A Year of Consolidating

For us here in our neck of the woods, 2013 is all about consolidating - what we have, where we are, letting things just 'be' for a while. Allowing changes to bed in. Oh and becoming parents, that's kinda huge, and a large part of why we're not focusing on doing too much in other areas of life.

I remember last January [2012] we decided we were staying home for the month. Before that, we'd had a busy period with lots of little quick trips away and day trips here and there, and it was fun, but it was draining and expensive at the same time. So we said, right, in January, we're staying home. Weekends will be spent around the house, working in the garden, just relaxing a bit more. Less hustle and bustle. And it worked, and it was good. So we're kinda extending that philosophy to the whole of 2013.

The first quarter of the year hasn't been all that quiet, which we knew was going to be the case, what with getting married and all, having some work done on the house [a kitchen upgrade is coming!] and getting our house all ready for the arrival of baby. We've had plenty of running around trying to buy the furniture and baby gear that we need, which usually involves a 2.5 hour return trip in the car. Plus trying to fit in too many things while we're in a big town. Thankfully I think we're done with that, I definitely am!

But now I think we can ease off a bit. Stay home more. Spend less time in the car, spend less money on fuel. Focus on the simple things in life - eating good food, settling into daily rhythms, enjoy having a cup of tea together. Talk about our plans for the future, dream of having a stall at the local farmers markets. Making our house comfortable for ourselves. Continuing to chip away at our garden. Family outings to collect firewood to keep us warm over winter. Knitting and crocheting together [how sweet is that!].

It will good for us financially too, to stay home a bit more this year. We're watching our budget a bit more closely than we have in the past, and thinking about what we really want out of life, what is worth spending money on and what isn't. We came to the conclusion that a kitchen upgrade was worth spending money on, which definitely leaves less spare cash for other activities during the year. It will be good for us though, to find ways of entertaining ourselves and still having adventures on a limited budget. We will focus on the important things like spending time together, rather than just 'spending'.

It's funny but I'm very excited about having a year of consolidating. I think I must be tired, from lots of years running around here and there, so the prospect of not having to be in too many different places this year is something of a relief. Like when you have a big *sigh* and allow yourself to relax. Not everything has to happen at once; taking stock of where we are is good. I'm really motivated for 2013 and our plans to stay home.

What are your big plans for 2013?