Search Results

Sometimes the best gift is a little luck! Whether someone is starting a new job or buying a new house—a little luck goes a long way. Various cultures and countries have attributed symbols with good luck for all occasions. From new love to new homes, here are some unique ways to give a little luck as a big gift. Elephants Elephant statues with their trunks facing upwards are considered to be very lucky and bring good fortune to the family. Elephants with their trunks upwards and standing on the rear legs represent power and protection. Two elephants crossing their trunks signifies bonding and friendship. If one of the elephants has a tusk and the other does not, it signifies a healthy relationship between males and females [source]. This beautiful bracelet is lovely and delicate enough to be worn to every occasion where someone might need a little luck on their side. Lady Bug Historically and cross-culturally, ladybugs are believed to be talismans of luck. Some believe that, if a ladybug lands on you, you should count the number of spots to predict how many years of good luck you'll have. Many think the spots indicate the number of months until your greatest wish comes true [source]. This luxury beauty line’s perfect red in Lady Bug Warm Coral is the perfect dose of confidence and good luck! Surrat Beauty's power lipstick would make a great gift for anyone who needs a little extra of both! Four Leaf Clover Four-leaf clovers commonly appear in centuries-old legends as symbols of good luck. The Druids (Celtic priests), in the early days of Ireland, believed that when they carried a three-leaf clover or shamrock, they could see evil spirits coming and have a chance to escape in time. Four-leaf clovers were Celtic charms, presumed to offer magical protection and ward off bad luck. Children in the Middle Ages believed if they carried a four-leaf clover, they would be able to see fairies, and the first literary reference to suggest their good fortune was made in 1620 by Sir John Melton [source]. For any gift recipient that needs a constant reminder of just how lucky they are this clover object is the perfect daily desk reminder that they are luck or that they can make their own luck! Horseshoe Good luck is also attributed to horseshoes because being a blacksmith was considered a lucky trade. Additionally, iron was deemed magical because it could withstand fire. You may also notice that on most horseshoes (and maybe even on horseshoe jewelry) have seven nails in them. Seven has always been referred to as a lucky number [source]. This neutral interior accent is perfect for binging good luck to any home. Hung on the wall or decorating a coffee table atop a few books, this brings good luck and good style. Penny According to one theory, people originally thought pennies would bring good luck because of religious beliefs. Folklore from ancient civilizations said metals—like copper—were gifts from gods intended to protect people from evil. Another reason people might have claimed pennies would bring good luck comes down to the battle between good and evil, which is like two sides of the coin. Finding a penny heads up meant you'd have luck on your side, but tails up would mean the opposite, although the exact reasoning for this is unknown [source]. Giving this sweet key chain is the perfect way of giving a little luck to tuck in their pocket or wish a couple good luck in love. Pineapple The sound of the Chinese word for pineapple is close to the sound of “good luck coming your way,” so the pineapple has become a popular traditional feng shui symbol of wealth, fortune, and prosperity [source]. Give a little luck to a recipient with a new house or apartment this pretty yet useful cocktail shaker is perfect on it’s own or paired with your gift recipient’s favorite spirit. Very Happy (Lucky) Gifting! … VHM

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up an in honor of the green theme, we’re listing some great gift resources for florists that will ship plant gifts! Flowers are a beautiful addition to any home but there are those who want a little something different. If you have a recipient that loves plants, could use a more permanent addition to their home or just prefers their flora with less, well… flowers then let this be your go to list! Leaf and Clay The wide array of succulent and cactus plants makes Leaf and Clay a great option for anyone who loves a unique garden that really makes a statement. The Sill A great selection of beautiful plants are paired with elegant yet modern planters that makes any gift from The Sill a showstopper for a gift recipient’s desk, living room or you know, window sill! Bloomscape For plants with a little more size and scale, Bloomscape offers larger gifts. Including the ever popular Fiddle Fig Leaf tree that adorns just about every home on Instagram. Leon And George For the interior design obsessed, Leon and George has you covered. You can search by interior including small spaces, offices and safe for pets to make sure you’re gifting the perfect plant. Lula’s Garden When it comes to gifting packaging is half the battle, cue Lula’s Garden where a darling plant meets adorable packaging, perfect to gift—right now! Any of these options would be great for the person in your life who loves a little (or a lot) of green! