2023 - Positivity And Progress!

leftatthetrafficlights

I've decided to begin a new diary for 2023 - last diary: 
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6385340/changing-my-life-goals-and-finances/p1

So, 2023 is the year I am concentrating on positivity and progress! I am determined to achieve the following things: 

1) Build my Debt Neutral Fund (DNF)
2) Fill my Bulk Buy Fund (BBF) for 2024
3) Use up the majority of my immense storecupboard of food 
4) Grow as much of my own produce as possible and sort my garden
5) Reduce my grocery spends
6) Remain alcohol and nicotine free
7) Lose a minimum of 21lbs in weight 
8) Get fitter and healthier and look after myself
9) Buy nothing from Amazon 
10) Reduce all unnecessary spends 

How am I going to achieve these things?

1) My DNF is currently at zero - I intend to put any savings I have from our petrol budget into it. I have also joined the sealed pot challenge and the make £2023 in 2023 challenge so anything I get from those will head into this fund. 

2) My BBF is currently at £245/£600. Savings from our grocery budget will go into this and once filled the grocery savings will go to the DNF. 

3) I've started the Vegan Storecupboard Challenge again for 2023 and I'm actually going to treat it as a proper challenge this year! I'm writing a list of dishes I can make to utilise the contents and every meal i make will use at least 2 items out of the storecupboard - if I'm 'repurposing' leftovers, I will use at least 1 item.

4) I've sorted all my veg seeds into sowing months and written the planting plan for the raised beds. My biggest hurdle is making sure that I spend an hour a day in the garden - whether that is sowing seed, weeding beds, planting, harvesting or general tidying - I just need to get out there! 

5) Using my storecupboard more effectively should help with this - however, for things like toiletries, household stuff etc I need to compare prices and buy in bulk when things are on offer. 

6) I must resist the temptation of alcohol when I have relatives visiting - I've managed to spend the majority of December alcohol free and am pretty proud of that but I have my sister coming in the next few months and we normally indulge heavily! 🤦‍♀️ This will be a real test for me! 😳 I stopped smoking regularly in 2022 but have indulged a few times in the past couple of months in times of stress- I will not be doing that again! 

7) This has got to be a priority for me - I have put on a lot of weight (for the first time 😳) in my early 50's and I feel uncomfortable- I have spent the past year feeling resentful that I have to make an effort to lose it but have come to terms with that now 😂 I'm going to make sure that I avoid high fat foods, cut down on carbs and do more excercise (the gardening will help with this plus I'm going to do a daily walk).

8) Losing weight, eating well, daily walking, gardening and remaining off the alcohol and nicotine will all help with this. I'm also committing to daily asana practice, meditation and to spending more time on a self-care routine (dry skin brushing, exfoliation, moisturising, hair treatments etc). I've joined the Frump to Fab 2023 thread and will make sure that I keep up with being the best I can be! 

9) I've taken my payment method off the amazon site and cancelled my prime membership! I don't want to uninstall the app as it is useful to compare prices but it won't be easy to buy from now 😁 

10) I'm introducing the 48 hour rule - I'm an impulsive spender so hopefully this will stop that - I've told dh and my dd to remind me of the rule if I mention buying anything! 

I am looking forward to 2023 - last year was an opportunity to look at where I was, eliminate the stuff that no longer served me and to lay the foundations for where i want to be and how i want to live -  2023 gives me the ability to put that life into practice 🥳

CreditCardJunkie

Sounds like a great plan, good luck!

she_always_has_a_plan

Love the plan, can't wait to read about your journey - I'm also planning to stay away from Amazon, and plant some veggies. Unfortunately I can't get anything as great as raised bed as I have a balcony (better than nothing though!) but will try to squeeze some pots out there. Good luck and keep us posted! All best wishes for 2023 xx

leftatthetrafficlights

Happy New Year!!! 🥳

Thank you @CreditCardJunkie 😁 

Welcome @she_always_has_a_plan! 😁 Balconies are still great to grow on - tomatoes, salads, carrots, herbs etc are easy to grow and picked fresh they are gamechangers in the kitchen! I grow lots of herbs in containers both indoors in the winter and outdoors in summer - steamed veg with a herb dressing on a simple salad is one of my favourites and the flavour is totally different depending on the herb 😁 

