I have a few household habits that I plan to change, and most involve conserving energy and cutting back on spending. I've resolved to start a new "green" habit each month, each of which will carry on to the next month, so that by the end of December I have 12 new "green" habits that will hopefully reduce my environmental impact. For example, my goal in January is to stop using grocery and shopping bags. For Christmas I bought myself (and as gifts) a pack of Baggu reusable grocery bags in bright Kelly Green, and they are so wonderful - very durable, carry a ton, and easily fit over my shoulder. Other monthly goals will include using a timer in the shower and buying a compact dishwasher to conserve water, having a temperature-regulated thermostat installed, sealing the windows in order to reduce drafts, etc. When it comes to home design, my goal is to sort through flea markets, tag sales, Craig's List, and other re-selling resources in order to find items that are unique, have a history, and do not come with lots of packaging products including cardboard boxes, plastic wrap, and styrafoam. Additionally, I have resolved to be more conscious of buying items made with sustainable materials, such as bamboo.

I suggest Cuisenart's coffee makers with timer. You can even get a model that will grind your beans for you (I buy my beans roasted to order and ground for me at my local coffee shop -- that will save you the price of the built-in ginder).

Alternatively, considera french press/themos combo. You can take it with you. There's are some good options at REI.com. http://www.rei.com/search?query=french press

As for money saving changes...

--Less meat. More vegetarian dishes.
--Less expensive meat & fish (thighs instead of breasts, shoulder instead of loin, snow crab instead of king crab)
--Fritatta! Soup! easy and cheap.
--Weekly commitment to a crockpot meal.
--$12 wine instead of $25 wine.
--Leftovers for lunch. Or instant oatmeal (it's 17F outside today!)
--More Hulu.com movies (there are some fantastic older flicks available)
--NO post-holiday sales. Not even for 2-ply cashmere. *pout*
--joint Costco membership, and bulk purchases of items that are verifiably 1/2 price [cheese, sparkling water, pasta, paper products]
--Use what's in the pantry, use up all fresh food, and make extras to freeze (freezing in particular has been a godsend. Tomato soup from last summer's garden harvest means 8 'free' dinners for two @ one a week for two months)
--more "staycation" weekends cooking, walking, cuddling.

"Use less paper towels"

Um - The word you're looking for is "fewer"...

...and my resolution is to finish many of the projects that have eluded completion these past years - such as rehanging the artwork in my bedroom that has been leaning on the walls for the past several months (done this weekend), calling the upholsterer to redo the vintage chairs in my dining area and have the draperies made for my den (meeting this week), sending out prints for framing (done this weekend), and clearing out the clutter and old furniture (going to be picked up in a couple weeks)...
....now I just need to just get my mind wrapped around repainting the kitchen this spring.

We haven't had paper towels in the house since my son was born. You can get really cheap white ones at big auto repair shops like Auto Zone. I think it's like a dozen for five or ten dollars.

As for resolutions my big one is to do more creating and less computer time (hey, I'm at work right now it doesn't count).

I bought some kitchen cloths at Target, and use the ones from Trader Joe's I pretty much only keep paper towels around for cleaning up kitty-barfing related adventures. I use a roll once every three months maybe.

I need to figure out a way to eat tasty, healthy food after working ridiculous hours at work. I'm thinking a crock pot might have to suffice for now.

Kim, freeze some crock pot meals and throw them in the microwave after work.

Cutting Starbucks out was one of my sacrifices as well. I had a fantastic programmable coffee maker with built-in grinder that was going to waste because I was too lazy to set it up every night. Now I wake up a half hour earlier, enjoy a small cup before getting ready, and enjoy a thermos at work. No paper cups, no stopping at Starbucks, no spending $2.06 every day. It feels good. :)

Also: more fresh fruit and veggies with every meal. It's cheaper than processed crap, and will help with my (and everyone else's) other generic resolution.

Get more organized! I just got myself a gmail account and started filling in the calendar. I started by adding in some reminders for December... for things I forgot to do before this christmas!
http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

Also, this year I would like to replace all of my cleaning products with eco-friendly options. It's going to be hard to give up Lysol wipes (I use them on everything), but it's time.

Kim - or some casseroles. Any kind of batch cooking, really. Make a big pot of soup, put the leftovers in jars = home-cooked meal with the ease of the canned stuff.

Wow, I'm surprisingly virtuous. But I'm going to try to clean a little something every day (beyond washing the dishes and sweeping, which I'm good at.)

Right on whytephoenix... not all of us are up to coffee makers, and I personally also have to resolve to learn to clean before I can wean myself off cleaning products!

I'm also resolving to get off my butt and sweat, sweat, sweat.

And you'll need plenty more than a 6 pack of washable kitchen towels!

The biggest one for me is to eat more healthy, more home-cooked meals (instead of frozen lunches).
There is also a lot that relate to kimg924's list - save, save, save!

btw - I use french press every day, and love it. But I am a believer in breakfast before running out to work. I do not leave the house without breakfast and coffee... so even though I am not a morning person, I always get up early enough to have about 20min to prepare, sit and eat breakfast with freshly brewed coffee (nothing's better than from french press imo) - and also quickly check email, news, weather etc. It's such a good beginning for the day, and helps me feel a bit better - not rushed, stressed etc. I highly recommend it!

I also want to make my apt more cozy... I am rather on the poor side, so decorating (and even basic furnishing) takes me a lot of time... I want to make sure it serves me - that I can relax, rest and unwind here, that I feel comfortable and "at home". So I also have to be careful to control my messiness!

