongoing, always.
Finish home improvement projects and list house for sale - find a ranch-style (no stairs!) to finish out in.
Finish home improvement projects and list house for sale - find a ranch-style (no stairs!) to finish out in.
Beckyliz, when house hunting look for an easy access front step as well. I am surprised at how much so-called senior condos etc have high steps going in and a few more of them once in the entryway. Wishing well in making the transition.
We wanted to retire but property taxes were so high where we lived that we made the decision to move out of state. It had been a life-long dream to live here anyway. Actually very exciting to move to someplace entirely different and "start over" - no regrets there but after a year here, DD became pregnant with twins and the call to return to family and familiarity looms large - especially as age encroaches. So, I would like to put the decision to bed in 2020.
Fyi, AARP has a list of aging in place improvements you can do. Here
https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html
Okay. I started this. What can I do today?
Inventory the seeds and figure out what to order or cull.
Call the college where we’re donating clothing for an address to mail them, as I’m a
most never in that part of the state.
Try, again, to find out what my publisher wants for a formatted edit?
Fyi, AARP has a list of aging in place improvements you can do. Here
https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html
Thanks, Pinkytoe. Good luck with the decision.
There are so many things that feel like they are never done. This is a good opportunity to think of a few things I can really remove from my list.
1. Repaint kitchen ceiling after the pressure cooker incident (already primed and patched texture).
2. Clean out front landscaping - I redid it about 5 years ago and some plants need to be moved or removed.
3. Purge the crawlspace - we used this for a lot of storage when we moved in and i've pared it down over time, but if something is in there I probably don't need it.
iris lilies
1-1-20, 1:09pm
There are so many things that feel like they are never done. This is a good opportunity to think of a few things I can really remove from my list.
1. Repaint kitchen ceiling after the pressure cooker incident (already primed and patched texture).
2. Clean out front landscaping - I redid it about 5 years ago and some plants need to be moved or removed.
3. Purge the crawlspace - we used this for a lot of storage when we moved in and i've pared it down over time, but if something is in there I probably don't need it.
The very idea of “pressure cooker incidents” scare me!
I do have one of the new Insta pots, got it at the thrift store, but I dont use it much. It is our rice cooker kept at our weekend house. I approach it with caution.
Teacher Terry
1-1-20, 1:20pm
I never buy kitchen gadgets anymore because I don’t use them enough.
iris lilies
1-1-20, 1:26pm
I never buy kitchen gadgets anymore because I don’t use them enough.
This year our regular blender broke, but because I had purchased an immersion blender at a yard sale just to try out,
i will not be replacing the big blender. So far I have not found anything that this stick/immersion blender won’t do for me.
I’m not in love with this Insta pot but I got it at a thrift store so it was worth trying and I needed a rice cooker for our second house.
Teacher Terry
1-1-20, 2:15pm
I don’t have a blender, mixer or rice pot. I cook rice on top the stove. The last 2 gadgets I had was a bread maker that I used for about a year and a grilling machine. Both are now gone.
iris lilies
1-1-20, 3:07pm
Oh but I love my rice cookers! Perfect rice every time, no boiling over mess. I set it and turn my back on it.
DH has gone through several bread makers in our marriage. He has not made bread for several years, but for a while there he made it weekly. Last bread maker came from a thrift store. They have been passé for so long now that I am not sure they are even found at thrift stores.there used to be a dozen of them at any one time.
packed away in our attic is a pasta maker and an ice cream maker. am not allowed to touch them to get rid of them!
Homemade ice cream is an amazing creation to enjoy. Drizzle over it some homemade raspberry coulis and heaven is here. Never get rid of the ice cream maker!
Teacher Terry
1-1-20, 4:44pm
The only thing I own now is a food processor and crockpot.
This year our regular blender broke, but because I had purchased an immersion blender at a yard sale just to try out,
i will not be replacing the big blender. So far I have not found anything that this stick/immersion blender won’t do for me.
LOVE my immersion blender!!! Don't have a regular blender any more.
I never buy kitchen gadgets anymore because I don’t use them enough.
We have to minimize our kitchen clutter because our kitchen is so small. Last year we had nothing--no gadgets except for my electric kettle and the microwave that came with the house. Not even a toaster.
I missed my crockpot terribly, and we learned that a toaster is a nice-to-have. Also, I started making healthy smoothies, so now we have a blender, and an immersion blender.
I think we're done with the gadgets. I can store the crockpot when it's not in use, but I do feel that adding the toaster and the blender steal valuable counter space.
I have a pathetic kitchen. The only appliance that I reserve counter space for is my Instant Pot, and I'm downsizing from a 6-qt. to a 3-qt, moving the larger one to a kitchen cart.
