Keep reading to find out how I did:
1. Work fewer hours.
Last year, I worked 50 hours a week, taught 6 classes a day, and didn't have a library assistant. It was a tough year, but I learned to work smarter. I learned to prioritze, maximize my planning period, and utilize my parent volunteers and Junior Librarians. This year, due to increased student enrollment and funding, I've been blessed with a full-time assistant who runs the library, so I can focus on teaching. As a result, at least three days a week, I leave school when the bell rings at 2:45, so I can pick up Savannah when she wakes up from her nap at 3:00.
2. Exercise.
I still find it challenging to make exercise a priority. I work out consistently for a couple weeks. I lose a few pounds. Then, life gets busy or stressful. I get lazy or tired. I gain a few pounds. Having a home gym makes exercising easier, but it's not a cure-all. The biggest obstacle in this scenario is me and my lack of discipline...something to work on in 2014.
3. Pay down debt.
Last year I mentioned that Tal and I had paid off $72,000 in debt in 5.5 years. It hasn't been fun. It hasn't been easy. We're still paying off Tal's grad school loan and look forward to being debt free. We're throwing extra money from tax refunds, overtime pay, etc. towards paying down our debt faster.
The good news is that 2013 was our best year financially to-date. Our household income increased around 20% due to my National Boards pay raise, as well as Tal's salary increase and overtime pay. Because of the Lord's blessings, we've been throwing extra money towards our debt. (If you follow Dave Ramsey, you know that he recommends increasing your income in order to pay off your debt faster.)
4. Scale back home improvement/decorating projects.
To be honest, I don't think Tal and I did fewer/less expensive projects in 2013. However, we did accomplish many of our home goals for the year. Read my 2013 House Projects Review post for a summary of the projects we worked on this year.
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