23 for 2023

YorksLass

I suppose I'm sometimes a bit of a perfectionist too and it can make life difficult, but I'm embracing progress, no matter how small.  I also know another of my downfalls is displacement activity i.e. finding other things to do rather than doing what I should be doing because I don't really want to do it.  Hence the "fails" on my list!     I'll not be beating myself up about these though - it is just a bit of fun after all.

tinkerbelluk

@IrishRose12 @YorksLass exactly!

Well, I'm here to be your HYPE beast 🙌🙌🙌 Look how well you've both done so far and ask yourself if one of your friends or family told you they'd managed to achieve any of these so far this year, how happy would you be for them:

• I wanted to sell 23 things, I've actually sold 45 so I'm 95% over my target! 🏆
• I've managed to get 20 jobs done in the garden and with a bit of sun and luck I'll be feasting on my homegrown tomatoes shortly (which we all know taste unbelievable and I for one am not jealous at all 🤣)
• I've managed to reduce my grocery budget by over half so far this year and given the increase in prices this is pretty darn epic 🏅
• I spend 23 mins a day now decluttering to make myself feel better and to make the house easier to look after 👊
  

Both of you are doing such an amazing job and should be very proud and happy with the progress you've made and if you start to forget it again I'll keep reminding you 🙌🙌🙌🙌

IrishRose12

A few more updates from me so far.  

1.   Read 23 books - 12/23 read - on summer holidays now so hoping to up this.

2.   Sell 23 things - 53/23 

3.   Watch 23 films - 15/23 - again its summer so hoping to complete this also. 

4.   Walk for 23 minutes 5 times a week. - still going!

5.  Save 23 of each coin and note -  stopped due to now having no wages until October

6.   Declutter 23 items a week from the house - two more bags ready to go this week. 

7.   Save an extra £23 a month - suceeded so far

8.   23 minutes of mindfulness a week. - still going!

9.   Loose 23lb in weight - 10lb lost now!  

10.  Donate at least 23 items to the food bank - had a cupboard and shelf clearout at the weekend an will be donating a few bottles of juice, biscuits and other food bit into the Lidl foodbank trolley this week.  All items still have good dates on them but we clearly aren't using them, sommeone else will get better use from them.

11.  Get rid of 23 bags of stuff that we no longer need in the house - 30 bags have now gone since the start of the year!

12.  Listen to 23 Audiobooks - 4/23 listened to - I'm still not a fan of audio books lol.  

13.  Listen to 23 different music albums - 12 /23

14.  Have 23 no tech evenings - 7 this month thanks to a family holiday and more family time. 

15.  Save £2023 over the year - Unfortunatley this won't be happening this year.

16.  Treat / do something for myself 23 times - Been to the cinema twice this month and treated myself on holiday. 

17.  Save £23 every fortnight towards Christmas 2023 -  Direct Debit set up for this. On target still.

18.  23 gardening jobs - 23/23 - These tomatos will be ready for next year now lol.  I have got a few other gardening bits done though.

19.  Make the 23rd of each month a "Me" day. -  I'll be honest, I keep forgetting about this one.

20.  Spend 23 minutes a day decluttering - doing this daily now. 

21.  Make or bake 23 things instead of spending money on takeaways/bakery etc - 20 complete

22.  Have 23 no spend days every month. - I'm actually doing really well at this now! 

23.  Make 23 extra payments to my debts - unfortunatley no more made due to wage cuts.

After my last check in and your kind words on here I gave myself a kick up the rear end and forced myself out of my comfort zone so I've been to the cinema twice on my own now, and also making sure I put myself 1st for a chage so thank you for that!

YorksLass

July update:

1.  Donate 23 items to CS: 2 this month, total 18/23  

2.  Enter 23 competitions: 0 this month, total 1/23    

3.  Choose 23 CDs from our collection and listen to them: 0 this month, total 2/23  Another    

4.  Read 23 books: 0 this month but total stands at 15/23 so on target     

5.  Make the 23rd of each month a "Me" day: Done although I can’t remember what I did or didn’t do!     

6.  Shave 23p a day off the already reduced grocery budget ( = £83.95 at the end of the year): Done, total now £48.76     

7.  Watch 23 films that I haven't seen before: 1 this month (The Heist), total 15/23 so on target.  I didn’t realise until the last 10 minutes that I’d seen this before!  Or maybe I’d just caught the end of it.  Enjoyed anyway.     

