A lot has happened in my life in the past couple of years. Having my first child and now expecting my second. Moving out of London and now living back in my hometown.
There have been many wins and successes in my life and in the position I’m in now, where I feel relatively content with life. I worked incredibly hard during my 20s, and so much so that my family has managed to establish, in my opinion, a privileged life. Of course, though, there’s always something that you want to improve or that you need, regardless of where you are in life or how much money you have in your bank.
So with that being said, here are some of my needs and wants for 2026.
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Pay off all our remaining debts
We thankfully don’t have any credit cards, but we do have debt that we need to deal with in the form of finance payments for new sofas and a bed that we bought for when we moved into our new home here in Stoke-on-Trent. Honestly, I don’t know how people can just fork out thousands for a bed and sofa when all your savings get wiped out from the deposit and the stamp duty!
So with that being said, we do have some debt that needs paying off, and I’d like to go into 2027 with no debt so that we can try and pay as we go through life, rather than living in a ‘buy now, pay later’ world.
Have a healthy birth and recovery
For my first birth with Sonny, it went completely the opposite of what I expected would happen. I had a birth plan of a water birth at home, and instead ended up with an emergency C-section after sixty-six hours of labour.
Now I wouldn’t recommend anyone go through that amount of time in labour eve,r and I think it really contributed to the way the labour went in general.
With that being said, this time around, I have hindsight to work from, and if I feel like this birth may be heading in the same direction towards the end, then I’d be more inclined to go in for a c-section. Ultimately, I just want to have a healthy birth and recovery, which is what every pregnant woman wants.
Work more on my social media and blogs
I have certainly been neglecting my social media and blogs over the past year or so. Torn between wanting to spend more time with my little one, but also knowing my livelihood relies on my productive efforts. With that being said, I’m entering 2026 feeling much more relaxed and content with where I am in life. However, I would love to spend more time where I can on building my socials and blogs – yes, I own multiple blogs, which is stupid.
Read more books
I used to be a big bookworm and could finish a big book in a matter of days. However, I’ve neglected my love of reading for years now, and I’ve got so many books I’ve started but just haven’t gotten around to finishing. So I’m going to hold myself accountable this year and make a list of books I’d like to read each month so that I actually read something. I’m also going to try to read in bed as I think this is the best time for me to get stuck into a good read.
Take more days off
There will likely come a point at which I need to take a few more days off this year. My maternity leave as a self-employed person isn’t quite the same as someone in full-time employment. I can’t afford to take much time off; another writer is going to secure the work I’ve let go of.
However, with that being said, I don’t think I’ve taken many days of ‘annual leave’ since starting self-employment in 2019, and it’s starting to take its toll on life in general. Therefore, I may find myself taking more Wednesdays off throughout the year, as this will be the day going forward that I have not one but two kids to entertain at home.
Therefore, the likelihood of getting work done is going to feel like a big challenge. With that being said, I can afford to take that time off, so I’ll certainly be starting that from the summer.
What wants and needs do you have for this year? Let me know in the comments below.
