Plan
Think about the bigger picture and get it down on paper.
Write down everything you want your home to be in 2009.
The list is bigger than "I want a plasma TV". It is about the purpose of your home and how you want to live in it.
See how these words fit the home you want:

• Uncluttered
• Welcoming
• Modern
• Child friendly
• Nurturing

Use your list to stay on track and create the home you want.
Ask yourself ‘Does this plasma TV/ teenage party/ renovation fit into my bigger picture?"

Change

List all the things you don't like about your home. Everything from stained carpet to room size to noise levels. Look at them one at a time. Focus on the things you can change - be creative. What is needed? Whether the answer is a tradesman to knock down a wall or more paintings to hang in the hall - make an action plan. If it requires money that you don't have, plan to save or borrow to make it happen. Remember your action plan can be for the whole year - you don't have to achieve everything today! (Rome wasn't built in a day)

Appreciate
What did you enjoy about your home in 2008?
List all the great things about it. Even the ones you take for granted. Are they still relevant to your life in 2009? If so, can you continue to enjoy them in 2009? If your list a smallish one keep it around to remind you of the positives. See if you can add to it throughout the year.

Evaluate
Perhaps your house is already a home and you don't want to make any changes. OK then, don't. No new furniture just because it's a bargain. No accepting friends' furniture/plants/pets just because they have nowhere else to go. No Austar just because the salesman was persuasive. And surely there's better things to do on Saturday mornings than visit garage sales!

Be conscious of what's coming into your home. Ensure it fits your bigger picture. Create the home you want in 2009