Here’s what I got rid of so far- 2nd 100 day challenge

To the trash -total – 34

1.  24 birthday candles – some numbers or is it numerals? – melted and no longer recognizable, some just too short to be reused – not sure why I kept them in the first place
2.  1 turtle neck – loved it but got a stain on it, couldn’t get it out and after multiple washings attempted to bleach it and that was a disaster so out it goes
3.  1 pair holey underwear
4.  3 pairs holey socks – thought I would darn them but it’s been a year and I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen so out they go
5.  1 hummingbird feeder – lost part of it that covered one of the holes and now the feeding solution just runs out
6.  1 dried up two way glue pen
7. 1 plastic baby missing a leg
8.  2 clay/plaster dolls from my mother in law’s doll house – the heads are splitting and to be honest I find the faces a bit creepy

My Second Hundred Day Challenge for 2020

It’s time to start another challenge.  I’ve been thinking about things, trying to figure out what the goals should be this time around. When I first started this back in January I was thinking that each period would have different goals/categories. However I’m now thinkng that each period will just be a continuation of the same basic categories but some will have new or more specific goals. So here goes –

1. Declutter – again remove 100 items. I just heard that they may be starting to pick up items again so that could help free up some space and get some stuff I’ve already collected out of the house.
2.  Budget – Actually I did do a good job of staying on top of recording our expenditures and I’m going to continue that. This time my goal is to see if I can get $500 or more into our liquid emergency fund.
3.  Read 15 books with 5 coming from the TBR lists. I’m sticking with the same amount because I’m hoping to be spending more time on my last two goals.
4.  Exercise for 20 minutes at least 5 times a week and walk at least once a week. I really need to put a lot of focus and effort here.  It’s been almost two years since I learned that I have arthritis in both hips. Last October I started seeing a physical therapist because I was having trouble. Not pain but discomfort and I was modifying actions to avoid pain and discomfort. We worked together and made some progress but I’ve let things slide and I’m feeling more discomfort again. I need to get back to doing the exercises she prescribed. I also want to get back to walking on a regular basis.
5.  Spend at least 2 hours per week on my hobbies and that will be split with 1 hour spent in the garden and the other hour on my other hobbies. I would really like to get my granddaughter’s quilt and some garden stones done this time around.

This challenge period starts May 19th and runs till August 26. Anyone care to join me?? Leave me a comment with your goals and I’ll be glad to check on your progress and cheer you on.

The first hundred day challenge of 2020 is done

I’ve completed my first 100 day challenge for this year with mixed results. I made progress in each of my five goals although not as much as I would have liked.

Let’s start with the success – my reading goal which was to read at least fifteen books with five coming from my to be read lists. I was able to complete twenty books with ten of them coming from my to be read lists. The shelter in place rule had a lot to do with that. I cannot wait until I can go to the library or the bookstore and search out new books. I thought about  getting an Audible subscription or even putting Kindle back on my laptop but didn’t do either.  When I did have the Kindle app  I ended up with a ton of free books stored on it but never seemed to get around to reading them. I prefer the feel of a real book. I’ve never tried listening to books but I have the feeling that it wouldn’t appeal.

I also had partial success with the decluttering goal of removing 100 items. My final total was 119 items although quite a few are still here since I haven’t been able to take them to be donated or recycled. And I’m wondering if they will be able to be donated? Will places take them not knowing if they came from a house that had the virus?? What will this virus thing due to the resale industries?

I can’t decide if my goal to spend at least an hour a week working on a hobby was a success or not. I did spend an hour or more for eleven of the fourteen weeks which was good. However I had hoped to finish my granddaughter’s quilt and that did not happen. I didn’t specifically say that I would finish the quilt but that was my hope.

I did not meet my budget goal due to several factors. These included an unexpected car repair, the need to fix the water pump, joining the CSA, the shutdown of my husband’s business, the lack of a liquid emergency fund and my inability to get my husband on board with staying within our limits.

The last goal was to exercise at least six days a week. I only managed that seven of the fourteen weeks. I definitely need to do better in the future.

Now I need to decide what to focus on for the next hundred days which will start on May 19th.

2020 Declutter Update

There has been a lot of decluttering going on and it’s time to get it recorded.

Items donated so far 18 plus 17=35

1.  3 Girl Scout badges
2.  microscope lens
3.  plastic tweezers
4.  storage box for slides
5.  2 foam blocks
6.  package of felting needles
7.  plastic shopping bag of felt pieces
8.  gallon size Ziploc bag of yarn scraps
9.  sandwich size Ziploc bag of thin decorative cord pieces
10.  3 hankies
11.  gift bag
12.  gift box

Items trashed so far 47 plus 2=49                                                                                                      2 pairs boys pants – stained and holey

Items recycled so far 17

Other 4

That brings the grand total to 105! so goal met but the efforts will continue. Have you been doing any decluttering now that most of us are sheltering in place?