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Sometimes we get stuck in a routine and it can be hard to keep the excitement for everyday activities. Changing things up keeps you on your toes and add a little excitement to your month! These activities are great to do on your own, with a friend or a significant other. 1 Easter Prep For me planning and dreaming is always one of the most fun parts of any activity. All of the anticipation and the work that goes into an event makes it that much better! This year Easter is on Sunday, April 4th so it’s just around the corner! Have you started your preparations yet? If not, here are some questions to get you thinking! Who’s getting an Easter basket this year? What are you filling your Easter baskets with this year? Have you thought about what is going to be served for Easter brunch or Easter dinner? 2 Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a Green Theme Green is the color of St. Patrick’s Day, and besides dressing in head to toe green, what if you ate green too? Keep that new years resolution to eat healthier throughout the year this March. Here are some healthy ideas for a green menu this St. Patrick’s Day. Breakfast: Avocado Toast w/ Green Tea Lunch: Green Salad w/ Green Smoothie Dinner: Zucchini Noodle Pasta w/ muddled mint lemonade (vodka optional) 3 Celebrate the Time Change Time is precious, so why not celebrate it? On Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 2:00 A.M. On Saturday night, before going to bed, set your clocks forward one hour (i.e., losing one hour) to “spring ahead.” Yes we are loosing an hour but let’s say goodbye to it in style, go for a walk around sunset or if your weather permits, have a sunset picnic as a reminder to make the most of the time you’ve got! 4 Have a Staycation or Plan a Vacation for Spring Break If you are going on vacation this spring then it’s time to start planning your get away! If not, dream up a vacation and start planning it for the next time you’re able to get out of town! If neither option work for you then it’s time to start having a stay-cation! How great would a little romantic staycation be? Treat yourself and your loved one to an at-home hotel stay! Can you serve them “room service” aka breakfast in bed? Can you go to the “hotel spa” aka sheet masks with cucumber water? Think about how you can create that same experience in your own home! 5 Buy new rain gear April showers bring May Flowers, so get ahead of the game and double check that rain gear! How are those rain boots doing? Do you have a good rain jacket? You know one that is spring-time weight that will keep you warm but not too warm? Do a little spring shopping! Celebrate Everyday! ... VHM

Every month I come across new things that are great on their own or as gifts. Every great find can be turned into a great gift if it’s for the right person! Keeping your mind open when you find something great is the key to being a great gift giver! Throughout last month I found some great snacks that can not only make a really cute gift when packaged the right way but will also help you stay in shape whenever those snack cravings hit. 1. Kiss My Keto Keto Granola What’s special about this granola is that it has all the good stuff, it’s gluten free, no added sugar… and my favorite only 10g of carbs (3g Net Carbs). It may not seem like anything special but with other granolas you can expect up to 50g of carbohydrates per serving. Luckily, this granola is so tasty you don’t miss any of the carbs. With a variety of flavors to choose from, this brand of granola tastes great on yogurt, as cereal, on fruit bowls—everything! 2. Quest Hero Bars If you’ve ever tried protein bars you know that finding a delicious flavors is a scavenger hunt for the taste buds but once you’ve found your “bar” it’s your bar! The Quest Hero Bar comes in different flavors but I have yet to find one that I don’t like. These high protein, low sugar bars taste like rice crispy treats flavored with blubbery cobbler or chocolate caramel pecan, mmmmm! 3. Smart Sweets If your sweet tooth craves candy but you’re trying to cut back on sugar, then this brand of sweets is perfect for you! Chewy and sweet this is the perfect substitute for your classic childhood favorite. 4. Skinny Pop Skinny Pop is already a cult favorite, so there’s no need to go into detail about how light yet delicious it is, but what I’ve recently discovered the microwave bags of Skinny Pop. For so long I’ve enjoyed skinny pop in the pre-portioned individual bags but now, to have the ability to have HOT Skinny Pop—bring on the Netflix! 5. Birch Benders What I love about these brownies are that they are in individual servings. If portion control is an issue for you, like it is for me, these are individually packed and the perfect size for decedent yet decent sized dessert. These snacks can make great additions to an Easter basket or even as a housewarming present to bring over so that the new home owners have snacks while they’re unpacking. One cute way of packing these up as a great gift is to add them to snack containers to help add a chic organizational touch to a kitchen or pantry. Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

