2023 New Year’s Resolutions

Photo credit: @quebeccite

Hi, it’s me. A terribly delinquent blogger who likes to pop back up just for new year’s resolution posts. I love list-making so putting together a resolution post always appeals to me. This year I’m keeping it to a minimum to leave a little more breathing room and time for spontaneity.

1. Donate blood at least 3 times.

I used to be really great about going consistently, but covid tripped me up. This year I’m aiming to visit the Red Cross at least 3 times. It’s free, easy, and feels great to know you’re potentially helping to save a life. According to the Red Cross, “Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation.”

If you’re inspired to join in, you can make an appointment here.

2. Visit Quebec at the holidays

Celebrate the holidays early with a trip to Quebec! 🎄 We’re planning an early Christmas trip to Canada (Kyle has never been, and it’ll be another country off of his list). Every year the holidays come around and Quebec looks like a winter wonderland, and we’ve always wanted to go – so this is the year! If you’ve been and have any recommendations about what to do or where to eat, I’d love to hear them.

3. Organize my passwords.

This is a project that’s been on my list for a long time, but is *happening* in 2023. Currently my passwords are scattered throughout various notebooks and computer docs and I’ve wasted so much time searching every time I need a login. I went with this password book, and I absolutely love it. It has alphabetized sections and is spiral bound, so that it lays flat for easy writing. I went with the largest width, ⅞” – so that I can fit all of my info in one book.

Photo credit: @annee.gl beach in Costa Rica

4. Plan a 2 week trip with Kyle.

As a part of his job, Kyle has to take a full 2 weeks off back to back. Every year we use the opportunity for bigger trips, like our 2022 trip to Berlin, Munich and Croatia. We’re having a really difficult time settling on a destination for 2023 so if you have recommendations, I’m all ears. A few contenders right now are Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Portugal.

5. Max out my IRA at $6,500 by July 1st, 2023.

Boring, boring, but it makes the list every year. In 2023, contribution limits are increasing from $6,000 to $6,500 for IRAs (and from $20,500 to $22,500 for 401k’s if you have one). I like to challenge myself to hit the limit within the first half of the year for the double benefit of more time in the market and that’s it’s checked off the list early.

6. Hang photos & artwork.

Admittedly, our walls are pretty bare. I like to keep things clean, minimalist, and simple but it feels like we need to add a little something. Right now I have my eye on this Good Day print, and something from the shutterandframe etsy shop, like their Forest Photo Print or . I’ll definitely be adding in some family photos too, and I like to use Framebridge for framing (especially since now they have a physical location in Boston).

Tell me, what’s on your list of resolutions for the new year? Let me know so I can cheer you on!