Putting together your resolutions and goals for the new year is a great motivation to make positive changes in your life.

Although we sometimes fall off our resolutions quickly, we can think of our resolutions as a plan, and make it a habit to celebrate small milestones you’ve achieved to keep you inspired and excited throughout the year.

We searched the net and put together the 20 most popular resolutions that people write every year.

• Lose weight or stay in shape
• Eat healthier 
• Live a more active lifestyle
• Travel more and see the world
• Save more money
• Get out of debt
• Get a new job (turn hobbies into a career)
• Enjoy and love yourself more (Self-care)
• Learn a new skill
• Read more
• Get a new hobby
• Make new friends
• Spend more time with family and friends
• Reduce stress
• Stop procrastinating
• Find a significant other
• Be more confident and face your fears
• Reinvent yourself or give yourself a makeover 
• Stop smoking
• Drink less alcohol

Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out (until Mar 21)
Explore this amazing exhibition created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens at the Telus World of Science. You can examine the anatomy of over 100 animals including exotic species.

Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation in IMAX (Jan 10 – Jan 31)
Watch this film at IMAX - Telus World of Science with family exploring volcanoes and their impact on humans and the world.

Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival (Jan 12 – Jan 13)
Bring your family and friends, and have an amazing weekend at the 12th annual Deep Freeze Winter Festival. Enjoy the cold weather, and join the games and fun.

The Dark Crystal: PJ Party in the IMAX Theatre (Jan 19)
Watch this movie classic at IMAX - Telus World of Science in your coziest pj’s with family and friends.

Ballet BC (Jan 22 – Jan 23)
Experience an evening of dance from this internationally acclaimed ballet company and created by some of the most celebrated choreographers of our time.

The Art of the Book 2018 (Jan 22 – Feb 16)
Visit this juried exhibition of the book arts at the University of Alberta. The exhibition includes artists’ books, boxes, calligraphy, and more by Canadian and international book artists.

A Night Under the Stars - Friend Raiser Gala (Jan 26)
Support the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation by attending the 27th Friend Raiser Gala at The Enjoy Centre in St. Albert.

Make Your Own Gingerbread House (Dec. 15)
A great way to pass the time with some kids and get them in the spirit of Christmas.

Winter Wagon Nights (Dec. 20 – 23)
Experience the holiday spirit with family, friends, and loved ones in a cozy horse-drawn wagon ride at Fort Edmonton.

Christmas Group Show (until Dec. 22)
An exhibition with more than 30 painters, glass artists and others showing off their work.

Snowshoe and stargaze (Dec. 22)
A lovely way to pass the evening outside, taking in some amazing sights.

Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert (Dec. 30)
An annual Edmonton tradition, this year’s concert will feature Strauss waltzes and sweeping melodies from beloved operettas performed by acclaimed European singers, champion ballroom dancers, ballet, and live symphony orchestra.

Upgrading your home is a significant, often life changing decision so it’s natural for sellers to wonder when’s the best time to make such a monumental move.

If you are upgrading homes — selling and buying — waiting means the price of home you are trying to sell also drops.

Buying and selling simultaneously means that you’ll still be ahead of the game because the price reduction on the new house is likely to be greater than the loss on the old home, if the new home is worth more — that’s just a simple math in terms of percentages.

Example of 10 per cent down market

$300,000 current home: Down 10 per cent of $30,000 would make it now $270,000

$500,000 future home: Down 10 per cent of $50,000 would make it now $450,000

$50,000 - $30,000 Gain = $20,000

$450,000 - $270,000 = $180,000 (i.e. you are spending an additional $180,000 to move into your dream home)

Housing markets drop but they also spike back up. Wait too long and you may be facing the opposite problem.

If your home goes back up to 10 per cent to $300,000, this is what happens.

Example of 10 per cent back up market

$300,000 current home

$500,000 future home

$500,000 - $300,000 = $200,000 (i.e. you are spending an additional $200,000 to move into your dream home)

While it’s important to look at the general market trends, trying to predict where they’ll head next can turn into a guessing game.

You simply cannot time the market perfectly but spending “time in the market” beats trying to “time the market.”

Before we move on to decorating for the holidays, let's continue on the fall home décor theme. Our photo gallery features some creative and unique door wreaths ideas you can use to beautify your home this fall.