Good goals go bang!

2010 is going to usher in a new batch of politics, and so I'll just sorta skip it for tonight. Sure, there are lots of things to be discussed, sometimes you just need a break from the monotony of it all, because it gets depressing really quick. As noted in the news, a few key democrats are throwing in the towel and not even bothering with the embarrassing defeat that is sure to come this November. But I think by then, it may be too late. Immigration reform is already in the works, and the craptacular Healthcare reform is almost a shew-in at this point. So really, let's not talk about it right now.

Well, it is that time of the year again, when we saddle up hopeless goals that quickly fall by the wayside and earnestly forgotten thereafter. And I mean that seriously, as I have no recollection of the goals I made this time last year. Maybe I did achieve them and thus forgot about them because of my perpetual awesomeness for attaining goals in a timely fashion. But most likely not.

Since it is highly unlikely that I completed my goals from last year, I figured this year I would write them down for whoever wanted to peruse them, and heckle me in 11 months. So here we go.

I'm no going to make illusions of losing weight or making more money. I am kinda working out as is, uh, kinda, meaning getting into heated online discussions about politics probably burns something out of my body; calories, brain cells, feces, whatever. I also have a habit of playing video games, so don't even think of challenging me at thumb wrestling -- I will cheat. And though I would like to earn more money, my wife prohibits me from selling my body, on the street or for science. Both vetoed. Lack of imagination on her part.

So I'm going with something more tangible, and taking my own advice for once (typically a bad idea).

Goal #1: I want my house to have a one year food supply, and it has to be stuff we will actually eat.

Goal #2: The means to protect the house, family, and food supply.

We have been doing a somewhat meager job of food storage thus far. And yes, that includes a 50# bag of raw wheat. I have no idea what to do with that. I don't even have the means to process wheat kernels. We don't eat them unless it's in bread, ground to bits, and tasty. So I am just gong to skip that crap because it has little value in our home. No, you can't have it. Go get your own hernia carrying 50# bags of wheat.

A week ago I went to the Dollar Tree and bought 12 cans of SPAM for 12 dollars. Spam is SPiced hAM. No, we don't eat it on a regular basis, but it is the first real attempt of having stored meat, even if it is mildly gross. But the point is we now have a little more variety with our otherwise Top Ramen fueled food storage. And I mean that seriously. Henceforth, every time we go shopping, I will be buying something additional that can be stored for our family. Even if I cap that cost at $10 for every 2 weeks (normal shopping periods for our house), then that is $260 towards having an emergency storage for whatever event. And you can easy buy 10 pounds of rice for less than $10 -- and have change left over for dried beans. That could feed a family for a few days. Rice and beans isn't luxury, but it beats eating dirt. The rice can even supplement our Top Ramen cache.

So my first goal is totally attainable and measurable as well. This leaves out any ambiguity about whether it was actually achieved. I'll add that I need to inventory what I have so I don't wind up with 100 pounds of rice and one loan bag of black beans. Still, I feel this is a good goal for the way things are shaping up around here. (Yeah, that's me being pessimistic about politics and the declining dollar.)

Goal #2 is the more fun one, because it's a man topic: guns! Now let's not be naive around here, Hero's house is not to be reckoned with. But, no self-respecting man should go without a shotgun, and that's my folly. Of course, a shotgun is just the tip of the manly iceberg. But, we'll limit it to that for the time being because I also want to be able to load my own shells to cut costs. And lucky me, a friend offered to give me his reloading kit if I get a shotgun.

I need to put this into a more contextual circumstance, however. My wife also has a goal this year, and of course it maligns mine (that's marriage, folks!). My wife has a goal of getting rid of debt. Apparently it is unconscionable to live like we're the federal government -- debt and deficit spending for years on end. True, with our newest addition to the family, we have some medical debt to deal with as well as credit card debt. Overall, we're not in bad shape, and things should be just peachy in a short while. Thus, there is a 90 day moratorium on spending for frivolous things of wantonness starting Jan. 1st.: We will only buy what we need. It'll be scary, because we need a shotgun. I can probably get away with goal #1 during this time, but #2 may have to wait. Probably wait until next fall, sadly.

So there you have it. You can follow along to see how we're doing. Most likely my wife will get her goal first, and then I'll put mine off until November. Fine, December. But still, I'll feel like a winner because I'll have the best collection of SPAM and a new shotgun to guard it. Trades welcome.