2014 - Promises to Try

It's that time of year again and I'm rather excited too.  I started writing these Promises to Try back in the winter of 2010 and each year I have set the bar a little higher than the last... and each year I do my best to rise to the challenge.  This year will be no different.  So without further ado, let's see what I've got planned for 2014!

1. With the exception of the car, pay off all outstanding debts.  I want to pay off everything we have financed.  I'd love to pay off the car too but it's just too big right now to consider.  I totally believe that if I budget things correctly, the furniture and the computer can be totally paid off this year.
2. Figure out how to do charted color work in crochet.  I attempted it a few weeks ago and my snowflake looked more like an ink blot test than anything else.  There is a trick to it that I have yet to master but I will figure it out this year and use the new skill to make myself something awesome.
3. Save at least 5% of our paychecks each pay period.  I know we can do it since we came so close to our goal last year.  Plus, our bills have gone down with our family downsizing to one car back in November and I've managed to lower our electric bill this past year by 60% so I think we can move up to the percentage plan for savings now.
4. Read 6 books this year.  I had a goal this past year of reading 12 books but it was unobtainable because I think it was slightly unrealistic, plus I went to back to work, but I did managed to complete 5 books so I'm going to push myself to make a little more time to read.
5. Find a work/chore/play balance in my life.  It's hard to do chores all morning, each lunch, and then go to work until midnight each night.  It feels as though I have no time to 'play' so I then got into a bad habit of tipping the scales in the opposite direction until I couldn't stand it and felt like no one was helping to pitch in which is just toxic in and of itself.  I will find a way to bring a better balance to things this year.  It will take a bit of trial and error, I'm sure, but the end result will be harmony.

I think those are some pretty awesome goals to strive for in 2014.  They give me just enough of a challenge that I will have to work for them but they aren't so outrageous that I will feel like a failure by March... and isn't that the key to making Promises to Try anyway?  This year, I'm going to do my best to keep a running tab of sorts to chart my progress.  I haven't decided if I'm going to do it weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly yet.  I like the idea of keeping myself accountable more often to help keep me focused and on track.

What about you - what promises are you going to make this year?