Challenge Accepted

I started a challenge with Ruth Soukups 31 days of Living Well & Spending Zero and 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life.  Yes, I'm doing both at once.  I'm pushing myself to get my home and life organized and prepared for the next chapter in my life.  If you don't know who Ruth Soukup is you can check out her website Living Well Spending Less. I saw one of her books at Barnes and Noble and thought, "I need this in my life".  After reading Living Well, Spending Less I bought all her books.  I don't own the journal though.

I attempted the challenge last summer but was unsuccessful due to work.  Things have changed and I'm so ready for the challenge this time around.  I'm working through two of her books but starting them at different times.  Day 1 of Living Well & Spending Zero started Wednesday, unfortunately day 2 I worked in Oakland and when I got home at 6:15, I fell asleep as soon as I laid  on my bed.  I didn't realize how tired I was.  So, Here I am working on day 2 before work and my daughter will finish it tonight.  We are organizing the kitchen pantry.  It looks like we will be eating a lot of canned veggies and pasta for the next 30 days.  I buy my pasta and canned goods when my store has them on sale. You know those sales, 5 for $5 and so on.  I also bought a lot of soup.  My freezer is pretty empty at the moment and my fridge needs to be completely cleaned out.  I'm afraid to see if there is a science experiment in there.

Day 3 (tomorrow) will be easy. Meal planning.  I want to start meal prepping, but looking at what I have to use, it's not going to happen.  I can however make lunches for work.  Not as healthy as I would have liked.

Day 1 of 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life is just getting the basics down.. Days 2 will be a breeze as its the Entry way of our home.  We don't really have one but there is a closet at our entrance that I will clean and organize tomorrow when I get home from work.  Seems easy, right?

Well I'm off to work.. It's gonna be a long night.  Graduations and Memorial Day weekend.. Bring on the party people looking for beer...

My Spending Habits Suck.

Unknown Source :(

I had a financial goal for 2017 and I've already put myself behind.  So here I am reminding myself that I need to buy only what I need.  As I look at the new bikini and socks I bought today.  I did need a new bathing suit and socks for work.  Still, I bought a scarf and junk food for my kids.  We didn't need those. I recently spent money on fans for the house.  After I bought them I felt regret, but I'm hoping they will save me money in the long run. Fans are better than air conditioners, right?

I've been reading Ruth Soukup's book Living Well Spending Less. I also bought her other books, 31 Days of Living well & Spending Zero, and 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life.  I bought them last year and read them all.  Taking notes and planning my own financial overhaul.  I hit a road block when work became hectic with long hours.  I let it all fall to pieces.  I am going to give it a go again.  I'm sure the reader is supposed to do each challenge one at a time, but I'm going all in and challenging myself. I'm cracking the whip and putting my finances, spending, and organization in check.  I have 3 goals with this challenge.

1. Meal Prepping - Going to wing it this week, hopefully I can find good recipes to use. 
2. Buy necessities ONLY.  I keep buying things that I don't need right this minute.  Including junk food at work. 
3. Remove the clutter and reorganize.  What's that phrase?  "Messy house, messy mind" or something like that.  

Now that work isn't needing me 12+ hours a day I can focus on myself and what is needed at home.  Tomorrow is my day off and I will start with my meal prep and organize my fridge.  I also need to clean out my closet and storage closet.  In order to get the rest of my apartment organized the storage closet has to be ready for the items worth keeping.  I can't remember the last time I actually looked in the closet.  Maybe I should be afraid haha.  No, I'm so ready for this change in my life.  

Cleaning up

With my foot being a pain and my work schedule being inconstant, It's hard for me to get things done at home sometimes.  I really need to do some spring cleaning/de-clutter in this house.  So I made a list with the hopes of completing my cleaning within 60 days.  Some clean ups will take more than one day due to my hoarding.  The reason for this de-cluttering is to sell or donate as much as possible.  I would like to reduce the clutter and start my non-consumerist lifestyle.  I've been trying to start this a few times.  Slowly getting there, but not quite.  My kids are gamers and artists so it's hard not to spend money.  Now, they are both old enough to get jobs of their own to pay for all the extras they want.  My kids are frugal, always buying used games and refurbished equipment.  Unfortunately we can't buy used art supplies, at least not that I know of.   My daughter just spent $80 of her birthday money on supplies and complained.  I couldn't help but laugh.  We have discussed selling her art and I think we may just do that.

