Well, I’ve done it. It’s been a year since I set my New Years resolutions for 2020 and for the most part I’ve stuck to them. It’s been a year of blogging, sustainable life choices, and prioritizing my personal health. All of which will continue to be prioritized in my life as we enter into 2021. I wanted to take this time to give an update on the year of 2020 with the Creative and Ambitious blog and with the sustainable lifestyle choices I’ve made.
In case you missed it, check out my 2020 resolutions here: https://creativeandambitious.com/2020-resolutions/
The Creative and Ambitious Blog – Year One
As for the blog, this will be the 35th article I’ve written and published. That’s approximately one article every 1.5 weeks which is pretty good considering that I started my blog on December 26th, 2019 but didn’t publish any of it until March of 2020.
Since March, I’ve grown an Instagram account, a Facebook page, started an email list, had my first paid article opportunity (thank you ZipRecruiter!), and fell in love with blogging. I loved it as much as I thought I would. I wanted an outlet to express myself and that’s exactly what blogging has given me. It took my four years to start this blog and I’m so glad I jumped in and gave it a try, especially in the year of 2020.
2020 Challenges & Success
2020 was quite a year. It was confusing, scary, and overwhelming. But it wasn’t all bad. It truly gave me a much needed think over what I really wanted. Was I happy? Was I on my way to where I wanted to be in life? The answer was no. Blogging has given me hope, it’s given me ownership over my life, and it’s let me share my life with others. It also gave me a sense of control over my life when the world was in chaos. Writing is therapy ❤
So let’s dive in. Analytics wise, April saw the most monthly blog views which was also my most active month posting on Pinterest reaching 83.23K views organically. One major blog lesson I learned was that I need to prioritize publishing pins more and I would recommend this to all other bloggers ❤. Pinterest is underrated and gives you the best web traffic boost for your effort and time.
April was the month I published 7 articles:
- Where I Have Traveled so Far
- How to Make Reusable Cotton Rounds
- Ways to Relax When You’re Stressed or Overwhelmed
- My Travel Essentials
- Why You Should Start a Blog
- Oh My Lush Review
- Beginner’s Guide to Apartment Gardening
All of which are linked, so if one has peaked your interest, check it out, and as always: let me know what you think of it!
Side Note: Blogging is great but it’s basically you against the world so I am always looking for feedback or just someone to talk to about it. My family and friends are sick of hearing about it. Who can blame them! It’s my passion but it’s not theirs and that’s okay! Message me on Instagram or email me at sarahelizabethmanagement@gmail.com .
Sustainable Lifestyle Update
My sustainable goals in the beginning of the year were pretty simple:
- Make produce bags for shopping ✔
- Make reusable cotton rounds & a wash bag for them ✔
- Mend my worn clothes or make them into new pieces of clothing ✔
- Start using my travel coffee mug every time I get coffee or tea (- not accepted widely in 2020)
- Stop using paper towels–use rags instead ✔
- Switch to bars of soap instead of bottled shower gel ✔
- Find a shampoo bar that works for my hair type ✔
For the most part, I was able to stick to these or at least be better about making these changes.
During 2020, the pandemic made it a little harder to be sustainable in public. Reusable cups and bags were turned away where they would have been accepted before. But working at home and not going a lot of places has been pretty sustainable too. At home, I can compost, recycle, use my real dishes, and cook at home!
In addition to my simple sustainable goals, I’ve also:
- Started countertop composting
- Bought a metal safety razor – check it out here
- Used more of what I had before buying new
- Reused and upcycled things
- Made jam and pickles in the summer
- Grew veggies in the summer
- Donated clothes I didn’t wear
- Started some sustainable hobbies – click here to read about sustainable hobbies to start!
- Thrifted first (I’ve always loved thrift stores)
- Tried to wrap presents more sustainably
- Switched to a June Cup – click here to check out their website! https://thejunecup.com/products/the-june-cup-regular
The Hardest Sustainable Lifestyle Swap of 2020
The most daunting and challenging sustainable swap that I’ve made was switching to a period cup called the June Cup. I was uncomfortable with talking about or the idea of switching to reusable period products a year ago. Finally I’m getting over that and not only using one but sharing that fact with other people (still a little awkward but hey here we are).
I wanted to share this because right now you can buy a June cup at cost for $6 because of Covid. Check it out here: https://thejunecup.com/products/the-june-cup-regular . Also a big reason I was willing to give it a try and order it was because it was $6. Apparently that was my selling point to give it a try.
My 2021 Sustainable goals:
- Try honey bee wraps
- Use all my extra soaps, scrubs, and lotions
- Stop buying things when I’m bored that I don’t need
- Make more meals at home
- Find low waste restaurants
- Eat less packaged snacks
- Think of more ways to be sustainable
- volunteer in my community – picking up trash, at community gardens, educate people about sustainability
- Make some DIY cleaners
- Stop buying fast fashion
- Shop from sustainable/eco friendly brands
IF you’ve made it this far, I want to thank you so much for following allow and joining in my blogging and/or sustainable lifestyle journey in 2020. Here’s to 2021: where we will live like there’s no pandemic, take chances, find happiness, and get back to seeing the world. I can’t welcome the new year enough!
