149. My 2015 Goals & Resolutions

Hello lovelies.

I'm a little late to the 2015 party but hello, welcome, enjoy! Today I'm going to share my 2015 goals and resolutions - better late than never, right? 

Some are very common resolutions that many people will share, whilst others are a bit more specific. If you've read my previous post about my big announcement you'll understand why there aren't any expensive or particularly adventurous/risky goals for this year as I'm going to be a little bit preoccupied...

Learn to drive

This has been on my New Years Resolution list for, hmm, 5 years now? This year I'm determined to fulfill it. My mum has promised me her car (as she is getting a new one next month) if I pass, and having an extra addition to our family has made me desperate to have a car so that we can take trips to the beach, or even just to make getting around that little bit easier. I start my driving lessons again next week and hope to be passed before my bump begins to get in the way!

Eat healthier

As I'm pregnant, I'm obviously not aiming to lose weight currently so I didn't want that to be my goal. I'd simply like to eat and live in a healthier way both for myself and for the baby. I'm aiming to do this by simply cutting out the crap - takeaways, chocolate, general junk. I've ditched the alcohol of course so my diet and portion size, as well as upping my exercise regime, are my next goals. I was really inspired by the beautiful Georgina's #StellaShapeUp challenge, which you can read about here.

Always remove make-up before bed

I'm so bad at this. I'd say I sleep with my make-up on every other night; sometimes I just can't be bothered, sometimes I can't find my face wipes or Micellar water and sometimes I just forget. My skin has been pretty temperamental lately (probably due to all my hormones) so I need to try and avoid any more breakouts, and I think that taking my make-up off before bed will aid this. 

Don't waste money

I'm terrible for nipping out on my lunch break to browse the shops and coming back half an hour later having spent £30 on stuff that I just did. not. need. Namely nail polish, lipsticks, bottles of fizzy drinks, random items of clothing and cookbooks. S and I are saving like mad at the moment for our upcoming house move and our new arrival, so every penny counts. I'm hoping to combat this bad habit by avoiding the shops on my break and prioritising my money better.

Do more fun stuff

Ask anyone, I constantly complain of being 'bored' or having nothing to do. Just check my Twitter feed for the proof. I live in a relatively small town in a rural area and don't drive so my options are - at first glance - limited, but I know that with a bit of imagination and some forward planning I can find new things to do. I've already come up with a list of hobbies that I'd love to develop so I'll be looking into them and sharing my findings with you over the next couple of weeks.

Complain less

This is pretty self explanatory. I complain a lot. I always seem to find something negative in everything and this is not only a bad habit but a personality trait that I want to do away with. I feel so bad for S and everyday I'm moaning about one thing or another, no matter how trivial, so I'm going to try to bite my tongue and think of something positive or grateful to say rather than something critical and negative.

Take better care of myself

I mean this in both a physical and emotional sense. As mentioned earlier, I want to improve my health and my skin, have more fun and be less negative - all of these things, plus extras such as spending more time with friends and family, taking time out to just relax and pamper myself and doing what I want, will help towards a feeling of happiness and general well-being.

Read all the books on my to read shelf

Before buying any more books, I'd like to get through to 30 or so books that I've accumulated over the last couple of years. I'm an avid reader anyway and I'm always part way through a book, but I tend to pick up new books or borrow them from friends before looking at the books I already have, so I aim to work my way through (and probably review many of) the books on my shelves this year.

Cook or bake 52 new recipes

Have you ever seen the film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep? It's about a young woman who feels bored and trapped in the monotony of her life; inspired by her favourite cook - Julia Childs - she takes on the challenge of cooking her way through one of Julia's cookbooks, and blogging about it, in just a year. It inspired me to try some new recipes this year. I love cooking and baking so this one should be fun as well as a challenge. 52 recipes obviously works out as one a week and I'll aim to share them with you on here - so far I've not tried anything new but I'm hoping to cook up a storm next week with one of Jamie Oliver's recipes.

Go on holiday

Whether it's a weekend away before the baby arrives, a mid-week break with the baby in tow or a night away in a fancy hotel as a little break from sleep-interrupted nights whilst the baby stays with family, I think it's important that S and I pamper ourselves a little bit this year as it's going to be a busy one. We had an amazing holiday last year and a fun one the year before, so I think I'd be a bit gutted if we didn't get one this year too. 

What did you think of my resolutions?

Are any of them the same as yours?

If you've written a post about your goals and resolutions for 2015, please let me know as I'd love to read them.