January is a month full of hope, motivation and fresh starts, with many people looking forward to making life even better in 2019. Lizi’s Granola wants to help the nation to enjoy a cracking 2019 so I’ve had a read of their interview with etiquette guru William Hanson for some inspirational tips. Here are my favourite suggestions for boosting your year on a budget …
HEALTH
Let’s start with the thing that’s most important to me – health. Many of us make new years resolutions to head to the gym but unless you were already a keen workout queen last year, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to this resolution so don’t waste money on that membership plan. Why not focus on what you can do to be health rather than putting yourself through something you don’t enjoy. You could, for example, be more active by going dancing, swimming or simply cycling to town rather than taking the car.
You could change up your breakfast from toast or sugary cereals to a slow-release energy option such as granola or oats and fruit to keep you going during the day. And you could look into improving your diet and nutrition by adding more fruit and veg, and choosing healthy proteins and omega fats.
HAPPINESS
Apparently people ‘tut’ more in January than in any other month of the year! Make a conscious decision not to tut and to smile more instead. Smiling at people, and even saying a polite ‘hello’, may get a positive response and at the very least you will have brighten someone else’s day. Good manners costs nothing! Think all the things you’re happy about or thankful for, or the good news that you’ve had recently, then pop them into a happiness jar ready for when you need perking up in the future.
Arrange to see friends and family for a friendly catch up and really listen to them while you chat. A problem shared is a problem halved and you’ll feel great knowing that you can support your friends, and they will help you too when you need them. A breakfast date is usually a more purse-friendly option compared to lunch or dinner, and you can stick to healthy egg, avocado or granola options rather than being tempted by a plate of chips and sticky pudding at dinner time!
HOME
After Christmas, your home can start to feel quite cluttered – especially if you’ve received lots of lovely gifts and been shopping in the January sales! Now’s the time to declutter to make space for those new items. And why don’t you have a quick clean while you’re doing it? If you’re already taking everything out of a drawer or cupboard to sort it out, you might as well wipe out the dust and clean the space before you put things back in there.
But don’t tidy everything away from Christmas – the fairy lights can be used to create a cosy glow and make the dark winter evenings bearable. There are known psychological benefits to rearranging your home furnishings so ‘shop your home’ to change up the space and decor with items you already own. If you have framed photos on your walls, why not swap the snaps so that you’ve got something fresh to look at this year – perhaps photos from last year that’ll prompt memories of all the fun you had.
Will you be making changes to any of these three “H”s this year? What have you already done this January to boost your 2019? Let me know in the comments below. I hope this blog post has given you motivating for getting your year off to a great start and thanks to Lizi’s Granola for sharing such inspirational tips.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
