New Year's audit

Lists
It's always nice to start the year with my home affairs in order (even if it doesn't last too long).  Thus, the list for the first day of 2010 (yesterday) was something like this:

Undo Christmas  - (usually I wait until the weekend after New Year's or to get through Orthodox Xmas, if possible, but with the help available and the time on my hands, Christmas was undone by noon on New Year's Day :-) / :-(
Write thank you notes
...find addresses and mail them
Pay bills, settle year-end accounts

Assist with air ticket fiasco, so I could sweep ex out of house (bittersweet)

Stock fridge with fresh, healthy food
Do laundry
... and put it away (have since generated more)
Set up laptop computer wi-fi!  - (Hurray!)
Buy flowers to cheer up quiet, emptier house (and cheer up G who has had sad eyes since her dad left this morning)



Facts and figures.  
Since I was paying my Jan. bills, and changing over some accounts, I did some quick analysis, too.   I'm pretty good at balancing my checking account with My Money software.  Yesterday, I balanced my account to $0.48!  While, I was at it, I curiously did a quick push-button report of last year's spending.  It's pretty fascinating to know where the money goes.  For me, mortgage and childcare (18% and 19% respectively) are the motherlode of my spending.  After that groceries came in at 7% of spending, and several other categories at 4% each (car, travel, dining out, clothing for G and me, etc.).  My charitable donations were just over 1% of my expenses, and I'm eager to re-apportion and realign this - though 2009 could not have been the year for that, and that childcare category continues to make a giant sucking sound on my budget.    And most amusing to me, I apparently spent $111 more in 2009 than in 2008.  It's not an ideal analysis - there are many flaws with data entry and my reporting assumptions (what goes into the scenario), but it's a rather clean and consistent record, and gives me the best available view of  where my money *actually* goes.

Prospectus  
I had a New Year's Eve "ladies' lunch" with neighbor friends at A's house.  We had a blast, and noted down our hopes  and expectations for 2010 (A kept the paper for reference next year).   I'm not a believer in resolutions (and I usually don't get to them on the Jan 1 anyway).  I'm still thinking about my reasonable hopes and expectations for 2010 - tho' the lunch conversation got me thinking,... "Fix job" rises to the top - but is tricky because it requires a diagnosis and an antidote.  Also, I am resolved to invest in self, while still being good to my daughter.

I enjoy low-bar resolutions that at which I can easily succeed, but will likely have a good impact on my quality of life.  Some of my best over the years were...see more movies; drink more water; and get more fresh air (including by opening the windows).  All had low-effort, high impact effects.  I haven't yet figured out one for this year - or anything really certain, definable and measurable (sigh).  Maybe "when in doubt, try breathing."  That one might be too hard though.  :-)