Happy Freaking New Year!

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By: Chrismatos ♥Too busy, sorryCC BY 2.0

Happy 2014! I don’t know about you, Homies, but I’m very happy to have a clean slate. I’ve been thinking a lot about the brand-spanking newness of the New Year, so I thought I’d round up some of the site’s resources if you’re in the same contemplative mode…

So Fresh, So Clean

It’s not just a great song by Outkast. The New Year is for many people a time to start anew with new goals and habits. Are you making resolutions this year? We have a kick-ass archive to help you out:

Are you intimidated by the idea of making resolutions for the whole year? Check out Alissa’s post on a different resolution for every month of the year instead.

I love the excuse that a new calendar provides for encouraging me to try new things, push myself, and break out of bad habits. But even though I’ve heard that it takes just three weeks to develop a new habit, my new year’s resolutions always break down around week five or six. […] So this year, instead of attempting a 365-day resolution, I am considering trying something different: twelve one-month challenges. Every few weeks a different “dare” to myself in areas of health and lifestyle, or our culture’s omnipresent consumerism and need for entertainment. [Read more.]

Cooking from scratch every day can be daunting when you’re staring at 365 blank calendar spaces. One month at a time, though? Challenge accepted.

Resolve to be on your own team

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of making any New Year’s resolutions, remember: don’t use January to beat yourself up. Katy offers this great advice:

New-Years-itis was making me forget about the great stuff I’ve done, the stuff I’m good at, the stuff I like about myself. And that should be just as important at the beginning of a new year as the new, exciting changes I’m going to make and the fresh experiences I’m going to have. [Read more.]

Keep the funtimes going

Of course, January isn’t just all about resolutions. Now that the holidays are over, you might be feeling a bit of the post-festivities blues. Cheer up January with Cindy’s great suggestion: have a party to clear out the pantry post-holidays!

Start a new post-holiday tradition — an un-stock the pantry party. Invite everyone to come over with their leftover ingredients and try to come up with new recipes. If you don’t have a big kitchen, see if someone who does will host it if you offer to clean up afterwards. You can open those prepackaged food items to snack on while you bake, and drink the booze leftover from New Year’s Eve. [Read more.]

How are you celebrating the tabula rasa of the New Year?

Comments on Happy Freaking New Year!

  1. This year I’m resolving to try one new thing each day, no matter how small. I tried this once when I was severely depressed and trying to get out of a rut; it lasted two days. This time I’m in a much better point in my life and actually excited about doing it.

    So far I’ve learned how to change the water tank in the water cooler, and fixed my wireless driver when I accidentally deleted it.

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