Achieve your New Year’s resolutions by making your home the ultimate happy place.
A new year ushers in a whirlwind of joy and optimism. Goodbye, last year; Hello, fresh start. Accordingly, as 2017 begins, so do the many ambitious goals people set.
You decide to exercise daily, clean out those overflowing closets, and turn that spare bedroom into the craft room you’ve always wanted. Yes, this will be your best year yet.
Then, as the daily grind of everyday life sets back in, your enthusiasm slowly subsides. Those once exciting goals fade more and more with each passing day. But don’t worry; your goals won’t be gone forever. They’ll resurface again, all bright shiny and new—next January.
Always the same old resolutions. How to make goals stick.
The same resolutions tend to come up every year because people are excited, take on too much all at once, get discouraged, and eventually give up. Research shows only about nine percent of people achieve their New Year’s resolution. Obviously, a ninety percent failure rate is not great odds.
Although true, it doesn’t have to be this way for you. If you’ve made too many lofty resolutions in the past and abandoned them all, you need a different strategy.
Four tips to help you avoid goal fatigue:
- Focus on achieving one resolution at a time
- Pick a one-word feeling and ask, what’s the goal that will give me that feeling
- Reward yourself for accomplishments
- Take a break between tackling goals
Many of the most common New Year’s resolutions—eat healthier, get organized, and be happier—can be accomplished by improving your biggest asset: your home. Here are ten life-enhancing home goals that let you begin the year in a more content space—and with a sense of accomplishment.
10 Life-Enhancing Home Resolutions for the New Year
1. Get Physically Fit
Every year the most common resolution is the same: get fit and lose weight. Gym memberships and attendance skyrocket in January and then steady decline as the months pass.
If you're thinking about joining a gym, consider the hidden costs of a gym membership: fees and the time factor. Add your commute to and from the gym to your workout to see how much time you’re investing. Also, if you're paying a monthly fee but aren't going regularly, you're basically paying to not go to the gym.
Rather than joining a gym, convert an underutilized area, such as your basement, attic, or a spare bedroom, into a personal workout space. You’ll have everything you need for an active lifestyle in the convenience of your home. Also, you won’t be able to make excuses like bad weather, not enough time, or having nothing cute to wear.
2. Eat Healthy
Naturally, the resolution to eat better goes hand in hand with the previous goal. Research shows cooking and eating at home is better for your health.
Proven benefits of cooking at home versus eating out at restaurants:
- Consume fewer calories, saturated fat, and sugar
- Decrease risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes
- Save money
- Influence children’s eating habits positively
- Helps you disconnect from a long day at work and digital devices
- Has therapeutic effects and may help treat depression
It’s a pleasure to cook in your dream kitchen using state-of-the-art appliances. For example, steam ovens cut down cooking time and make food healthier for you and your family.
3. Spend More Time with Family and Friends
When you're doing all of that healthy home cooking, you'll want comfortable places to sit down. A spacious dining room located near the kitchen area makes it easier to have precious family meal time. Also, open design homes with large islands and gorgeous family rooms invite families members to spend time together while completing everyday tasks.

Dining Room in Traditional Kitchen with Pantry (K-83)
4. Better Financial Decisions
Get organized and have a better handle on your finances with a dedicated space devoted to your paperwork needs. Also, a home office helps create a better work-life balance. As more people are working directly out of the home, a home office space is an investment in your financial success.
5. Get Organized
Now's the perfect time to toss the clutter and focus on a fresh start.
Here are three smart tidying tips to help you get started:
- Donate outgrown toys and clothes to your favorite charity
- Store off-season items in storage bags and bins
- Go high with extra shelving or use the back of a door for storing shoes and accessories
Did you know? You can print FREE shipping labels to send boxes full of donations to Goodwill! Simply take some of those holidays boxes, fill them with clothes and toys and household goods, print out free shipping labels, leave them out for USPS or drop them off at UPS. Easy peasy and generous.
More details here >> https://www.goodwill.org/givebackbox/
6. Live Life to the Fullest
Research proves that roughly 40 percent of our happiness comes from our deliberate decisions and relationships. Thus, happiness is a choice we can make.
Here are seven small steps to help you get on the path to happiness:
- Smile and laugh more often
- Be grateful
- Spend time with happy people
- Engage in simple acts of kindness
- Exercise
- Deepen social connections
- Get a better night's sleep
Speaking up for what you want can transform everything in 2017. For example, look around your home and think about which rooms you'd like to update.
Ask yourself: What will I wish I had done ten years from now?
Having something to look forward to—like a new kitchen or bathroom—can significantly boost your happiness.
7. Go Green and Save Money
Tips to cut energy usage in your home and shrink your bills:
- Add features to your laundry room to line dry some of your clothes
- Wait for your dishwasher and washing machine to be full before running them
- Switch to CFL and LED light bulbs
- Install energy-efficient windows and doors
- Choose low-flow showerheads
8. Increase Curb Appeal
The easiest way to increase your home’s perceived curb appeal is a new front door. Everyone should have a door they love, and now it's easier than ever thanks to the DoorWays™ App from Therma-Tru.
The DoorWays App helps you design and visualize the perfect entrance for your home and is available in the App StoreSM and Google Play StoreSM.

9. Relax
Begin and end your day in a new spa-like bathroom and decrease stress. Also, if you're a technology fan, the best anxiety apps of 2016 may be able to provide additional support.
10. Learn New Things
Now is the perfect time to step outside of your comfort zone.
- Visit a local design showroom and explore the latest products in the design-build industry.
- Signup for classes to learn new skills: a cooking class is a great way to utilize your brand-new kitchen.
- Attend the PA Home Show | March 16-19 | State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, PA
- Be sure to visit us at Booth#: KB 006; KB 007 while you're there!

3146 Fulling Mill Road, Middletown, PA 17057
It's never too early (or late) to get started.
In conclusion, a new year is a great time to re-evaluate and look at where your goals could take you.
We’re here to help! If you’re interested in having a successful year, set up an appointment to talk about your home (and self) improvement project.
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We want to know: Do you have home resolutions for this year? Please tell us in the comments.
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