We all love Pinterest! And if you’re not on Pinterest let me convince you in this post to start your account. Pinterest is a visual search engine where you can search for answers through images. Searches like “gifts for mom” or “gifts for Father’s Day” will yield great ideas for your gift giving holidays and events but how are you keeping track of all of these great ideas? If you don’t have a strategy or are still pinning all of your pins to your general board, I’m here to help you with the perfect Pinterest gifting strategy. 1. Pin from everywhere We all dedicate time on Pinterest to searching for images and pinning them to their boards which is great. However, don’t forget to pin your inspiring images that you see on Instagram, blogs and websites. If you’re browsing a store’s website while buying something for yourself and you come across a great gift idea, pin it. If you haven’t downloaded the Pinterest pin button to your browser, make sure to do that so you can quickly and easily add any image to your boards. This will save the link and image so you can come back to it at any time, like when you’re gift shopping! Any time you come across something interesting that you think someone in your life will love, save that image because you won’t remember to head back to that website when the holidays roll around. 2. Create general boards Now that you’re pinning from every site you visit on the internet, you’re going to need a way to organize all these pins. Create general boards for the gift ideas you are finding. I like to have “Gift ideas” board for items that I think are great but I don’t know who I’d give it to as a gift. I also like to have a “Gifts for Women” and a “Gifts for Men” board to keep general male and female gifts. Did you see a great shaving kit that would be great for someone, but you’re not sure who—save it to your “Gifts for Men” board. Did you come across a beautiful scarf but you’re not sure which lovely lady in your life is going to receive it—pin it to your “Gifts for Women” board. 3. Create Specific Boards Even though you have general boards for different types of recipients in your life, such as men, women, children etc., now it’s time to create boards for each person on your gift list, from your mom to your mail carrier. Then as you find gifts on Pinterest or see images of items that might work for each recipient, save it to their board. This comes in handy when it’s time to shop for any or all of your gift recipients for any occasion. A scroll of images on anyone’s board will bring so many ideas for Christmas presents, birthdays and so much more! You can always check out VHM’s Pinterest page for great gift ideas for any occasion and every recipient. So until your next gift giving occasion, keep pinning to find the perfect gift! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Beautiful paper and ribbon make the stunning gifts. They look great under the Christmas tree, for birthdays and every other notable event but sometimes you want to add a little something extra to the present. May I offer stickers as a suggestion? Stickers on a wrapped present can add a special touch to a gift. Smiley faces on a child’s boldly colored wrapping paper immediately makes them happy. Think about all the different types of stickers you can use to punch up your gift. Letters to spell our their name, their favorite animal or even something that hints at the gift inside! Some of my favorite stickers to use on presents are scrapbooking stickers. Take a walk down the scrapbooking aisle in your favorite craft store. You’ll find great stickers for every event and in all colors, shapes and sizes. I like scrapbooking stickers because they adhere better to different types of paper and ribbon. These stickers also tend to have a 3D quality, they pop up off the surface so they really make an impact to the gift recipient. So find your favorite craft store and peruse the scrapbooking aisle to purchase a collection of stickers for your next gift! