Prepping in January

I know some people hit January 1st with all their ducks in a row, their goals made and start on all the new things for the new year. Well I applaud them. I take January to get lined up for the upcoming year. I don’t want to distract from Christmas working on all this stuff and that one week in between is just not enough to get it all done. So I give myself a little grace and take January to make my new year plans and get myself lined up for success.

Today, I am sharing a few of those prep things in case they are helpful to you.

First, I take a fresh look at the budget. We decide on any big purchases, trips or anything else we want to save for and set up our budget to accommodate. If you want to make a difference in your budgeting, now is a good time to set your plans for the year. I did a post on things that work for us that you can read here if you are interested.

The next prep is updating my prayer list. All year I am scribbling new entries and by year end it can get pretty messy. Plus, it is always fun to see how God has answered so many too. So this time of year I just re-write my prayer list and things I want to focus on.

You can see the book on the left is the one I have used the last couple of years. The new one is on the right.

And then I get my calendar out and address birthday cards for the whole year. I found this set on Amazon this year and I LOVE it. It is 100 unique cards with very general sayings. The quality is fantastic. I may have ordered two sets of these. But it makes the year so much easier when I can check the basket each Monday and see what needs to go into the mail, rather than scrambling to go pick up a card at the last minute. Honestly, if I didn’t plan ahead…..there are a lot of people who would not get a card.

Then, of course, I grab a notebook and write every present I have to buy this year…..all the birthdays, Valentines, Easter, Mother’s/Father’s Day and Christmas. I found this one that has Merry Christmas on it at Hobby Lobby after all the holiday stuff was marked down 75%. You can use any notebook you have. I list everyone’s name and then as I find things I can put them in the gift closet and jot it in my book. This way I don’t over buy for people and I can get ahead on shopping. And, yes, I may already have some Christmas gifts purchased and listed. Do not roll your eyes, you see how fast January went by. It really is not too early 🙂

I have also made a list of things I just want to accomplish this year. Having things jotted down helps me stay on track.

So that is how I am setting myself up for a successful 2022. It is not too late, come on and join in.

If you have any tips for us, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Hope you have a great week!