New Year's Solutions Instead of New Year's Resolutions - My Top 5

Making promises to ourselves in the old year that we fail to keep in the new year seems like a lousy way to jump start change.

This year, I was deliberate about not contemplating resolutions until after the holidays were over. (It's like trying to decorate a home or apartment before you've moved in -- you have to inhabit the space to really understand it.) Now that I'm firmly entrenched in 2009, several issues seem much clearer.

Although I know what the word 'resolution' means, for the first time I'm seeing it as 're-solution.' And if a solution is the answer to a thorny problem or tricky question, why not focus on fresh, broad-based solutions at the start of a new year, rather than revisit past resolutions that are too specific and set you up for failure?

Here's my 5 New Year's Solutions For 2009 - a set of flexible guidelines rooted in the hard lessons of 2008:

• Buy what you can easily afford or absolutely need, not necessarily what you want. Picture yourself with your purchase 3 months, 6 months, a year, even five years down the road. Does it have long-term value, or is it an impulse purchase? Is it an essential, or is it just stuff? If it came into your home, is there something you could give up in return to keep the clutter in your life at a minimum?
• If it's too good to be true, it is. Avoid it at all costs. A real 'happily ever after' doesn't come your way without hard work, prolonged effort, and quid pro quo (this for that -- a fair exchange of goods or services). If someone's willing to give you a $350,000 mortgage and you're currently unemployed, that's too good to be true.
• Practice the 48 hour rule -- sleep on it for a couple of nights. If you're contemplating a purchase, trying to make an important decision, or involved in a heated argument, don't do anything for two days. The cooling off period gives you a chance to return to a more rational state before you decide, and it can provide a taste of how it will be to live with -- or without -- what it is that's confronting you.
• Are you doing it for you -- or for the approval/attention of others? If you could buy this thing, take this job, work on this project, or go on this vacation but not tell anyone else about what you're doing, would you still do it? If no one could ever see that expensive handbag on your shoulder or those to-die-for shoes on your feet, would they still make you happy?
• It doesn't need to be new to be new-to-you. Some of the best pieces of clothing in my closet or furniture in my home were previously owned by someone else. It's a way for me to afford enduring, good-quality items on a limited budget and indulge myself. It's also very practical. If the idea of buying used items that are big-ticket or highly personal (such as clothing) scares you, start small. In one of my favorite cookbooks, the author writes of how she's found her most useful kitchen utensils at the Salvation Army or other thrift stores; if you're squeamish about this, she recommends soaking the item in the sink with some bleach.

There are no great revelations above. Just a few simple observations gleaned from my own experiences and the advice and example of others. If you have some of your own solutions, please share your wisdom below.

It's amazing to feel the optimism and hope that 2009 is ushering in, even as many of us face stiff challenges and real problems. These are times that call for solutions, not resolutions. May one or more of the above guide you in the year ahead.

Related article: Frugality is the New Black