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Reading an actual book still captivates the mind and imagination of adults and children of all ages! Screens definitely have their use and a place in our lives, but don’t discount books as a great gift option. The gift of imagination allows a child the ability to fall in love with reading a new story, traveling to a far off land, meeting characters and friends and discovering new principles and ideas. Here are some great gifts ideas to help you give the gift of a literary love. “Hair Love” Book + Healthy Roots Doll: This is a heartwarming father, daughter story! “Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy.” Paired with this adorable doll, this is a great gift pairing that helps young girls exude confidence. “Meet Zoe! Zoe is the first Healthy Roots doll and she is far from average. Zoe learned to love her after she did the big chop with her mom. Together they learned step by step how to love every single one of her curls. Now she's here to help your daughter learn to love hers. She is a beautiful black doll with naturally curly hair. Her hair is just like your hair!” “Love Is” Book + Heart Necklace: “This beautifully illustrated book tells the heartwarming story of a little girl and a duckling, who both grow to understand what it means to care for each other as they learn that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding on. A little girl finds a duckling who has wandered away from the park onto the city streets, and takes it home to care for it. The baby duck requires constant attention—early morning feedings, bathing, and tidying—until the time comes to say goodbye. When her pet has grown too big for the bath, the girl takes the full-grown duck back to the pond. Afterward, she misses it and wonders if it remembers her. One day, the duck comes back—with six ducklings of her own.” Paired with this lovely heart necklace, this gift pairing reminds your young one to always keep love and kindness to of mind! “Bedtime for Sweet Creatures” Book + Snurk Sheets: In this bedtime story, “Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.” Paired with the cutest creature sheets, what child wouldn’t want to hurry to bed? I know the child in your life will love getting a book for a gift! Very Happy Gifting! ... VHM

Sometimes the best gift is delivered by a company directly to the gift recipient. As much as I love to be able to control the gift’s contents, packaging and presentation sometimes the best option is to let someone else handle it. Not only can shipping a package from a third party be the perfect gift but it can also make things really easy on you! That’s why I’m showing you great options to send to anyone for those occasions when you’re in a time crunch or just want to send something unique. Recently I purchased a Harvest Vegetable Gift Package from Spoonful of Comfort. The Order: Item: Harvest Vegetable Gift Package Size: 4-6 Servings Includes: 64 oz. jar of sensational soup Half dozen dinner rolls Half dozen cookies Delivery & Arrival: Everything in the box is packed and preserved very well. Each item is packed in it's own box so your recipient gets to open each well designed box, almost like opening up several gifts inside one box. Upon opening the box you immediately are greeted with the gift of a spoon ladle, the perfect companion to a soup gift! Presentation: There are times when you receive an order and things need to be put together or assembled to look like what you ordered. This is not the case here, everything arrives beautifully arranged and packaged and ready to heat and eat. Quality: Everything that I received was fresh and delicious. I ordered the Harvest Vegetable Soup which was filled with vegetables in a very tasty broth. The dinner rolls were a nice pairing with the soup, and the cookies were a tasty treat for dessert. How to Gift: I love these soup packages to send as a thinking of you or a get well soon gift. I can even see this being a great gift to have delivered for a housewarming gift on moving day or within the first few days of moving in. This requires so little to prepare, they can have a home cooked meal while still unpacking! Another benefit to Spoonful of Comfort packages is the options and add-ons. They have gluten free and vegan options as well as the ability to add little treats to the order so you can make the prefect gift for your recipient! This is not a paid post, all items were paid for and enjoyed by me. Very Happy Gifting! ... VHM