8.  Make 23 items from my crafting stash (knit, sew, cross stitch etc): 1 this month (another cardigan), total 5/23.  Slow going but, tbf, so far it’s all knitting and that takes me longer than sewing but it's still stash used up.     

9.  Donate 23 items to a Food Bank: 2 this month, total 4/23.  A reduced grocery budget doesn’t have a lot of slack and BOGOFS are far and few between nowadays.     

10. Spend 23 minutes a day clearing a shelf, drawer etc to help with decluttering: Done, though this month I know I’ve done far more than that since there’s 2 carrier bags waiting to go the the CS at some point.     

11. Walk 23 ups and 23 downs of the stairs a total of 23 times a week: Done     

12. Have 23 no spend days every month (not including DDs for bills etc): 24 this month     

13. Walk for 23 mins twice a week: Done, some weeks it’s more than that     

14. Socialise 23 times (visit, phone, email): 2 this month, total 8/23     

15. Complete 23 things on my To Do List: 1 this month, total 2/23     

16. Have 23 portions of F&V every week: Done     

17. Have 23 days away from the laptop: 0 this month, total only 1/23     

18. Decorate the kitchen for £23 or less: Started but now on hold - waiting for some dry days so the paint will dry!  I’ve  bought some ‘new to me’ curtains to replace the tatty venetian blind and I have a new curtain pole, bought ages ago but never used.     

All in all, I'm happy since there are plenty of smileys. 

slm6002

I didnt update last month so will do June and July in one go.

1. Loose 23lb in weight - Very slow going but 8/23 
2. Donate at least 23 items to the food bank - 22/23
3. Enter 23 competitions a month - 7/12 months completed with at least 23 each month
4. Spend 23 min on 'me' each week - Still doing well on this one and have completed this each week
5. Listen to 23 books - only the 1 still - much rather be on here than reading novels or listening to books
6. Watch 23 new films - 19/23 - While on holiday I watch black panther, frozen 2 and encanto plus watched quite a few more in June but forget what they were.
7. 23 sessions of crafty making things for fun - 12/23 - Cross stitch mainly but did some sewing too
8. Save £23 each month - 7/12
9. Get rid of 23 bags of stuff that we no longer need in the house - 23/23 - Completed this one but over the summer holidays several more loads will either be going to the tip or to the charity shops.
10. Swim 23 miles - Still not yet to started this one - might need to think of a better task
11. Try 23 new or forgotten hobbies - only the 5/23 so far - nothing new for this one as yet
12. Help friends / family 23 times - 23/23 - completed
13. 23 fun family days - 20/23 - Had lots of fun free days out with the children last week on holiday and expect more over the rest of the school holiday
14. 23 hours of sorting paperwork - 12/23
15. 23 surveys a month - 7/12 months with at least 23 surveys. 
16. Buy second hand 23 times rather than brand new - not really bought anything this year as yet
17. Drink 23 glasses of plain water a week rather than the fizzy I normally drink - always improving but not 23 glasses a week
18. Walk rather drive 23 times - 17/23 
19. 23 random acts of kindness - 11/23 
20. 23 fruit and veg a week - not every week so far but getting close - Still the same for this one
21. Enjoy 23 fun and free activities - 14/23 
22. Send 23 letters to Postpals children - 16/23
23. 23 early nights to get a proper nights sleep - 23/23 - COMPLETED

I think several more of these goals will be completed by the end of the 6 week holidays

tinkerbelluk

Sorry I'm late checking in, things have been manic! and we're away shortly for a few weeks so that should help with some of mine at least! Anyway, scores on the doors for July:

