I love the first day of the month. There's just something about starting a new month that makes you feel like you can get tons and tons of stuff done. And whether that's true or not, the idea behind it makes me hopeful. Is it just me who feels that way?

The one thing I do every time this day comes around is check off my list of monthly things that need to get done. I really think that everyone should have one of these lists. How else are you supposed to stay on top of things? And if you're unsure of what types of things should be on this list, feel free to take a glance at mine.

My Monthly Checklist

Clear out any old food from the fridge and clean the shelves.
Choose my next book to read.
Set a goal of how many times I expect myself to go to the gym (this varies depending on the season - I go less in the summertime since I'm outdoors more compared with the winter when I need to up my gym dosage since I spend so much time indoors, not moving as much).
Set a spending budget (which takes into consideration birthday gifts, holidays, etc.)
Clean out my car (this was, obviously, for the times when I had a car).
Check Barnes & Noble for any author events that I might want to go to.
Buy greeting cards if there are any family or friends' birthdays this month.
Wash the bed sheets (should I be doing this more than once a month? Hope not. That's a lot of work).
Clean and polish any shoes that are looking rough.
Go through emails and respond to anything that's ridiculously late.

That's it! Pretty good list, eh? I think so.