Last night I had a very peaceful one - I had a hot shower, exfoliated, put on a hair treatment and face mask then came to bed with a camomile tea - it was absolutely lovely and I feel very calm this morning 😊 

This morning I have completed an asana practice and am just about to make myself a lemon water before I jump in the shower, wash out the hair treatment then dress, put my perfume on and go for a walk. When I get back I'll have a smoothie (watermelon, apple and mixed berries) do some work in the garden then make myself some lunch. I'm not sure what I'll be eating yet - but it will probably be a courgette, tarragon and lemon oil salad served with the remaining lemon caper lentils and pomegranate. 

Dh returns today with a relative so I'm making the most of my last peaceful morning! I'm going to check the bank accounts and move anything around that needs to be moved this afternoon but other than that, it's just relaxing until dh arrives 😁 

Namaste 🙏 

WinterWarrior

Happy New Year. Losing weight and avoiding Amazon are both incredibly hard. I’m at the same age and weight point 😖 As we live rurally, prime is often the cheapest option for me, especially with bulk purchases, so I haven’t added that to my list. I admire your gardening and growing goals. I have a large enough garden, but just can’t be bothered going out digging after a full day of work…lazy, I know. Plus it’s covered in snow right now 😬

savingholmes

@WinterWarrior - look into no dig - Charles Dowding and Huw Richards on Utube - doesn't have to be expensive or complex.

Happy New Year, Left, and good luck with your goals. I need to sort my seeds - as I bought loads in December.

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @WinterWarrior and @savingholmes! 😁 

Well, the first two weeks of this year have not gone according to plan but have still been good 😁 We had the relative stay for the first week (longer than intended) and ate out every day so much more processed food eaten than I would have liked and at the end of the first week my phone ended up in the loo so I've had no internet access while it's been drying out! 🤦‍♀️ Thankfully normal service has resumed now so I'll be able to update regularly! 

I'm still feeling really positive about everything and despite the fact that I've not been able to do everything I wanted I've still been doing a lot so I'm not at all disappointed about the bits that haven't really come together yet 😁 

I'm going to check all my spending today (now that I have access to my banking apps again) and tomorrow I'm having a self care day ready for getting the week ahead off to a good start 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

And the chaos continued!! 😳😂 lots more family stuff but fingers crossed that's all settled down now 🤞 I've decided that I'm just giving myself the rest of the week to gather my thoughts and process the past few months then am starting fresh next week 😉 

Despite the delays and curve balls, I'm still feeling really positive about the year ahead which is progress in itself! 

Finances have taken a bit of a beating unfortunately but I'll rebuild over the next couple of months, diet has been poop but that will be changed from today and health goals have been abandoned until Monday! I've got my grandbaby this weekend so no chance of getting anything other than playing done but in all honesty I think it's just what I need! 😍

leftatthetrafficlights

It's been a while since I posted! 🤦‍♀️ 

Plans haven't exactly worked out but I'm okay with that - we've had a celebration weekend so I've eaten loads, drunk loads and spent loads but I've had an amazing time and the disruption has been totally worth it! 😁 

Today I'm recovering (the alcohol and vast amount of walking has wreaked havoc with my arthritis and I'm suffering with it at the moment! 😳); I'll be cooking a healthy dinner later of celeriac steaks, new potatoes,  carrots and parsnips but other than that I'm doing nothing at all! 

Tomorrow I'm getting back to basics and living my best life - I'm looking forward to the process, I'm in a really good place mentally so getting the physical sorted is going to be a lot easier....

I've sorted the menu out for the week, I've done all the shopping needed, I've transferred funds around the various 'pots' to cover the expense of the weekend and I've caught up with all the laundry other than our bedding which I'll sort tomorrow morning.  

