As I posted yesterday I have been decluttering and cleaning my house. I resolve that I will never let it get that out of control again. It was ridiculous -- but I know I am not alone. How many of you would rather do anything but clean your house however you enjoy a clean home? I did it in bits and pieces,spending an hour at a time getting the job done. This meant that some rooms had stuff sitting in the middle of the room waiting to be sorted, but it was okay since it was a temporary situation.
I found more craft supplies than I knew I ever had. I organized and sorted and am anxious to start using those items this year.
In the end, if you have a messy, dirty disorganized house, do what I did - find a spot and start. For me it was in the basement and when I started to get bored with the basement I moved to our bedroom. I went back and forth between the basement and the bedroom until both were in good shape. Then I moved on to other rooms.
Just begin - in a short amount of time you will feel like I do now.
Disorganization leads to spending money. It can be as simple as buying a packet of buttons because you can't find your button stash - but money is money and right now I have to really keep track of my spending.
Now that statement leads one to believe that I don't normally need to keep track of my spending. I have gotten out of the habit of tracking my spending. Since I have been on Weight Watchers and have been tracking my food and exercise; I realized how important it is for me to really keep track of my spending. Little bits of money have been slipping through my fingers.
Many people have no spend days, weeks or months but I have resolved to just do a better job of keeping track of what I spend money on and be more accountable to myself and my family as to expenditures.
We're tightening our belts around here as we know that come summertime food and gas prices will be even higher. College tuition is going up also. So the pennies that we save now, will be needed for later.
Our college girls moved in yesterday and as I type this they are still unpacking and trying to find a place for their belongings. In order to make good use of the space in their small room I need to find some kind of a tall bookshelf for them to put their books on and perhaps their t.v. So, I checked Craigslist and found nothing. Tomorrow I will head to Goodwill to see what possibilities are there. The girls aren't worried about finding anything in a hurry. They are grateful for anything that we do for them. Actually, we may end up with the cinder blocks and boards standby.
With two new additions to our household, I need to come up with a new food budget. I'm playing it by ear now - just trying to find my way and by the end of January I should have a feel for what is a reasonable sum - or not. You see I am not buying a lot of meat as we are eating from the freezer.
Lastly, I spiraled downward about two weeks ago. I thought I was going to get better but I found myself becoming totally paralyzed by anxiety. That's a new one for me. I have been off Paxil for a month and as of today, I started back on the drug and am going to use half the dosage per my doctor's instructions. I may just be one of those people who needs to take an antidepressant to get through menopause. I'm not ashamed and feel blessed that I have the option of taking something to help me out.
I have lost 5 lbs. in the past month and I know that going back on Paxil means the possibility of weight gain, but I'm not so sure. I am committed to staying away from sweets and snacking on fruits and vegetables. I've already taken on good eating habits and I am exercising a lot.
So, here's to a year of eating well and exercising, tracking my spending and making a home for some dear college girls - and I will do all of this on a budget, without over spending and being more and more commited to living on one income and thriving.
Next post: what I am doing to prepare for our family's retirement years.
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