July plans/goals

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

It’s been way too long since I set out some monthly goals. I have been flying by the seat of my pants. And while it’s not too detrimental to the budget, I definitely could be doing better. There was WAY too much spent eating out last month. It doesn’t help that the new job has a cafeteria and I can get good, fresh, healthy food for $6. Or that since I changed jobs, I am in a much better place mentally and want to see my friends. 🙂

1. I am going to stick to the budget this month. Really, I am!! LOL

2. I am also going to work out in the morning before work. Every morning. No really I am!! 🤣

3. Blog with some kind of regularity.

This long weekend I am going to start decluttering my place. I have a ton of items that will never be used again; lotions and potions and what not. Last weekend I was looking for sunblock and found 3 bottles all expired. I don’t think they are the only ones.

I will empty the cupboards under both bathroom sinks and only put back what I am sure we will use. I think we have a lot of stuff and I want to inventory it properly so I know for sure. I ran out of body lotion and have been putting off buying more as I think we have more somewhere.

I will attempt to be ruthless and really get rid of things we are not using. I already have a few things set aside to donate. I will be adding to it AND taking it out of my place.

I would also like to rearrange my living room furniture. I do not love the current layout. Having a L-shaped living room/dining room is a small challenge. Plus I might have too much. There may or may not be a couple of dead plants in my home. 😳

Now to execute! 🙂

 

July No Spend – The End

 (Source)

I’m in the green!!

Or is it in the black?? Either way I am under budget!! 🙂

I went over in 2 areas:

• bus fare as Princess lost her bus pass and ran out of money – I felt sorry for her so I bought her 2 strips of tickets so she could get to her last week of summer school
• groceries by $6.51 as I had an unplanned trip to the grocery store and brought Diva along …

I was on point or under in the rest of my spending so I came in under budget by $268. 🙂 Mind you my gas tank is close to empty as for some reason I only filled up once this month which is not the norm.

A giant thank you to Sharon who had the idea to do this no spend challenge. While I did turn into a bit of a hermit I didn’t feel deprived.

I have just under $30 left in my eating out pot … Hmmm what to do for dinner???

What to say?

So far so “good”.

I have moments of sadness but overall I am okay. References to cancer, like commercials or those Facebook statuses still hurt/piss me off but this too shall pass.

Right now the only service to be had is for my cousin’s Aunt (who is also my cousin but older than my mother so I call her Aunt). I’m on the fence as to whether or not to attend. It is next Saturday and while I feel like I should go, it is not as strong as I feel to attend my cousin’s.

As per my cousin’s wishes, she will be cremated and a memorial will follow. Based on my last communication with her mother, it will not be this month.

To add to my sorrow, the wife of one of my cousins on my father’s side passed away last Thursday. The funeral will not be held in Canada so there will be a wake tonight. I will attend to represent my father who is not here. This will require a trip to the liquor store for a bottle of something.

Right now I am over death. So on to some brighter news. I am still on the exercise wagon. I really want to step on the scale but after the last time, I will wait until February 1. I feel stronger and leaner so I’m sticking with that.

I’ve done a little meal planning this week and made chili earlier and will make chicken stir-fry tonight. That should cover us until Friday when I will make lasagna roll ups.

My low/no spending is going well. I am well under budget in most categories. I am staying out of stores (read Costco) and it is having a wonderful effect on my bank account. 🙂 With the exception of an oil change and Princess’ grad photos there has been very little unplanned spending.

 

Brain dump

I have so many things in my head to write about and now that I am sitting in front of my computer, my mind has gone blank.

Say what!?!

So here are the bits and pieces that I can remember.

For 2015 I challenged myself to read 20 books and I did it!! YEAH me!! 🙂 I didn’t count any cookbooks I went through but I did count 1 children’s book and 2 essentially picture books (the Humans of New York books). This year I increased the number to 25. Given that I sort of started a book club I expect that I will be able to fulfill this task.

On the topic of the book club, I started “The Girl on The Train” mid-November. I am struggling with it. I read 2 other books since November … I have 13 days to finish it. Time to put my nose in a book.

I also started “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up“.