February is a month of love. Valentine’s Day brings about gifts and displays of affection, that for the most part unparalleled any other time of the year. Let’s change that shall we? We show our love and admiration to our friends and family for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions but I’m here to say that Tuesdays can be just as important as birthdays! Here are a few tips and reminders to show your love all year long. F R E E L O V E : Show someone you’re thinking of them without spending a dime! Reaching out to someone candidly can bring so much joy. If you have ever been on the receiving end of someone reaching out randomly, you know this can really warm your heart! Set a reminder to reach out to someone often, daily if you can. Make this a part of your daily routine—having coffee in the morning, select someone from your phone to quickly text, “Hey how are you, I miss you and I was thinking about you!” Driving home from work and stuck in traffic—pick someone to call and catch up, even leaving a message will be a treat to them. Having lunch at your desk—email someone a note about a great memory that brought them to mind. Not only will you make your friend feel loved but you will feel great as well! A T O K E N O F A F F E C T I O N : You don’t have to spend a lot of money to treat someone to something special. Spending a few dollars to give a little pick me up to a loved one will come back to you ten-fold. Once a week, can you send a card to a friend or family member? With our daily tasks, taking up an pre-digital habit can come as a welcome surprise to your recipient. Think about how much your Mom would enjoy receiving a card out of the blue. Can you bring someone lunch? If you are grabbing a sandwich can you pickup something for someone else? If their working from home, dropping off lunch at someone’s door would be such a happy surprise. If they work in your office and you know they are swamped with work, it would be incredibly thoughtful. Is there a fun little gift you can share with a friend? Nothing expensive, but maybe something catches your eye while on a Target run. I have purchases Goldfish snacks and candles spontaneously for friends, which always bring light to their day. A B I G S U R P R I S E : Sometimes you want to really surprise someone. Maybe they just broke up with their boyfriend and they need to be cheered up. Maybe they just started a new job and you want to send something to congratulate them. Maybe they’ve saved up for a really long time and just purchased something important. These daily occurrences deserve celebration! A bouquet of flowers is always a beautiful surprise. Getting flowers delivered on any day that is not a holiday or a birthday leaves any recipient blown away in amazement. Do you know anyone that could use a delicious special food? A cake for a personal celebration or a local favorite if they’re away from home? Sending an edible treat makes for a delicious surprise! What about an unconventional surprise? Recently my mother said she need to drink more water—cue a quick shipment from Amazon of this water bottle. My father bumped his head in a silly accident, so I sent him this hard hat as a fun gift. Sending a surprise can be fun, light-hearted and promote an inside joke between the two of you! The goal is to bring and spread joy but also getting in the habit of thinking of others! Showing someone you care can come in many forms don’t be afraid to spend a little or a lot even if it’s not a day you’ve marked in your calendar. Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Gift shopping isn’t just for the mall! You can find incredible, one-of-a-kind gifts at your local flea market. I’m showing you great presents that you can find at a flea market. Even though the specific items will vary from market to market, there are some general categories that I have found at every flea market that make great gifts! There are a few things to keep in mind if you’re headed to the flea market to shop for gifts. First, make sure to take a list. Write down your gift recipients and their likes, dislikes, hobbies and needs. This list will make it easier to refer to while walking the market. Second, keep an open mind beyond your list. You never know what you will find at a flea market. No matter how prepared you are you will find something unexpected. So if you love something and you think it’s beautiful it could make a great gift for someone even it it’s not written in your notes. Home Décor Devotees Gifts: For your home obsessed gift recipient there are great décor gifts at the flea market. Vendors create pillows and blankets from beautiful vintage textiles that are bold and colorful or simple and neutral. These items are great on their own or paired with a great décor book. House Warming and Hostess Gifts: The flea market is a great source for vases, plants and planters. Bringing beautiful flowers in a vintage vase to a gathering as a hostess gift or to a new home as a house warming present is such a nice gesture. The flea market is also a great place to find unique plants that maybe harder than going to the garden center of a hardware store. Add these plants to a planter for a cute gift! Gift Containers: If you’re looking for unique gift containers, look at the flea market! Interesting boxes and baskets are all over the flea! Hand woven baskets—did someone say Easter Baskets? Vintage wooden tool boxes, these make great containers for guy gifts! Vintage Christmas: Ornaments for the tree, around the house or outside accessories can all be found