My goals for 2015

In the past I tended not to make resolutions or set goals at the start of the calendar year; as a teacher, September is much more redolent of new beginnings (and anyway, it's so much easier to make positive changes when the sun is still shining than in this dark, cold days of deepest winter). However, at the start of 2014 I wrote a list of 10 goals for the year as part of the #52lists project (which seemed to peter out halfway through the year) and it turned out to be the only list of goals I ever completed! Maybe there's something to this whole new year thing after all.

After the enormous adventures and changes of 2013, 2014 was an altogether calmer and more stable year. However, 2015 promises upheavals: at work, as my school merges with a neighbouring one; at home, as The Boy completes his PhD and begins looking for an academic job; family-wise, as my extended maternal family converge on Canada for a reunion (all 40+ of us). The goals that I've set, then, reflect the fact that this probably won't be an easy year. I'll need to make time for myself and the things I enjoy doing, ensure that we're in a good financial place to deal with possible short-term unemployment, spend time on the relationships that strengthen me.

1. See more of my mum, and my family generally.
Both this goal and #3 reflect the fact that 2014 was mostly about one person - The Boy. After a long time in a long distance relationship, we made the most of living in the same place last year. 2015 needs to be the year I reach out again to see more of the people I'm closest to.
2. Swim and walk more.
My natural state is one of extreme indolence interrupted by bursts of energy, which I tend to channel into doing things around the house (baking, tidying, making stuff). I always feel amazing when I get some 'proper' exercise but yet I'm terrible at actually getting myself out of the house to do so. I walk a lot to get me around, but I want to do more 'proper' walking in the countryside this year, which is a hobby that's fallen by the wayside in the past couple of years.
3. Dedicate time to friends, both old and new. 
See #1.
4. Continue the spending ban.
At the moment I have four major life goals, and all of them involve money:
- Become debt free;
- Have a lovely wedding to The Boy;
- Go back to university to study for an MA;
- Pay for my mum and I to visit South Africa together in 2018, to celebrate my 40th (gulp) and her 70th.
The only realistic way to achieve any of those goals is to save, save, save instead of spending all my cash. So the spending ban continues until the end of January, after which I'm going to tweak the rules slightly but then continue with it in some form for the rest of the year. Char is doing a complete spending ban this year, which is amazing!
5. Have one night a week that's gadget- and TV-free.
Self-explanatory really. Both The Boy and I love to draw, read and play games but - reading aside - we rarely make time to do so. Having one 'switch-off' a week will give us time to do the things we enjoy without the lure of "just one more episode of Buffy...".
6. Write a will.
Although we're planning a wedding we have no desire to get legally married, which makes it all the more important that we have wills. I also want to set up power of attorney; after seeing the chaos lack of it can cause when a friend of my mum's had a stroke this year, I'm all the more determined to get it sorted.
7. Look into becoming a Nightstop host.
Nightstop are an organisation that provide short-term emergency accommodation for young people who have been made homeless. I'd first read about them in The Guardian last year and thought, "I've got a spare room - maybe I could do that in future." When, this weekend, I saw on Twitter the story of a young trans teen who'd been thrown out of home just for being trans, I became all the more determined to do something. Luckily The Boy is completely on board and so we've just started the process of volunteering.
8. Finish the zine I started working on last year.
I was so excited to get this started and then my enthusiasm sort of fizzled out. Definitely top of the list to do on one of our switch-off evenings.
9. Go to a clothes swap.
Self-explanatory this one. I had a few planned to go to last year and it never happened. The Wardrobe Angel and I are also considering trying to set up an online bloggers clothes swap - give me a shout if you're interested in being involved.
10. Make more.
I want to take part in more craft swaps (I'm starting with Hannah's #DICraft Swap this month) and do another Week of Making, as well as doing more sewing on my days off. I've also promised Sarah something for Baby Rooftops... better get sewing!