Hello 2025
Happy New Year, my loves!
It feels especially dystopian to write 2025 – we’re halfway through a decade that started in the most surprising of ways. (Had to really force myself not to use ‘unprecedented’ then…) Last year, I wasn’t at my best. While I was smashing milestones and goals at work, I spent a long time at odds with myself, my friendships, my trajectory in life, and I think I had more lows than highs. But, that’s what life is all about. The festive season was great, though, armoured by an incredible family trip in October and a perfect anniversary getaway in November. As ever, I feel so grateful for this little life.
2025 sees me turn 34, move in with my boyfriend, celebrate a whole bunch of loved ones’ weddings, and (hopefully) squeeze in a big bunch of travelling. It’s taken a few years, but I feel like I’ve found my post-pandemic ‘me’ and I’m no longer trying to reach for parts of me or my life that simply don’t exist. It’s time to seize the latter half of this decade and I’m really excited about it! Blog-wise, I’ve already written several posts and made a plan of how things will look.
I still feel guilty when I look back at how sporadic I was here last year. It feels like I’m one of the last OG bloggers standing and I often feel like I’m speaking into the void. Truth be told, that’s how I felt about my offline life last year too: ignored. Yet, our viewership numbers remain high here, so clearly there are many of us lurking. I would just love a little more interaction again. Like on Substack, where I’ve nurtured an equally wonderful community. I realised that interaction and community is just as important as writing and creativity, for me. It’s completely free to read my Substack, but you can upgrade to a paid subscription to unlock exclusive posts and posts older than six months, which I automatically archive.
2025 on Daisybutter continues to be sprinkled with joy-capturing, myth-making magic. I plan to bring back monthly and standalone book reviews, along with more in-depth bookish chatter. I plan to keep Open-hearted joys and Sundaze going, of course. And I also plan to talk about the things that matter, like money and investing, race and heritage, great ways to elevate your everyday and get into sustainability.
As for everything else…
Become a sourdough baker
In 2024, I perfected my focaccia-baking skill, so this year I want to finally become a sourdough person. We don’t eat much bread at home, but it’d be nice to bake for others and I’m especially focused on doing more analogue activities wherever I can. First up, trying to start a sourdough starter and keep it alive!
Make our house a home
While in recent years, my boyfriend and I have happily swanned off on as many travels as we possibly can, this year we’re moving in together and I want to pour energy into making our house a home. Our many interiors moodboards are in waiting, so I’m expecting many painting and decorating weekends in our near future, starting with the office and then our lounge. We have a fair few travel plans in mind, so it won’t only be at-home time.
Be firm with my time
In 2024, I was permanently busy. While I’m much better at saying ‘no’, I still have a long way to go in terms of being firm with my time. As I get older and learn more about myself, I realise that I’m somebody that needs quite a lot of time alone. I didn’t really get much of that last year, and I want to be better at making sure I have enough time to top up my energy levels to be a better version of myself when I do have plans.
Improve my saving and investing ratio
My saving and investing era has my financial stability flourishing lately. In 2025, I want to build on everything I’ve learned and built, and improve the ratio of what I’ve saved or invested. Now that interest rates are tumbling slightly, it’s a good idea to check out new bank accounts and consider moving some savings into investments on stocks that are doing well. It’s been so empowering to finally get my finances in shape.
Grow my Substack
Finally, my last goal (as they publicly stand!) is to grow my Substack. I would love to reach 50 paid readers, and 2,000 total subscribers. These are huge stretch goals compared to my current stats, but I have loved every moment of writing on Substack and creating a community there and I think it’s possible. I know some of you follow me on both Daisybutter and my Substack – Sundaze Book Café – and it’s felt so good and natural to divide up what I publish online in this way. Personal diary-like posts remain here, while my essays are on Substack. If you’re a free subscriber at the moment, you can also access my lifetime 20% discount on paid tiers, as a loyal blog reader.