at the flea market. If you or someone you know loves to decorate with a vintage theme for the holidays, keep your eye out at the flea market! Hobbies and Special Interests: Refer to your list of gift recipients and their interests. What are they fascinated by? What do they love to tell you all about? Does your grandfather love to tell you fishing stories? Does your brother love sports? Then a vintage take on someone’s hobbies could make a great gift! Special Mention: One thing I can’t resist when it comes to the flea market is beads! African beads used as décor is one of my favorite home accessories and gifts to give. Beads go with everything! Beads with pillows, beads with bowls and beads with home decor books. I love to give and to get them! They come in so many colors and textures, you can't go wrong. With these tips you’ll be able to find extra special and unique gifts! Happy shopping at the flea market! … VHM

Shopping a Flea Market can be a great source for unique gifts. Vintage and handmade treasures make extra special gifts that you can’t find at a store. When shopping a flea market it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items at the market, so I’ve listed a few quick tips to help you make the most of the flea whether your shopping for gifts or treating yourself! W H A T T O W E A R : Depending on where your local flea market is, and the time of year your outfit may vary but there are a few things that should be worn to every market. 1. Layers When I go to a flea market early in the morning it is inevitable cold. Many flea markets open early in the morning, before dawn. Arriving at 5am or 6am can mean that it’s dark and cold while you start shopping. That means wearing something to keep you warm but also preparing for the warmer hours of mid-day with thinner layers underneath. 2. Comfortable Shoes Shopping a flea market involves walking aisle after aisle of goods. Sometimes it means walking them twice to go back and look at something again. This means that your shoes are the most important thing you are wearing. They need to be comfortable, really comfortable! At medium and larger flea markets I have walked miles up and down the rows of antiques 3. Handbags Yes, you read that right—handbags, with an “s”. I believe that it is helpful to take a crossbody or belt bag AND a tote bag. I tend to carry my wallet, and important items in my smaller bag because it’s close to me and easy to get to. Also, flea markets can be crowded and you’ll want to bring cash so it makes me feel more comfortable to keep everything close to me. I also take a light weight tote bag, mainly to carry smaller purchases but it’s great to keep other shopping necessities. If you believe you might buy something larger then I’d also recommend a rolling basket. A basket can fit vases, pillows and items of this size that would be difficult to carry around with you. W H A T T O B R I N G : 1. Cash Cash is king at the flea market! More and more vendors are taking credit card, paypal or venmo and usually there is an ATM at the market but you will probably pay a large ATM fee. Cash gives you the ability to purchase quickly and negotiate better. Also take a good selection of smaller bills—singles, fives, tens and twenties give you more wiggle room than hundreds. 2. Your List Before you go to the flea market, think about what you are looking for. When I’m shopping for gifts, I make a list of people I’m shopping for. I also make a list of my needs, what am I looking for—home accessories, furniture, art etc. Thinking about these items beforehand, while in your home gives you the opportunity to make educated decisions about what to buy and what you really need. 3. Measurements and a Tape Measure If you’re going to purchase anything large you’ll want to know your dimensions. Yes, of course, you should know the dimensions of the wall you want to put art on, but you should really know every dimensions. For example, if you’re going to buy a large piece of furniture, you should not only know if it will fit in the room you want it in, you should know if it will fit in the front door, up the stairs and down the hallway. Measure all of the dimensions! I like to keep a rough blueprint in my bag that has all of the dimensions for my entire place including ceiling heights. This is a little homework that you’ll only have to do once but it’s worth it! H O W T O S H O P : 1. Go Early The earlier you can go, the better. When they say the early bird gets the worm, they are referring to flea markets. The earlier you go, the better the selection. If you sleep in on a flea market day will you miss the good stuff, grab a strong cup of coffee and get out there! 