Teacher Terry
1-1-20, 6:55pm
I wasn’t counting my microwave or toaster since they are must haves.
I have a toaster but I do not leave it on the counter when not in use. My microwave is on a separate table not the counter.
Teacher Terry
1-1-20, 8:12pm
My microwave is over the stove. We use our toaster daily.
Jan 02,2020 Great idea for a thread!
Mind sound very familiar to several others but, they are
what I need to do.
--Lose that last 12 lbs then,
---No excuses left to not purge all my clothes
Clothes that don't fit now, did fit once, will never fit even with
a weight loss. And, besides that clothes I don't even like or feel
good in.
--do something with the 6 photo boxes of pictures.
There is more but, these are the most important.
I was slow to get a microwave, and soon gave it away. I've never used a crockpot. My thrifted toaster lives in a cabinet, and is rarely used. I may have some kind of toaster oven on the counter eventually.
Teacher Terry
1-2-20, 11:41am
I use my crockpot for spaghetti sauce, stews and roast with potatoes and veggies.
I use my crockpot for spaghetti sauce, stews and roast with potatoes and veggies.
I use the Instant Pot for that kind of thing; I'm impatient that way. :)
Teacher Terry
1-2-20, 12:49pm
Any difference between the two of them besides the speed?
I thin the instant pot is a small pressure cooker where a crockpot is a simmer cooker? Might affect texture and taste? But I do not really know.
Any difference between the two of them besides the speed?
The Instant Pot can saute' and steam, as well as having a slow-cooking mode. It is basically a pressure cooker with multiple options.
1. I want to finish my remaining house in Bisbee. I think I may be ready to get down to one piece of real estate, the lure of having all my possessions and responsibilities within 20 yards of my fingertips is huge. What I'm sick and tired of is hearing myself say, "I have to finish the house before I can make a decision." Ok, fine, Karen, so finish it!
2. Part of this is that if I'm ready to sell this house, I have to figure out what to do with my possessions - the things I own don't fit in one home. I have plenty of things I don't care about at all that should be easy to choose between or get rid of, but doing "kon mari" has also made me aware of how many things I actually use and/or cherish, even as I struggle with my dislike of clutter. It's time to figure this out.
3. In 2018 I put in a lot of effort and experimentation to get my weight down. In 2019, I let that all go. I still believe in the possibility of a balance between discipline and auto-pilot that works - perhaps not optimal health or appearance, but an improvement. I've got a lot of knowledge stored up, I really want to sort it out.
Teacher Terry
1-2-20, 6:20pm
Lib, so after selling one house you still have more than one? Do you have a spouse that is part of the problem? Seems like you have a lot of stuff. Maybe decide what’s most important. Read the book cleaning at the speed of life. It’s really helpful.
Oh, my geographic cure is legend. I had two houses in Bisbee. We moved to Tucson and the market was terrible so we kept them. Then a piece of raw property came on the market and there were dreams of living back to the land in the center of a city, til reality intruded. So there are two issues ... me not running away from my present by imagining a new house = a new life, and the fact that I inherited half a house full of lovely mid century teak furniture when my mother moved to a small retirement apartment. I suddenly have furnishings I really do value, enough for two smallish houses. I'm not in love with our current house, and one solution would be to find the forever house, big enough for the best of the furniture, but I'm a bit gun shy, as my focus has been on downsizing. So my goals, as you can see, are basically about setting myself up to make choices without repeating mistakes I've already made.
1. Dispose of the old electronics, this includes a desktop computer with monitor and several laptops
2. Clear out the basement storage unit. Apartment is doing work in the basement this year so we have no choice
3. Finish all the unfinished projects. This includes 1 quilt, a suit for husband, a sweater, and a hat/mittens/scarf set
I would like to finish getting the "outside" to match the "inside". We did a big re-do of our kitchen/bathrooms/living room over the last two years. New paint/flooring/furniture/decor. We hadn't done anything major to the house in the 20+ years we lived there because we had two growing boys who always needed something, my husband's need for more and more hot rods, and just plain laziness. Got to the point where we were embarrassed for people to come over because it looked so bad. Whenever I cleaned, I would tell my husband that I was "polishing a turd" because no matter how clean it was, it still looked bad.
After the re-do, our house looks like it came from the pages of a magazine and we are thrilled. So, I'd like to keep my "surroundings" matching how I feel inside. Organized and uncluttered. It gives me peace. That is why I was so happy yesterday that I finally got to declutter my desk at work. I came in this morning and didn't dread having to sit at my desk with all those "things" around me and crowding my space.
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