I agree with the person that said you are going to need more than 6 towels! One benefit of paper towels is that you avoid bacteria buildup since you use a new one each time. Be sure you change out your towel frequently to keep your kitchen safe...

We wake up to the delightful scent of coffee every morning...it's like a gift to ourselves. I have a French press travel mug at school and a stash of coffee for those afternoons when I need a pick-me-up (like the week back after 2 luscious weeks off!) I love treating myself kindly, and the money I save by not going out for a coffee.

For those giving up paper towels and other cleaning products, two words: Microfiber towels. Those babies can clean and dust anything. Wet, they do a great job on everything from general grime to windows--use vinegar to kill germs. Dry, they are the best dusters out there and fit right over a Swiffer stick for floor dusting, etc. Just throw it in the laundry hamper afterwards--but don't use fabric softener, which kills microfiber's electrostatic dirt-grabbing properties. And by all means DON'T pay the ridiculous prices they charge for them in the home cleaning department (often upwards of $4 a towel). Buy them at auto supply stores, where they're known as "detailing cloths" or somesuch. I got a stack of 24 in the automotive section of BJ's Wholesale for about $9. They're in constant rotation and holding up great.

(And ladies: the Makeup Alley site claims microfiber is the best thing to wash your face with--whisks away dead skin cells for youthful, dewy skin. I'm not sure I'm dewy, but they do make your skin feel about a hundred times smoother. Bonus!)

Thanks, Ruckus, for that info. I have used cloth towels in the kitchen for years, and the secret is to have lots of them, so you don't feel conflicted about grabbing a fresh one frequently. I have my own little system of hanging soiled ones to dry, on the edge of a plastic bin under the kitchen sink, before putting them in the laundry bin, so they won't get stinky. I'm going to upgrade to microfiber this year.

My new resolutions involve simplifying, streamlining, and economizing in most areas of my life: home, food, shopping, clothes. I want to focus on the joys of experience instead of material things.

Thanks ruckus, those are great tips!

I'm happy to say I've stuck to my 08 resolution: no more purchases of water or any other beverage in plastic bottles. Not that I was a big user in the past, but we bought a few metal canisters last year and we use them all the time.

For 09, I'm going to try kitchen composting. I've heard mixed reviews about vermiculture -- the worms just don't eat as much as they should -- so we're thinking of getting a Naturemill in-kitchen composter. Based on what I've read, we'll need to be vigilant in properly managing our organic waste (adding sawdust and baking powder routinely), but I'm going to give it a go.

Great motivation, guys, and good choices. As far as a coffee maker, the one you've pictured is an excellent model - well worth it's fairly modest price (Overstock lists them around $80 now... c'mon - it IS coffee we're making here) and has consistently brewed fantastic joe for me over the last 4-5 years. One thing that really messes with the taste of coffee is the build up/failure to clean it over time, and this one can be programmed to alert you when it's time to do that (also boasts a great water filter - another essential to superb taste).

Wow, wifekimg924, LOVE the "staycation" weekends idea - I'll hafta pose that one to my other half... also the plug for soup. Homemade soup is cheap, satisfying in winter, and kinda romantic in some delicious, it's-chilly-outside way (hey, I'm from Seattle, we make the best of things). I don't, however, find that eating more vegetarian proves to be cheaper - in fact many of my fave veggie recipes call for spendy ingredients/spices - but we do cut out red meat and stick to fish/fowl and that may make a difference. Do watch for sales on typically expensive staples - cheese, meat, and bread can all be frozen to use later, and canned beans/broth/tomatoes keep for an age.

I grew up in a household that didn't know the term paper towels - we used "tea-towels" (dish towels), so out of habit, I've never been able to bring myself to buy them. I do plenty of wash, but we use all cloth around here. Funny, cuz I didn't even think about it as eco-friendly til just recently (and my friends thought our house was straight weird for lacking paper napkins - now I could give a rat's ass)...

Boyfriend and I live a very environmentally responsible lifestyle, so I think that our mutual "resolution" is more of a commitment to continuing those practices and keeping on top of our electricity usage, waste, and consumption. We're also de-cluttering quite a bit, which has been amazing. As much as I love books, we've vowed to limit our purchases to academic related books, and instead will go to the library. I hope that it will cut down on the visual clutter of too many books in a small space, while saving us money.

I'd also like to personalize our space more. Because of space restrictions, and the fact that we're renting, we haven't made our home feel as cozy and warm as we'd like. Now that we've leased another year, and will be here through 2010 (at least), we're committed to infusing our apartment with our personalities through more thoughtful decor and paint.

And I plan on cooking a lot more, so that I can someday boast a cooking prowess rivaling my mothers.

I kept new year's resolutions down to three, anymore and I lose track and forget.

1. Take fewer taxis, and therefore save more money. If I wake up just 10-15 minutes earlier I can take the bus/subway.

2. Eat more veggies, more varieties and more often.

3. Not at all home related, but get down to 9min/mile pace.

You guys have me craving coffee now.

A quick comment to lucitecturalclassics - Don't wait until you start cleaning to get eco-friendly cleaning products. My friend who turned me on to AT also made me make the switch. My hands were so much less irritated after using less toxic alternative cleaners that I started cleaning - more often.

I'm loving the "we want to use fewer paper towels so we bought something" scenario. I'm not exactly the greenest girl on earth, but kitchen cloths that you *buy* have to be produced -- cotton grown, picked, shipped, processed, woven, shipped, etc.

Rags, anyone? Cut up all your old t-shirts and sheets and clean the house with them!