2. If You Want It, Buy It This tip is a story about hesitation and regret. Flea market items are usually filled with one of a kind items where any vendor only has one of something. If you walk by something you like and love it, know that if you don’t buy it then you might miss out on it. If you think, “I’ll come back later and grab that,” it might not be there! If you decide to walk away remember where the product location is so you can come back to it. Take a picture of the location, ask if the owner has a booth number and make a note of their relation to large landmarks—same aisle as the bathroom, right next to the south entrance—for example. 3. Negotiate, but Don’t be Ridiculous Remember that these vendors are working and trying to make a living. If you want to make a lower offer to get a better deal, go for it—you should try to get the best deal on every piece you like. But my advice is not to nickel and dime these vendors, offer what you can pay and what the item is worth but don’t offer $10 for a $100 priced item. My favorite way to negotiate is with a group discount. If you are going to buy several items from a stall at the flea market the owner will most likely be more willing to negotiate. Ask the price for each item, sum them up in your head and offer a discounted price if you purchase all of the items. These tips will help you make the most of any trip to a flea market and find great gifts for your friends, family and yourself! … VHM

How are your new year’s resolutions going? If you’ve already fallen off the band wagon let me make an argument for monthly resolutions. New Year’s resolutions can be well-meaning but also overwhelming. The start of the new year comes and you set the intention to improve so many aspects of your life. You start in on the journey and soon you can’t keep track of everything you need to do. One solutions is set new years resolutions like this. Or you can work through your resolutions monthly. Working through your resolutions just means taking your list of resolutions and prioritizing them. Let’s say at the beginning of the year you said you wanted to get organized, loose weight, pay off your credit card, cook more and eat out less, read more, take a class, and maybe more! Then in January you dive into this list and do a little bit of everything all the time, if that was successful for you then that’s amazing! You nailed it, keep going throughout the year. If you didn’t keep up with everything you wanted to work on, then let me suggest breaking this down into chunks—twelve chunks for twelve months if you will! P R I O R I T I Z E Y O U R G O A L S Take your list of New Year’s resolutions and put them in order from most important to least important. Look through your list and think about them—if you only achieved one of these goals, which one would it be? Once you decide which goal is the most important, that goal should be first. See the prioritized list of goals previously mentioned, below for example: 1. Loose weight 2. Pay off your credit card 3. Cook more and eat out less 4. Get organized 5. Read more 6. Take a class This prioritized list should then be spread over the next few months. So for this month or if you want to start in March you would focus on your first, most important goal. For the entire month, that is the only goal you need to focus on. Think through that goal and break it down into achievable bits. If you want to loose thirty pounds this year, how are you going to do this? Thirty pounds divided over six months is five pounds a month. You can do that and maybe more! But let’s stick to an achievable five pounds for the sake of this example. F O C U S O N O N E G O A L A T A T I M E How are you going to lose those five pounds? Workout three times a week? Have desserts only on Saturdays? Make a plan on how you are going to achieve this goal and stick to it for one month. One month to set the habit and make the commitment. For this one month, this goal is your focus and you don’t have to stress out about the other goals. Don’t worry about taking a class this month, stay committed to your monthly goal! Then when the next month comes around, you’ve set the habit and made progress on your first goal—keep it up! Keep up that same commitment but now it’s time to strategize how you can work in your next goal. If your next goal is paying off your credit card look at how much you owe and how much you can afford to put towards your debt on a weekly or monthly basis. Set up an automatic payment to your credit card or set a reminder on your phone. Keep up the habit of the first goal while adding on tasks to accomplish the second goal. TAG TEAM TASKS Have your goals help each other! If you are trying to lose weight and save money then you don’t have to get buy that $5.00 cupcake from a cute little bakery while you’re out. Save that money and save those calories. Breaking down your goals can help you achieve them while also making them less overwhelming. Let the first of the month be a reminder to check in with yourself and strategize on what you want to accomplish next. Because taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give yourself! … VHM