1. Answer 223 journal prompts of self-discovery and awareness - 9/223 - Seriously hate that this is at the top of the list as I'm still avoiding it massively! 
2. Build 23 Lego sets - 4/23 - Managed to do one in July, but this is more of a winter evening thing (well that's what I'm telling myself 😉
3. Complete things of master to do list - 0/23 - Ummmmmm........ no excuses here need to get my a**e into gear but with us being away now, this will have to wait until Sept I think.
4. Do 23 things with family and friends - another 2 this month, so I'm at 22/23 - WHOOP WHOOP nearly one off the list 🙌
5. Donations to charity - only 1 this month, bringing the total to 18/23
6. Enter 23 competitions per month - Must admit this is taking a fair bit of time but I'm enjoying it as it gives me some easy no thinking time so 7/12 months done
7. Go for 23 walks or bike rides over 30 mins - Actually managed to get a few of these done with more coming when we're away so currently at 5/23
8. Have 23 date nights – In or out! - Not made any progress on this, but we do have a night out planned for just the two of us before we go away so currently 2/23 😂
9. Have 23 fun family adventures - Managed a few of these last month including a trip to Drayton Manor which was fab, total standing at - 6/23
10. Have 23 no tech evenings - I don't know if I did or didn't last month, can't remember so going with no to be on the safe side! Total 20/23
11. Learn / Do 23 new things - 2 this month including going on a zipline that reaches 70 miles an hour! Absolutely amazing and this was totally out of my comfort zone as I'm so body conscious so it normally stops me trying things like this, but I'm super proud of myself - 4/23
12. Listen to 23 new albums - another 3 this month but this still feels like a chore tbh, much prefer playlists - 15/23
13. Listen to 23 podcasts - Actually didn't mind this last month as I found a load of new podcasts that I really enjoyed so currently at 9/23
14. Lose 23% of my body weight - Back on track with this one I'm currently at 29.52% of reaching this goal, so nearly a third of the way through 🙌
15. Make 23 new meals - Again, because of the diet this is on hold so 0 this month and stuck at 4/23
16. Play 23 board games - This is finally moving in the right direction with a lot planned for whilst we're away - 15/23 
17. Practice 23 mins of mindfulness each week - Fully on track with this
18. Save £2023 over the year - Added £90 last month so could have been better, but given this has all come from FB sales or Swagbucks I think it's really good - £1104.56/£2023 
    
19. Sell 23 things on ebay / booty sites - Only managed 1 last month so need to see if I can do any before we go away, if not it'll be another Sept focus  - 10/23
20. Spend 23 mins each week organising photos - Yeah!!! Not even started this yet - 0/52 😂
21. Treat / do something for myself 23 times - 2 more in July both cross stitch related! I'm loving that I've found this as a new hobby and wouldn't have considered it had it not been for this challenge - 12/23
22. Watch 23 new to me films / documentaries / TV shows - 2 last month bring this to 17/23 (although I have already managed to add Barbie to the list for Aug 😂)

⭐🌟⭐Completed ⭐🌟⭐

1. Read 23 Books - Another 2 last month bring the total to 24/23
   

Hope everyone has a good month, and as we all said last month, it's progress not perfection no matter how small, this is supposed to be a fun challenge and if you manage to complete everything, good for you, if you don't manage any that's OK too, I'm just seeing it as a way to spur me on  

tinkerbelluk

Late again this month as we've been away, but some good progress was made in August:

