I know, I know, why are you wishing the year away but as arbitrary as it is now is the time of year to take stock and plan for the year ahead.  Along with Mrs C I am spending Christmas in Norfolk for a little bit of indulgence so no cooking or cleaning for four days and nights.  Not something one can afford to do every year but a little treat every once in a while is good for the soul.

So what does 2018 have in store for Mr C.  Well while I can’t say for certain I do have a number of goals and will be sharing/publicly humiliating myself with these tales with my handful of beloved readers.  Looking on the bright side the public scrutiny might force me to stay focused which is by far and away my biggest weakness.  I am often inspired by ideas but sticking with it has been my downfall.  To give you a flavour of what is to come I have summarised my top level goals below which will form the basis of this blog for the coming year.

Home & Family

The main goal here is to complete the project to transform the kitchen/dining room.  There is currently an archway between the two and the space feels confined so that needs to come out so the kitchen can be a little bigger and I think the whole space will feel nice and airy.  Once that is combined with the garden that we sorted this year I think it will improve our lives no end.  There are some smaller things that focus on tidying and organising things a lot better that when combined will create a more homely feel to Casa del Carter.

Health & Well Being

I’ve taken a leaf out of the book of Mrs C and in 2018 I will be running a half marathon and marathon.  A somewhat extreme approach (especially for someone who doesn’t like running) but you can sometimes lose sight of Mrs C following the 35 lbs/2.5 st weight loss this year.  She might just be onto something and there’ll be more on how to achieve that in a future blog.  I have read extensively on nutrition and exercise so it is time to put my knowledge into practice for myself and stop telling  others what to do while my weight yo-yo’s.  I’ve got to get through Christmas yet but I’ll draw a line in the sand on January 1st and we’ll see were we get to.  Trying to decide if I’ll go with before and after pictures.

Wealth & Prosperity

This is going to be a big driver for me next year.  It’s been a great few months building my profile and credibility in my new role ‘supporting the American war fighter’ but I want to focus on the bigger picture – how do I develop other savings and sources of income so I become less reliant on the 9 ’till 5.  I’ve shortlisted a few options:

• Tax free savings (already underway with this and I’ll share with you my approach)
• Property investment (I have identified a couple of options and need to decide which way to go)
• Group lending (lending money to small businesses along with lots of other people)
• Forex trading (not for everyone but I have been practising and have made money already)
• Self-publishing (I want to get back into writing)
• E-commerce (I have had an idea for a simple Internet business)
• Spend less (have been discussing options with Mrs C and thing we can reduce our outgoings by as much as £2,000 next year)

I’m sure there’s other stuff that will suddenly come to me seconds after I publish this blog but it feels like there is plenty to be getting on with in the interim.  There won’t be a blog next week as I am on the road and hopefully eating too much while listening to a Michael Buble tribute act (don’t ask).