I'm planning on doing a short yoga session tomorrow when I wake up (arthritis permitting 🤞) then I'm having a self-care day before I look after my grandbaby,  so dry skin brushing, defur, exfoliation, hair treatment and face mask. It will be nice to feel human again!! 😂

leftatthetrafficlights

It's been a while! 😳 

I've had a busy few weeks but have had a cold through most of it so have felt pretty rubbish tbh 🤦‍♀️ On the plus side though, I have spent this week getting myself sorted and back on track so although I still don't feel totally okay, I'm feeling positive! 😁 

Financially,  I've felt a bit 'all over the place' the past couple of months  - family visits, birthday celebrations, unexpected expenses etc have been draining the finances and as I've not been firing on all cylinders I had lost track of what I was doing and lost control 😕 It had really unsettled me - I hate not knowing what I'm doing financially so sorting that was the first thing I did this week! 

By the end of this month, the BB funds will be completed for 2024 so I can then concentrate on rebuilding the slush fund. It's probably going to be around May time before I can start on the debt neutral funds but I'm okay with that. I've left the 'free months' money from CT and water in the bill account as I like having the additional security- plus the budget for electricity hasn't been exhausted due to the additional money from the government so I'll leave that where it is too - I'm thinking that if I have a good cushion for next winter I'll feel happy. 

Food wise things have gone well - I've spent very little on groceries in the past couple of months and am currently in the process of running down the freezers ready to defrost asap. Although this impacts on being able to plan a healthy diet, I'd rather use up what I have and then I can really concentrate on making sure that I reduce my calories and lose some weight! 

As I've started to feel better this week, I have managed three days of asana practice- I finally started the 30 day Adrienne 'Center' programme on Wednesday - day 3 is going to be done at lunchtime (it looks pretty daunting tbh! 😳) and I'm determined to see the whole 30 days through this time - even if I can't be totally committed to a diet yet, I can commit to other ways to improve my health! 😁🙌 

We're probably going to start some seeds off this weekend- I've been hanging on as the light levels have been poor here and last year I ended up losing quite a few things due to the seedlings becoming leggy and spindly - however, I'll get the chillis in now as they take a while and I need to re-sow some leaves as we're running short on them. My grandbaby loves to get involved so this weekend will be ideal 😁 

Anyway, it's time that I got started on stuff - I've got to do a bit of paperwork then I'm going to do my day 3 practice, have a shower and then get myself ready for a weekend of play!! 😍🙌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Two weeks have gone by again! 🤦‍♀️ I really should update more often as it helps to keep me focused! 

However, lots of good things to report: 

Freezer meals are still ongoing and I think I will have at least one freezer empty by the end of the month! 🙌 I have only spent money on fresh fruit and veg plus bin sacks. Whatever happens, I'm going to start on a healthier diet in April so my costs will increase until our own veg comes on line...

The 2024 BBF is now full so I can make a start on the DNF at the end of the month - I do have to buy a new bed for my grandbaby and a new mattress for us though, so the slush fund will be decimated to pay for those  - savings from groceries and petrol will be split between rebuilding of the slush fund and the DNF. I would normally just concentrate on the slush fund but mentally it's important to me to make some inroads with the DNF! 

Asana practice has gone well - I've had a few days off here and there due to feeling poop (this cold likes to lull me into a false sense of security that hits me like a train! 🤦‍♀️) but I'm still doing it when I'm able - I'm really hoping that I can complete the '30' day programme by the end of this month - I'm doing day 13 today - at the beginning of next month I'm repeating it to give myself an idea of how much progression I've made 😁 

Now that the weather is improving 🤞 I'm going to be able to get out in the garden and make a start on clearing the flower beds - we didn't do the seed planting as planned but will do quite a bit next weekend with the grandbaby after he has chosen his bed 😁 I'm really looking forward to growing lots of veg this year - we had purple sprouting broccoli and cavolo nero from the garden last week and it reminded me of how much nicer totally fresh food tastes 😍 

Mentally I'm in a really positive place - I feel back in control and happy with where im heading!

I'm physically not great but it is improving and I'm really proud of keeping it in mind even on the days that I've been unable to do asana practice - I'm hoping to start some walking soon although it will definitely be a slow burner until my foot issue clears up. 

Overall, plenty of progress and lots to be positive about! 🙌😁