Some Goals for 2006

Its that time again. Here are some of the things that top our list of things we'd like to accomplish in the new year.

First, I want to pay off all of our debt, (excluding the mortgages). We kept having runs of big expenses in 2005. They always came in bunches. You know the kind, you just spend $1000 on a car, then an $800 medical bill arrives, followed by a $1200 car repair. I want all that gone! We've mapped it out and should have it paid off by November. As soon as that's paid off, we'll shift into paying off the mortgages early.

Second, I want to continue to prep our cabin for our eventual permanent move there. There are repairs that need to be done and space/storage issues to work out (our house is about 1,800 square feet, the cabin is just 1,000) but mainly I'm talking about more plantings. This year we put in the currant bushes. I'd like to add something like that each year, so that by the time we make the move, we have well established, productive fruit bushes. This year, I'm hoping to add gooseberries and possibly blueberries. What I actually add will depend on how productive a plant is and how shade/acidic soil tolerant it is.

When I get dejected about the size of the land (its measured in feet rather than acres) and its ability to produce food, I draw inspiration from my great aunts. Behind their apartment house in Brooklyn, they had planted an incredible garden of tomatoes, peppers, fig trees and heaven knows what else all in a plot of land considerably smaller than ours.

Third, I want to continue to simplify and declutter the house. I'm a packrat at heart.

On a personal level, I'd like to finally get my website up and running. I've got the domain name, now I just need to get my butt in gear and actually put something together in Frontpage. I'm toying with a lot of different ideas that I'd like to explore but I need to get that website going first!

Tomorrow, I'll look back at our goals for 2005 and how we did.