Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

SandyShores

Stretches and a long walk worked and only slightly stiff in my shoulder now.  It was a lovely sunny day today, so spent some time in the garden, did some sorting out inside and listed 3 items on fleabay.  Progress was made and also cooked some nice meals over the weekend.  We are using a lot more fresh stuff these days, which feels really healthy.  Busy week at work this week, but I've been taking the time to put things in perspective and feel calm going into what will be a tricky couple of weeks.

SandyShores

Just reviewing my goals (full list reviewed 7 March):

2. Spiritual / Personal Growth / Inner Peace - Devote a little more time to practicing this.
3. Career - Make time to think about the future in terms of next steps and learning.
4. Family / healthy work-life balance - good progress but need to keep on this as work tends to creep.
5. Learning - I have so many books to read, I have a little nook to read in now and need to make use of this rather than TV.
6. Physical Health - eating better ✔️, moving more ✔️, eating less kind of (I should use the calorie app more consistently) and I need to do more exercise during the day - now where are my dumbbells!
8. Environment - a final push needed on my craft area, and then just keep on top of this.  It was good to root out some items to sell over the weekend - would be nice to have some cash in place of clutter.

A trip to the docs last week confirmed my focus on weight/eating well is needed.  Where work encroaches on life, this tends to go out of the window, so my focus on pushing back work, and on hobbies to relax me (including reading) is needed. 

So, happy Monday and here's to a good week

Fortune_Smiles

Well done Sandy - lots of great progress.

Fortune x

savingholmes

Well done on the adulting.... Hard sometimes I know.... My house is still cluttered despite last year's efforts

SandyShores

Thanks Fortune, its all of a sudden coming together.  Its been a long work in progress and sometimes I've had to grit my teeth and give things away that I could possibly have sold (but would take time and energy) and I've even taken stuff to the dump. I've had to balance the time it takes versus quality of life and I've got to say that being a bit more ruthless has worked.  I'm also quite cautious now about what I buy - I really think long and hard about purchases in case it becomes more clutter to be gotten rid of.  I've actually got space in cupboards and drawers, and even my wardrobe has a few empty hangers.  I need to do a last final push on organising stuff into the right places but I could actually start to get rid of some cupboards and drawers now.  Its great for mental health, and makes cleaning a lot easier too.  So don't give up savingholmes it will all come together one day for you too.

savingholmes

It sounds like you've done really well. My DD is desperate for me to re-start... It improves her MH but I find it hard to let things go and have the space... I should probably let her do some... 

SandyShores

Thanks savingholmes its not been easy but I'm getting there.  Having the house clearer is helping to make space for me to focus on me.

SandyShores

The budgeting this month is working - I was worried about spending so much upfront, but I shouldn't have.  Mr Shores bought a loaf of bread yesterday and hasn't asked to be reimbursed which means we still have the almost £35 in the household spend pot.  I do have a list of items to get including milk, olive oil etc., but it will all come to less than £35.  We have our meals (and the moggy's) planned otherwise until payday.  Edit - and I also have £23 in nectar points and £8 Asda rewards to call on if necessary.

Lots of interest in the fleabay items and one offer received but politely declined, partially because I'm not ready to rush to the PO this week and partly in the hope of a bit more cash.  I've got three items listed and they are all being watched so hopefully can post all three at the same time.  I also need to find a box for one of the items - there's usually something somewhere around that I can make use of for posting even if I have to root around in the food cupboards.  

I've bookmarked the charity shop finds thread and I'm really envious of everyone's finds.  I'm eager for a quieter spell at work, and to finish sorting out a few things house/garden so that I can have a meander at the weekends.  There's a regular car boot locally, I think once a month, within walking distance so I'd love to pop there as well.  Got to be very careful not to pick up clutter though.  

SandyShores

I had offers on two of my fleabay items and did a bit of haggling and decided to sell - over £100 to go into my new sewing machine savings pot.  The other item belongs to MrShores and it re-listed automatically and looks like it will sell as well.  I decided not to go to the car boot sale at the weekend as it was so cold, but managed to get out see a friend, buy a plant and  a woolly hat in the sales.  I did a little bit of gardening, but just to pull up some dead plants and trim some overgrown ones.  Its amazing how quickly the garden starts to look better, but I couldn't stay out in the cold for very long.  

Fortune_Smiles

Oooh new sewing machine 💓 How lovely!

Fortune x