• Answer 223 journal prompts of self-discovery and awareness - 9/223 - No progress on this at all!
• Build 23 Lego sets - 4/23 - This is more of a winter evening thing so not stressing it!
• Complete things of master to do list - 0/23 - Ummmmmm........ same as last month, I have no excuses here. Seriously need to kick start this month as before you know it the C word will be upon us!
• Donations to charity - 2 this month, bringing the total to 20/23
• Enter 23 competitions per month - Well this has been the best one added to this list as I won a Cruise last month 🥳🥳🥳 So excited as we've never been on one, just need to decide when and where now - 8/12 months done
• Go for 23 walks or bike rides over 30 mins - Only managed 2 last month and didn't manage to get some crossed off whilst we were away as I'm having problems with my hip - 7/23
• Have 23 date nights – In or out! - Went for dinner at Six by Nico, must admit whilst the company was lovely, the restaurant and food left us very underwhelmed 3/23 
• Have 23 fun family adventures - Another one added (I'm only classing holidays as 1 though) - 7/23
• Learn / Do 23 new things - None last month so stuck at 4/23
• Listen to 23 new albums - Another I didn't bother with last month so stuck at 15/23
• Listen to 23 podcasts - Managed another 2 last month - 11/23
• Lose 23% of my body weight - Slowly but surly with this one and now 32.7% of reaching this goal 🙌
• Make 23 new meals - Finally tried again to make waffles but failed spectacularly, don't know if it's the mix or the machine, so if anyone has any hints I'd be grateful - 5/23
• Play 23 board games - Managed two whilst we were away (I'm not including ones already replayed this year) - 17/23 
• Practice 23 mins of mindfulness each week - Fully on track with this
• Save £2023 over the year - Added £545.95 last month which I'm over the moon with.  Combination of compensation from Vodafone as they delayed our broadband install for 3 months and some high paying focus groups - £1650.51/£2023 
• Sell 23 things on ebay / booty sites - Didn't manage any last month, so this will be a focus this month  - 10/23
• Spend 23 mins each week organising photos - Yeah!!! Not even started this yet - 0/52 😂
• Treat / do something for myself 23 times - 4 more in July 3 being cross stitch related! I'm loving that I've found this as a new hobby - 16/23
• Watch 23 new to me films / documentaries / TV shows - 4 last month bring this to 20/23 (Must admit I'm not going to get the 2hrs spent watching Barbie with my girls back, but they loved it so happy with that!)

⭐🌟⭐Completed ⭐🌟⭐

• Read 23 Books - Another 2 last month bringing the total to 26/23
• Do 23 things with family and friends - another 4 last month bringing the current total to 26/23
• Have 23 no tech evenings - Didn't pick up tech at all whilst we were away (apart from setting Spotify going) so managed to add 9, bringing the total to 29/23

How's everyone else doing?

YorksLass

@tinkerbelluk - Oooo, a cruise!  That's a fab win.  

August update from me:

1.  Donate 23 items to CS - 4 in August, total = 22/23 - nearly there!  

2.  Enter 23 competitions - None, this definitely isn't my thing  

3.  Choose 23 CDs from our collection and listen to them - Another not done, but I have sorted out 6 for the CS bag

4.  Read 23 books - 2 in August, total = 17/23 and another in progress  

5.  Make the 23rd of each month a "Me" day - Done, a very lazy day doing ?????     

6.  Shave 23p a day off the already reduced grocery budget ( = £83.95 at the end of the year) - On target, total to date = £55.89  

7.  Watch 23 films that I haven't seen before - 1 in August, Creed - part of the Rambo series (DH's choice not mine), total = 16/23  

8.  Make 23 items from my crafting stash (knit, sew, cross stitch etc) - total - 5/23

9.  Donate 23 items to a Food Bank - Another 2, total = 6/23

10. Spend 23 minutes a day clearing a shelf, drawer etc to help with decluttering - On target

11. Walk 23 ups and 23 downs of the stairs a total of 23 times a week - Still being done

12. Have 23 no spend days every month (not including DDs for bills etc) - 23/31 for August

13. Walk for 23 mins twice a week - Am probably exceeding this

14. Socialise 23 times (visit, phone, email) - Another 1, total - 9/23

15. Complete 23 things on my To Do List - 2, total = 4/23

16. Have 23 portions of F&V every week - Still happening

17. Have 23 days away from the laptop - No, not happening  

18. Decorate the kitchen for £23 or less - ceiling and walls painted using what I had in the cupboard so no cost.  Now need to clean outside of cabinets, white goods and alter length of curtains so they can be put up.

IrishRose12

Missed my check in last month as I havent been on since july lol.

Update now so far.

1.   Read 23 books - 17/23 read - currently on number 18.

2.   Sell 23 things - 82/23 

3.   Watch 23 films - 20/23 

4.   Walk for 23 minutes 5 times a week. - still going!

5.  Save 23 of each coin and note -  still on hold until next month due to now having no wages until October 

6.   Declutter 23 items a week from the house - 4 bags have gone in the last 6 weeks.

7.   Save an extra £23 a month - on target with this one

8.   23 minutes of mindfulness a week. - this has slipped but now back on track this week

9.   Loose 23lb in weight - Have unfortunately managed to put weight on  

10.  Donate at least 23 items to the food bank - another 2 bags donated to the Tesco and Lidl food bank collection trolleys.

