Books We Love Insider Blog: #swearing #newyearresolution #author #writing #fiction

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

A New Year and the Swear Jar – by Barbara Baker

My New Year’s Resolution was to stop using my favourite word - the f-bomb. Just so you know, the resolution was a suggestion from a loved one.

At first, I balked at the idea because, darn it, it’s my favourite word. But then, I do like a challenge. And really, how hard could it be? It’s not like I’m a potty mouth and drop the bomb into sentences inappropriately. I only use it when the situation warrants special effects or to get my point across. Although … there have been occasions when I’ve been told in private (by loved ones) to read the room before dropping said word into a conversation.

When I told people what my resolution was, the first response I got was ‘you’ll never do it Gramma.’ What kind of support is that? That night I fell asleep with visions of soap bars hovering over me.

Ground rules were established. I could not say the word, but it was agreed I could use versions of it in writing and texting. Hello texting – my new best friend.

January 1^st did not go well and I must admit, I was embarrassed how easily the word slipped out of my mouth. Maybe I am a potty mouth.

January 3^rd found me texting more than talking. I know, it’s hard to believe.

January 5^th a swear jar appeared on the kitchen table. What? No way. I don’t need that.

My husband said, “$20.00 for each f-bomb.”

“What? That’s outrageous.”

“It is what it is.” He grinned, winked and pointed at the jar.

I can stop. Just watch me.

That night there was $60 in the jar. A family member mentioned we’ll be able to go on a holiday in a couple weeks. Oh, ye of little faith!

January 9^th no more funds added to the jar. Look at me, I’m rocking it! I will mention that I stopped using any version of my favourite word in texts. It was just too tempting.

I rode the wave until January 14^th when I slammed my funny bone on a sharp corner. The word flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. Honest. I didn’t stand a chance. Even though its use was totally warranted and I apologized profusely, waving my injured elbow in the air, a finger pointed at the swear jar. Who the heck named it a funny bone? And why? It’s a nerve, not a bone. I didn’t have any cash, and the jar didn’t accept debit or credit, so I slipped in an IOU and made a mental note to go to the bank tomorrow.

In order to recover my dignity, I coerced my teeth into supporting me. Game changer. Nothing like a good chomp on the tongue to make me rethink word choices. Teamwork. I’ve got this!

January 19^th I lost our evening scrabble game (which isn’t uncommon) but for some reason it ticked me off and the word blurted out before my teeth could engage. My husband eyed the swear jar. After I added my donation, I told him, “It costs way more than what’s in that jar to go on holidays." He just smiled.

New data states it takes from 66 to 254 days to break a habit. What kind of margin is that? It used to only be 21 days to break a habit. What happened to that data? Quite possibly I’m doomed.

January 24th I was in a rush and got angry at the dishwasher because it wouldn’t do the right cycle. I pushed enough buttons to get an error message. I never knew it gave error messages. I f-bombed an electronic message on an appliance. I’m hopeless.

January 31^st - $180 in the swear jar and one IOU. I guess I had a few more slip-ups than I remembered. FYI - no big holiday plans yet but the year is young.

Fear not. I’m determined to ride this out until I break the habit. The next time we meet, I hope the soap ring around my lips has disappeared.

What resolution did you make? How’s it going? Current research states only 9% of people succeed in keeping their resolution. That's a daunting margin.