I love the concepts of this book and will try to implement them as soon as I am finish reading. I see a tidied house in my future. 😀

For Christmas I received a small purse similar to this one, a few colouring books and some pencil crayons. I forgot how much I love to colour. Princess had her eye on my colouring books so I got her one of her own. Now she’s a happy girl.

I have exercised every day since December 1. Last Friday I stepped on the scale and was not happy. How do I weigh more than usual? Not impressed at all. Then I told myself the old muscle weighs more than fat line. I also took my measurements and even though I feel thinner, I’m about the same size I was in 2012 when I started taking my measurements. 😦 Somebody’s got a lot of work to do.

I tallied up my 2015 budget and it was not pretty. My food spending was out of control. I really need to keep a closer eye on this. Reducing my trips to Costco should help. I am also going to try carrying over any excess or deficiencies month to month and see how that works out. I’m all stocked up with meat so there should be some carry over this month.

I was thinking about doing a no spend challenge for the month but I think I would rather dedicate my energies to tidying and colouring. 🙂 If I am home decluttering and colouring I can’t be spending money right? 😉

Rookie mistake

I am kicking myself ever so slightly. I just finished updating my budget and realized that I paid full price for sunblock that was supposed to be on sale. 😦

I used to be more diligent about checking my receipts before I left the store.  Time to bring that back.

If the store was closer I would go back but it’s not worth my while to try to get to my cousin’s neighbourhood, a 40 minute drive without traffic, to get back $6.

This is my PSA … check your receipts people. Don’t be like me!

April Recap and May Goals

I know it’s the middle of May but I still want to do my monthly recap.

April Goals

1. Move at least 10 minutes every day – I worked out 14 times last month
2. Stick to my budget – I was over by $14 but that’s because I used some of my income tax refund to pad my budget
3. Read 3 books – I finished not even 1 😦
4. Continue to work on my afghan – I’m stuck on a piece of the pattern that requires me to concentrate and I have not spent the time with it to figure it out
5. Stop eating after 8 pm – I was good in the beginning of month
6. Replace the batteries in my scale and watch – Done and done.
7. Figure out what to do with my tax refund – Other than pad my budget last month, I think I’m just going to leave it in my savings

Wow this is much better than I thought it would be.

Since we are half way through May I’m not going to have too many goals.

May Goals

1. Stay on budget
2. Establish a nightly prep routine
3. Go to bed by 11 pm
4. Start exercising

I think that’s enough for the next 2 weeks.

March recap and April goals

I don’t really want to talk about March.  I was doing “OK” until I left the country then I forget I was on a budget. 😦

So I hope to distract you with what might be my only “win” this month.  All the decluttering I did.

 Yeah me!!

Ok, back to reality.

What was I supposed to be doing again?

1. Participate in Carla’s March Take 3 challenge – I did join and post about it 🙂
   • Come in under budget – Not even close
   • Time management – Nope
   • Declutter – Partly done, still have a box of CDs to rip
2. Work on my afghan – I have added a few more rows
3. Daily reading in the morning and evening – Nope
4. Read 3 books – I only read The 21 Day Financial Fast
5. Stop eating after 8 pm – If I was on point 30% of the time that was plenty

I am still struggling with getting my ducks together.  I only exercised 12 times and that was only because since last week I decided to make sure I move every day.

April Goals

1. Move at least 10 minutes every day
2. Stick to my budget
3. Read 3 books
4. Continue to work on my afghan
5. Stop eating after 8 pm
6. Replace the batteries in my scale and watch
7. Figure out what to do with my tax refund

Maybe lucky #7 will be the magic number of goals for me this month.

 

January recap & February goals

On Monday I got the dreaded you have reached 100% of your monthly usage allowance. 😦  In an attempt to reduce our overage I banned everyone from using the internet unless it was school related.  When I checked this morning we were 6 GBs over our limit.  This will be an additional $12 on the next bill.  I would love to know what had changed this past billing cycle as we haven’t gone over our 60 GB limit in a long time and usually sit at less than 45 GBs each month.

Oh well, on to business.