11.  Get rid of 23 bags of stuff that we no longer need in the house - 40 bags have now gone since the start of the year!

12.  Listen to 23 Audiobooks - 4/23 listened to - This isn't working for me at all.  I just can't get into audiobooks lol

13.  Listen to 23 different music albums - 18 /23

14.  Have 23 no tech evenings - 3 this month so far. 

15.  Save £2023 over the year - Unfortunatley this won't be happening this year.

16.  Treat / do something for myself 23 times - have managed 20/23  so far which is good for me! 

17.  Save £23 every fortnight towards Christmas 2023 -  Direct Debit set up for this. On target still.

18.  23 gardening jobs - 28/23 - have to tidy up the garden once I'm over covid again 

19.  Make the 23rd of each month a "Me" day. - I still keep forgetting about this one.

20.  Spend 23 minutes a day decluttering - still doing this daily bar this week as I'm down with covid so in one room.

21.  Make or bake 23 things instead of spending money on takeaways/bakery etc - 23 complete

22.  Have 23 no spend days every month. - Doing this easily now. 

23.  Make 23 extra payments to my debts - unfortunatley no more made due to wage cuts.

YorksLass

September update:

1.  Donate 23 items to CS - None this month but I’m up to 22/23 and have a full carrier bag ready to go to the CS when I have time, so will easily go over target.     

2.  Enter 23 competitions - Have only done one, so this obviously isn’t for me!

3.  Choose 23 CDs from our collection and listen to them - I tend to have the radio on during the day so am not making any progress at all here.

4.  Read 23 books - Another two read this month, bringing the total up to 18/23 and I have two more on the To Be Read pile.  All have come from The Little Free Library so haven’t cost me anything and I’ve been returning them too so as to not have them cluttering up the house.     

5.  Make the 23rd of each month a "Me" day - This was a Saturday this month so I moved it to the Sunday when it’s more doable to be idle on that day of the week.     

6.  Shave 23p a day off the already reduced grocery budget ( = £83.95 at the end of the year) - Still on track and now have £62.79 in the pot.     

7.  Watch 23 films that I haven't seen before - Have managed four this month, total now at 20/23.  It surprised me as I don’t consider myself to be a watcher of films.     

8.  Make 23 items from my crafting stash (knit, sew, cross stitch etc) - I’ve finished knitting a huge throw that will fit our bed as an extra layer, making the total 6/23.  I’m not disappointed with the slow progress as all 6 have been knitted items that take time to do.     

9.  Donate 23 items to a Food Bank - 7/23.  Not as many as I’d like but my budget isn’t allowing a lot of “stretch” these days.

10. Spend 23 minutes a day clearing a shelf, drawer etc to help with decluttering - Still on course.     

11. Walk 23 ups and 23 downs of the stairs a total of 23 times a week - Another success, I’m sure it’s helping with fitness levels.     

12. Have 23 no spend days every month (not including DDs for bills etc) - 22 this month.     

13. Walk for 23 mins twice a week - Still exceeding this but it may well diminish as the weather changes!     

14. Socialise 23 times (visit, phone, email) - Only a couple of phone calls this month but it’s better than nothing.

15. Complete 23 things on my To Do List - Stuck at 4/23.  I definitely need a re-think here.

16. Have 23 portions of F&V every week - Still managing this although it’s more veg than fruit.     

17. Have 23 days away from the laptop - Oh dear, another fail.

18. Decorate the kitchen for £23 or less - Yes, it’s finally done.    Total spend was £5.60, £4 on a pair of new-to-me curtains and £1.60 on a bunch of flowers as a finishing touch.  To be fair, I already had the paint and a new curtain pole so it was mainly cleaning once I'd got my bum in gear - but I’ll need to buy some more sugar soap.

Not perfect but I'm happy!