This clean up will also help us prepare for a future move.  Yes, move... I want so bad to move away and start fresh somewhere else.  In 2 years my youngest will be 18 and I made it clear that I want to move as soon as she graduates from high school. So we have 2 years to save money, do research for a new place, and reduce the items we own to basic necessities.  Of course things can change, but so far, this is the plan.  Best part, the kids are totally in on this plan.  I know 2 years sounds like a long time, but you just never know what might happen and time flies...  So I'm starting today.

So here's the de-clutter plan.  One room or section of my house a day until it's completed.  Like i said above, I'd like to complete this task in 60 days.  I have a feeling it will take me longer as some of the days I work will not leave me enough time to really get much done.  Each friday I will decide what rooms will be done based on my schedule for the next week.  The days I have off will obviously get the more time consuming jobs.  I expect to work on at least 5 tasks a week.

Since I don't have much time today before work, I'm starting small.  I will work on my nightstands and headboard.  I'm only using 1 nightstand, but once the second one is emptied out and cleaned, it will go into my storage closet instead of taking up space in my bedroom.  My storage closet is the true first task on the list and will take me through the weekend  to work on it.  I have a mid-shift, closing shift, the mid-shift. so not much time to keep it moving on the tasks at home.  I'll do my best because mid-shifts wear me out and I usually go straight to bed when I get home.  I can't get the apartment cleaned up if i can't put things away in storage.  Hopefully I can pick up a few flower boxes from work to help me with organizing.

I Think A Lot of Thoughts

There has been a lot of ruckus going on in my little brain.  Maybe because the work I do gives me opportunities to think random thoughts.

Thought #1-- I really need to do something about my cluttered apartment.  As I have been helping my friend JW and family prepare their homes for the move this past weekend. It made me realize I have way too much crap.  Okay, I already knew I had too much crap, but helping JW made me truly see it.  So, the question that popped into my head was: What would I do with all this stuff if I moved? The answer is: I have no idea. To me that is a sign of trouble.  I better get on it.

Thought #2-- I need to lose some weight and start eating better. AGAIN.. This new job has made me fat. Okay, it's not the job, it's my poor choices now that I work at a job where I sit on my butt all day.  I did a little research and I think I found a way to get some exercise in at work and found some great ideas for lunches.  I am thinking about going for the Ketogenic "diet"/ the Low carb high fat (LCHF) lifestyle.  It's just super hard because I am a Carb lover and have a sweet tooth.  I believe I can do it. I just keep using the excuse that carbs are easier to store in my "snack drawer" at work.  Lame right?  Also in my research I found this cute way to workout at work called  Deskercise, I need to pick out which ones I like and can do then make a little chart to print out and post in my cube.

Thought #3-- Blogging, it's a constant thought. I see or think of something and I think, "oh I should blog about that".  I try to write when I can.  I wish to write more content and more often.

Thought #4-- I have been having the weirdest dreams lately. I have been trying to write it all out so I can blog them.



Thought #5 --

Lent Day 20: Stranger Danger

Run away!!!

This morning at about 6:10 am a man knocked on my door.  I was sitting up in bed, trying to get motivated to start my day. Well this knock sure got me going.  At first I thought it was someone at the neighbors door.  Then i heard it again, I walked up to my bedroom window and looked outside.  I didn't see anyone or anything.  A third knock on the door, gets me moving my ass down the stairs and looking through the peephole.  A man in a black oversized hoodie standing right against my security door.  I wait... He knocks again.  I can't see his face or hands.  I have no idea who it may be and I'm starting to get scared. I walk over to get my house phone, and he knocks again, on my window this time.  I froze, listened and heard footsteps.  Panic was starting to get the best of me and I decide to walk back up to the door and look out once more.  he had backed up about half way down my walkway.  I still can't see what he looks like, not even the color of his skin.  Then I hear ...HELP... as he sways and paces on my walkway.  He walks back up towards my door then walks away. I didn't notice he had a bike until he started walking away. As he walked out of sight, I called the Antioch Police Department and reported him as a suspicious persons.  I later reported the incident to my management and was given the phone for the office of our security.  I didn't even think about calling security this morning.

My biggest worry is what if my kids had answered the door instead.  My kids leave before 7 in the morning to go to school.  If this person would have come a little later, the kids would have walked right out to him waiting on our walkway.  The kids and I will be having a conversation about what we should do in these kind of situations.  Also, this makes me think it's time for me to get something to protect myself, family and home.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed.  I sorted through some old clothes that I was going to use for a quilting project.  I found clothes I've been looking for in a box I thought was full of sewing scraps.  My shower was fixed today, so now I can take a bubble bath and not just showers.  YAY!  I am definitely taking a bubble bath tonight.  Yes I am, because I deserve one.

So, how about a song now... Just because.  311- Amber