2020 was undoubtedly one of the worst years we've experienced, and I would venture to say that this is a pretty unanimous statement. I am so excited to see this dreadful year come to an end, and though I am exhausted from everything it has put our society through, I am cautiously optimistic for 2021. Don't get me wrong - I certainly do not expect to wake up on January 1st and see the world return to a normal that it once was. We are still in the midst of a global pandemic, that of which has now mutated, and millions of people are suffering as a result. It is important that we continue to social distance and wear our masks into the new year, but aside from playing my part in a communal sense, I began to think about ways that I could make 2021 a better year. Though things may still look bleak for some time to come, I have decided on a few New Year's resolutions that I think could improve my day-to-day life amidst the chaos of the outside world.

I don't know about anyone else, but with constantly being home and having nothing to do, I can certainly say that I did not spend the majority of my year making the healthiest food and snack choices. Given the fact that there was nowhere to go, I'd say that I was relatively inactive this year, but I found ways to justify it due to COVID-19 restrictions. I had moments where I really began to feel sluggish, and this began to mess up other routines in my life, such as a healthy diet and a normal sleep schedule - not to mention all of the whipped coffee and DIY cocktail recipes. I have truly grown tired of feeling this way, so one of my resolutions is to cook as often as possible. There were oh so many times this year that it felt easier to order out from a restaurant than to get up and cook a meal. While I was happy to be supporting local restaurants, I think that I owe it to my health to make a more conscious effort to cook healthier meals. If anything, I consider it a place to start.

In addition to cooking more often, I am hoping to place a heavy emphasis on budgeting and better understanding my finances in 2021. Due to retailers being closed for what felt like an eternity, I found myself doing a lot of online shopping. Some of it was necessary and productive, though most of it was out of boredom and optimism - i.e. buying clothes to wear to bars that will still not be open in the foreseeable future. As much as I love some of my quarantine purchases, I've realized that I was okay with burning quite the hole in my pocket. Between online shopping and spending large amounts of money on delivery fees for food and drinks, I found myself lacking money when I was in need of my basic necessities. In 2021, I am planning to work much harder on budgeting every week so that I can ensure I have money for whatever I need. This might take a bit of extra planning and thinking ahead, but I think it will be extremely helpful in the long run. By this time next year, I hope to have a budget locked down and a better ability to designate where my money goes.

New Year's resolutions are often easier said than done, but I am excited to challenge myself and see if I can stick to mine. I believe it is important to make changes in any areas of your life that are making you unhappy, so I look forward to making mine. No matter how great or how small, progress is progress. Moving into 2021, we need to be kinder to ourselves and celebrate the small victories when we have them.