Voices of MainStreet: Lisa Rae Rosenberg

Plans? Oh, I’ve Got Some Plans…

Dec. 28, 2010

We make New Year’s resolutions in our family. My husband and I write down a list of goals and then put it away and don’t refer back to it until the following year. We are usually surprised to see just how many of those things we have accomplished. There seems to be some magic in taking the first steps of saying the goals out loud and then writing them down. The action follows from there.

1. I will spend less time reading blogs about simplicity and minimalism and more time actually throwing crap away.

Ah, the garage: my secret shame. Just last summer our garage was organized. In the past few months, our items have spun out of control (all by themselves, I swear). Our garage is now six cats shy of a hoarder’s storage space. It’s time to clean it out and pull it back together.

2. I will spend more time with people and less time with electronics.

This includes, television, the Internet and my beloved iPhone. I am fortunate to have plenty of amazing people in my life. I will make the time to tell them so and put a time cap on my daily electronic life.

3. I will eat less meat.

This is a planned money saver. We are also counting down the days until our sensitive 4-year-old realizes that meat doesn’t come from “the burger tree” (his idea) but rather from those sweet, big-eyed creatures at the petting zoo farm. We are prepping for the inevitable, light ovo-lacto vegetarianism in time for our son to start kindergarten.

4. I will give more.

I had the opportunity to visit with some veterans in the hospice ward at the VA Hospital this holiday season. It was a lovely reminder that giving my time can be just as important as giving money to those in need, and the new folks I met were fantastic.

5. I will save more.

Using an online bank, we recently set up numerous specific accounts for different expenses such as: medical, travel and our emergency fund. It’s like the old-school envelope system except the envelopes are floating around somewhere in cyberspace.

6. I will spend less.

I recently read about the concept of viewing money as boxed up time. I plan to put more thought and care into how I spend both my money and my time. I will spend a few days writing down how I spend my discretionary time and money and see where the holes in the box are.

7. I will pay off debt.

I’ve been following the story of a couple who managed to live so far below their means that they came out of grad school with no debt, then went on to pay cash for a house. Cash ... for a house. Truly inspirational. No credit cards this year. We’re going all cash.

8. I will do more of the good stuff.

I will remember to stop everyday and ask myself what the best moment was of the last 24 hours, and then do more of whatever that was. Good stuff, indeed.

—Lisa is a former comedy writer for television. She now writes about her funny family at her blog Smacksy.com.