Now that we have lived in our home for about six years, my wife and I are starting to see things we'd like to change about it.
We'd like to build a garage, redo the upstairs bathrooms, switch from our swamp cooler to central air and paint a few rooms.
For starters.
On the other hand, I've been living in my body for 37 years, and it DEFINITELY needs work. I'd like to drop at least 20 pounds, get in better shape and start eating better.
I'm not necessarily saying those are my New Year's resolutions, because I tend to break those and I really want to succeed in these areas.
But many of the rest of you are making resolutions along similar lines, according to annual predictions from myGoals.com.
The Arizona-based company, which operates a Web site for setting and reaching personal and professional goals, bases its predictions on an anonymous, random sample of goals set by visitors to the site. This year's nonscientific sample shows that the nation's Web surfers are planning to work on themselves and their homes in 2007.
The top resolutions for 2007, according to myGoals.com, are "to lose weight," "to start my own business" and "to pay off debt." No real surprises there.
However, the number of resolutions centering on health and fitness has dropped to 27 percent for 2007 from 31 percent for 2006.
"People are a little less concerned about job security, their waistlines or buying a house," said Greg Helmstetter, CEO of myGoals.com, in a prepared statement. "Instead, they're seeking ways to make themselves feel fulfilled and happy. This is good news. When personal growth becomes a priority, it means that people are confident that their lower-level, basic priorities such as finances and health are under control."
The myGoals.com survey showed that 15 percent of 2007 resolutions should relate to personal growth and interests, up from 10 percent last year. The company said that category includes everything from improving one's appearance or mental outlook to boosting social skills and spirituality.
The home improvement and real estate category's share of resolutions jumped from 5 percent for 2006 to 7 percent for 2007, according to myGoals.com. But for 2006, 30 percent of all real estate-related goals were to buy a home and 45 percent were to improve a home. For 2007, that has shifted to 9 percent focusing on buying a home and 64 percent on improving a home.
"It's just like what the economists tell us," Helmstetter said. "When people stop buying houses, they concentrate on improving the house they've already got."
That should make the folks at Lowe's and Home Depot happy. And it should make people like me happy, too, even though we will be shelling out our hard-earned money on things like paint and lighting and hardware.
"Improving your home — whether you do it with your own two hands or hire professionals — can be an extremely challenging and rewarding experience," Helmstetter said. "It's a very creative process, always involves learning, and results in happiness and other tangible benefits that will surround you every day for years to come. All in all, putting money, hard work and love into your home is not only good for the home, it's good for the family and good for the soul."
Maybe. I'm not very good company while attempting home-improvement projects, since I don't know what I'm doing and things often go badly. So maybe it will be sunshine and roses in the long-term, but my wife and children are probably wise to stay clear of me while work is in progress.
And speaking of work, the share of resolutions dealing with careers fell from 15 percent for 2006 to 12 percent for 2007, so I guess most of us are satisfied with our jobs.
Or maybe we all figure we need to work hard and make sure those paychecks keep coming every week or two. After all, home improvements don't come cheap!
Back to answering your financial questions next week. Send them to gkratz@desnews.com or to the Deseret Morning News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.
E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com