I think that it’s safe to say that 2024 was a bit of write-off. I don’t think I even remember what I said I was going to do in 2024.

Seeing how we’re in November now, the only thing left to do is to set next year’s goals. And hope that I’ll be able to stick to them.

I decided that 2025’s goals needed a more thought out approach. So, in doing a bit of research for this post, 2 of the tips that came up the most was

  1. keep them small
  2. have a gameplan for achieving those goals

Without further ado, here are 25 things I want to achieve in 2025

1. Leg press double my body weight

This is one I feel that I’m well on my way to hitting. As of the writing of this post, my body weight is in the mid-60s (kg). The target leg press weight should be at least 130kg. Last time I did my fitness test, I was sitting pretty at 80kg. 50kgs to go!

2. Be able to hoof it around the city for 1hr straight at least twice a month

Walking is my favourite form of exercise, primarily because it serves as an excuse to play some Pokemon Go. Saving a bit on public transport doesn’t hurt either.

3. Get weight down to 60-63kg

Originally, my main motivation in working out is to lose a few kgs and get my weight into a healthier weight range.

To be honest, I still want to shed several kgs. But now I want my body to be able to do more for me. Because of that, I wouldn’t be too devastated if my weight on 31 December 2025 is closer to 63kg than 60kg.

4. Have 6-8 cheap-ish meals out a month

Let’s face it: I love eating out.

Nothing is going to persuade me to give up eating out all together.

But….. In the interests of rebuilding my savings and dropping a couple of kilos, I am comitting to making all but 2 of my meals out (that I am paying for) relatively cheap. Based on the fact that I am in the office every Monday and I go out every weekend, that roughly works out to be 6-8 budget friendly meals out a month.

The exceptions will be the marathon staycation, my summer break and my birthday vacation.

5. Use up 5 full-size skeins of yarn

As a seasoned knitter, building up a sizeable stash of yarn was always going to be inevitable. But there comes a point where you need to apply the breaks to the yarn hauls and start paring down your stash. *cough* storage *cough*

For the purposes of this exercise, I will be defining a full-size skein as either an unwound skein, one that has been wound into a cake or a “sock kit” (usually 1 full size skein and a bunch of baby skeins). I will also include skeins that I’ve already ‘broken into’. That very much includes the Moonglow Yarn Co Mountain Meadow Sock Kit I’m chipping away at.

6. Grow my savings account to at least $70k

I love living it up when I’m on vacation. It goes without saying that these things cost a decent chunk of change. With the Sydney Marathon staycation, eating out during summer break, my birthday vacation AND eventually moving out, it’s safe to say that I really need to step up my savings game. I did the math. Instead of having a fixed amount to go for each month, I think that aiming for a minimum balance is more do-able.

  • Minimum: $70k.
  • Nice: $80k
  • Really Nice: $90k

7. Use my Hobonichi Techo

In a characteristic fit of “ooh… that looks nice”, I went and got myself a Hobonichi Techo. Complete with the cover. And promptly purchased that dated Traveler’s Notebook inserts within weeks.

While I’ve chosen the Traveler’s Notebook as my main planner, it does leave me with a small problem: what am I going to use the Techo for?

8. Visit 10 new eateries

This kinda ties in with the goal of having mostly cheap-ish meals out when I eat out every month. Cafes, takeout are fair game.

9. Take Oodie dressing gown to Vinnies

While it was a nice thought at the time, I’ve fallen out of love with the dressing gown. Mostly because of its tedency to slide off the shoulders mid-wear. I’ve since purchased the “classic” Oodie, which I absolutely love!

10. Slow-ish jog 3/4 of the Sydney Marathon route

Yours truly will be going back to the Marathon in 2025. This time, however, I have every intention of slow-ish jogging for a total of 3/4 of the route.

11. Watch 10 YouTube videos & Netflix movies/shows without fast-forwarding any part of it

A strange habit that I have is that I fast forward videos/movies/shows, particularly when the bit in question depicts stuff that is unsettling to the system. In 2025, I want to be able to sit through at least 10 of them without reaching for the fast foward controls.

12. Actually Do Dry July

While I absolutely love a nice glass of bubbles when eating out and after work on Fridays, I figured that it would be nice to nope away from the alcohol every once in a while. Plus, it’s a good excuse to do more Uber Eats.

13. No new electronics

These things cost a decent chunk of change and I have other pricey things that I want to do during the year. I.e. save for my luxury vacations.

The sole exception is if an existing device has genuinely kicked the bucket and needs replacing.

14. Improve my zero-waste habits

In 2025, I want to take a look at what I’m already doing and work bettering my zero-waste habits.

15. Do a DIY facial/pamper routine in my hotel room

Part “I want to save some money” and part “I keep telling myself that I’m going to do this and never get around to doing it”. The plan is to pencil in some pamper time during my birthday vacation.

16. Do a shopping spree where I actually took the time to research the products beforehand

One of my less admirable habits involves me just adding things to the shopping cart without really thinking about whether or not I actually want it. Which has resulted in more than a few cases of buyers’s remorse.

17. Do 1 weekly post each for my madebyannalam and mygourmetgut Instas and 2 blog posts monthly for the accompanying blogs

2025 is the year where I will make more of an effort towards blogging and maintaining my Instagram accounts.

18. Avoid my usual orders for 3 meals out

As I’ll be doing a lot of fine dining during my birthday vacation, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to try stuff that I wouldn’t normally order when I really eat out. That means:

  • no chicken karaage and sashimi at Sake
  • no beef tartare at a Bistro Guillaume
  • no tuna tartare for one of my meals at Cumulus Inc

19. Write In My Diary Every Day

This would provide the perfect opportunity to fill up a couple of my nice leather journals – and justify picking up a few more when I’m in Melbourne.

20. Get all of my big beauty & craft purchases during summer break/birthday vacation

Since I’ve got 2 separate funds for the summer break and my birthday vacation, the plan is to take advantage of both and make all of my big purchases during that period. With the bulk of those purchases slated for my birthday vacation of course. I mean, what’s a luxurious birthday getaway without a shopping spree or 2?

21. Deadlift my own bodyweight

In the spirit of getting my health & fitness back on track, I am committing to being able to deadlift my own body weight (at least) by NYE 2025.

22. Clear out my wardrobe of everything that I don’t love

While I have gotten better with my impulse purchasing where my wardrobe is concerned, I still have a fair number of things that I’ve fallen out of love with or just never wore to begin with. 2025 will be the year where I a) get rid of all clothing items that I don’t love and b) be extra picky about the things that I add to my wardrobe.

23. Have 1 glass of the most expensive glass of champagne/wine with 1 of my meals in Melbourne

When one goes on a luxury holiday for one’s birthday, one is to truly indulge.

24. Make a keychain or charm using only the beads that I have

Time to do something about my stash of beads.

25. Keep a proper travel journal for my birthday holiday

In previous years, I treated my birthday holiday travel journal as a thing to get done. For my 35th Birthday holiday, the plan is to go all out and properly decorate my travel journal for the trip. With a week long siesta in the works, I should be able to fill up a Traveler’s Notebook insert with no issues. And use up some supplies.

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I love making stuff, food and my Nintendo Switch - but not always in that order.

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