Resolutions, Part One

Last night I went out to dinner with girlfriends and almost ordered a cup of sugar and a stick of butter. Clearly, I have work to do in the health area, and I’ll be making some resolutions about that as soon as I figure out what will mesh best with my writing life.

The resolution that I’ve been thinking about for awhile and wondering “Can I do it?” is “No new clothes in 2011.” No jeans, no pjs, no socks, no cute tops, no shoes or boots or sandals. No coats, no purses, no umbrellas, no jewelry. The reaction I’ve gotten to this from the people I’ve told is along the lines of WTF? Even my husband wondered why I’d make that resolution–and doubted I could keep it.

The reason behind making this resolution is complicated. One, I won’t be working, so there goes my clothing budget. But also, when I think back to how I spent my paychecks in previous years, way too much of it went to clothes. So I have a ton of things to wear. Maybe ten pair of jeans. Yoga pants galore. Dressy slacks. Pretty t-shirts, sweaters, and tunics. I really don’t need anything, and I want to see if I can be less materialistic in 2011 instead of using spending as a way to boost my ego and/or energy. I’m not a huge shopper anyway. But I’ve noticed in the last few years, more and more, I wanted new clothes so I could have a new mood. Now my closets and drawers are jam packed and I’m still the same old me.

So for me that’s a big resolution. Another one is to learn how to self-publish on Create Space and get a novel or two out there into the world all by my own self. Daunting  but absolutely exciting. And I’ll be blogging about it, too. In case, you know, you have similar aspirations for the new year.