January Goals

1. Fiscal fast for the first 8 days of January, with the exception of a lunch on Jan 7 – Done
2. No-Low Spend Challenge
   
   • Come in on or under my reduced budget – I was over by 4% if you don’t count my tickets to The Lion King, 18.5% if you do
   • No eating out (except for the lunch I have on the 7th) – Nope, my cousin invited me out and I also paid for the meal my BFF “treated” me to as she has not paid me back yet and I don’t intend to ask for repayment as she frequently takes me out to eat.
   • 15 “no spend” days – I had 22
   • Continue to track my spending – I did this and for the first time ever my spending only took up 32 lines on my spreadsheet. (It’s usually in the 50’s)
   • Shop my freezer – Mostly, but I still stocked up on some pizzas towards the end of the month
3. Exercise 20 times – I tracked 27 workouts
4. Read 2 books – I only read The Time Traveler’s Wife
5. Give the blanket to my BFF  – Done!
6. Pick up one of the unfinished crochet projects I have – Nope, I have not looked in the bin yet

Not bad.  I’m starting to think that multi-tasking is not my forte.  But I worked out and tried to keep my spending under control, which were the important goals to me.

February Goals

1. Stop eating after 8pm.  I find myself snacking while watching the 11 pm news. 😦
2. Read 3 books
3. Pick up an afghan and work on it
4. Shop my freezer
5. Get back on track with my daily morning and evening reading
6. Continue to workout at least 5 times a week

***

On a different note, I forgot to tell you that I stepped on the scale on Saturday and pulled out the tape measure.  I am down almost 4 lbs and 4 inches.  I kinda expected it would be more as I am feeling rather lean.  I am one pound away from where My Fitness Pal thinks I am.  Blasted summer holiday weight gain that is fighting to stay with me. 😦  My cousin gave me bad news.  She said once you get closer to your goal it gets harder to lose the weight.  WTF!?! Well, I am taking that as a challenge and putting on my big girl panties. 😉

December recap & January goals

Another month end.  Time is passing far too quickly.

December Goals

1. Exercise 16 times – 22 times!!  Whoo hoo!!  20 minutes really is my sweet spot.
2. Read 2 books – I read The Dinner and Better Than Good Hair
3. 15 no spend days – Only 13, so close.  I would have hit it if I didn’t take my sister to do her eyebrows twice.  Really need to put her on a schedule that corresponds with a day I am already spending money. 😉
4. Shop my freezer – I was doing this!?!  LOL  I don’t think I did this well at all. 😦
5. Finish Christmas shopping by Dec 10 – I was finished on the 12th.  Close but not quite.
6. Finish putting together the blanket for my BFF – The blanket is put together now I need to sew in all the loose ends.
7. Make Apple Pie cookies – No.  I was planning to make and take these to my Dad’s for Christmas but I did not take the recipe off the internet so when I lost internet just before Christmas I was SOL.
8. Stick to the budget – Not even close. 😦

4/8 …

January Goals

1. Fiscal fast for the first 8 days of January, with the exception of a lunch on Jan 7
2. No-Low Spend Challenge
3. Exercise 20 times
4. Read 2 books
5. Give the blanket to my BFF 😉
6. Pick up one of the unfinished crochet projects I have

I think that’s enough given the no-low spend challenge is going to keep me on my toes.

I still have to decide on what, if anything, I want to accomplish this year.

November recap & December goals

How is the year almost over already???

This is one of the signs of old age.  Time passes really quickly.

November Goals

1. Exercise 15 times – 10 times this month
2. Read 3 books – Done.  I read Orange is the New Black, And the Mountains Echoed, Sharp Objects and Dark Places.
3. 15 no spend days – 15 no spend days, see what being sick can do for me!! lol
4. Shop my freezer – I was doing this?  Not if you look at my grocery shopping.
5. Meal plan – yes I did
6. Declutter 90 items – this is done but the items are sitting in a corner waiting to go to Goodwill
7. Stick to the budget – Nope
8. Figure out Christmas presents – I only have my Dad left
9. Only grocery shop once a week – Not even close 😦

5/9 … well at least it’s going in the right direction.

December Goals

1. Exercise 16 times
2. Read 2 books
3. 15 no spend days
4. Shop my freezer
5. Finish Christmas shopping by Dec 10
6. Finish putting together the blanket for my BFF
7. Make Apple Pie cookies
8. Stick to the budget

I think that is enough.