 

 

Declutter 2020 Update

It has been awhile since I posted what I’ve been decluttering so here goes

Items trashed – total of 35

1.  3 boy’s tees – stained, holey
2.  3 baby items also stained and/or holey
3.  10 quilt pattern/instructions torn from magazines – I’ll probably never have the skill or time to do them, so out they go
4.  guest book from my mom’s funeral- neither my sister or I feel the need to keep it
5.  bag of confectioner’s sugar that expired in 2016
6.  bag of farro risotto that expired 2018
7.  guest book from my grandfather’s funeral – see above
8.  broken mini umbrella
9.  binder that was coming apart
10.  11 candle stubs
11.  candle holder made by my son -had been keeping because he made it but it didn’t actually work as a candle holder so out it went
12. moth eaten felt crown made by daughter

Items recycled – 17

1.  1 travel magazine with pictures torn out
2.  year’s worth of payroll reports that I do not need to keep anymore
3.  10 dead batteries
4.  5 cards from my hubby

Items donated – 16

1. 4 photo frames
2.  1 quilt pattern I bought but now know I will never make – way too many little pieces
3.  2 guest books
4.   1 wooden puzzle
5.  2 queen size flat sheets
6.  1 photo album
7.  1 oven mitt with a Christmas design- just uncomfortable to use
8.  2 books to my church library
9.  1 skating medal my daughter doesn’t want
10.  1 silver tree decoration

Other –  4 My daughter took a school bus photo album to use as her daughter grows. She also took three calendars that we had used as a daily journal when she was younger.

That makes 72 plus the original 14 gives me a total of 86. Feeling pretty sure that I will reach my goal of 100 by the end of this challenge. Are you decluttering? How is it going for you? Leave a comment and let me know

 

 

 

Hundred Day Challenge Update 5

Hard to believe that I am almost halfway through this challenge. I’ve made progress in some areas and need to do a better job in some areas. Here’s how things look today

1. Declutter 100 items – I’ve gotten rid of 76 things so far. I want to update the list but haven’t made the time to do it so far.
2.  Stay within the budget – not doing so well here with the car, the water heater and signing up for a CSA. We are trying to make better choices with our food but that comes with a larger price tag. Need to figure out some ways to lower other costs to compensate.
3.  Read 15 books,  5 from the TBR lists – I’ve read 3 from the TBR list and a total of 13 so far
4.  Exercise for at least 10 minutes six/week – only 3 of the 6 weeks so far.  I’ve faithfully ridden the bike every Monday through Friday but the weekends are difficult. Between the bad weather and a lack of motivation to get myself and my granddaughter out of the house, I haven’t been able to check off that last day. Need to make it a priority and just do it.
5.  Spend one hour/week working on a hobby – I’m doing okay although I haven’t been focused on the quilt like I had planned. I’ve met the goal five of the six weeks so far. I made a wreath, did some work on the quilt, did some garden planning and went through a ton of scrapbooking stuff.

Overall I feel pretty good about things and am hopeful that I will be able to finish strong. Have you made progress on your goals this year? Please share – I’d love to hear from you

100 Day Challenge Update 4

Goal 4 – Read at least 15 books with at least 5 of them coming from my To Be Read lists Progress – 4 read with 2 of them coming from my to be read lists

Over the years I have collected books from library sales and trips to the Half Price Bookstore. Then they sat on my shelves until last year when I decided that it was time to get rid of stuff. I went through my shelves and got rid of a lot of them. Some because the subject was no longer relevant and others because I couldn’t figure out why I had even bought them. Now I’m down to around 50-75 on my shelves. They are part of my to be read list.

The other part – and it is the larger part- is all the book titles I’ve come across through blogs and podcasts. I would really like to cross some of them off this year. I made a start by going through the list to see what books I can get through the library. I also discovered some titles that I removed for the same reasons as above.

Do you have a to be read list? How do you find time for reading? What types of books do you read? I’d love to hear from you – please leave a comment

 

 

 

Travel Goals

Way back in 2010(oh my! hard to believe it was that long ago), when I started this blog I had six goals and two of them had to do with travel.

One was to do five solo retreats. I had originally planned to go to different places for each retreat so that I could experience different areas of the country. Instead what happened was that my first retreat location was such a good fit – not too expensive, a beautiful place, a welcoming vibe, a good mix of group and individual activities, great food,  and close enough that the time to get there wasn’t too long. I ended up going there almost every year since my first time.

The second goal was to go to the Galapagos Islands. I put that on the back burner when our church sponsored a trip to Israel. I had a lovely time in Israel. It is a beautiful country. One of the highlights was floating in the Dead Sea. Learning some of the history and seeing sights that I’ve heard so much about in church was an experience that I will always treasure.

Once that trip was over I started thinking again about the Galapagos and perhaps adding Machu Picchu to the itinerary. However lately I’ve been reading about how those areas are suffering from the effects of tourism and I wonder if I should go? Part of me would still really like to go but another part of me thinks I could use the money I’ve saved to explore other areas of the world and/or the United States.

In terms of the world some goals would be walking along the Great Wall of China, seeing the Northern Lights in Finland, seeing the salt flat in Bolivia, going back to Great Britain, Greece,  and visiting my brother-in-law in Saudi Arabia before he returns to the states.

There are a lot of things I’d like to see and areas I would like to explore within the US. One thing about traveling in the US is that the hubby would go with me. He has no desire to travel outside of the US but would love to see all the National Parks in the US. We could probably find some areas that we would both enjoy.

Also, I’ve been thinking about relocating once the boy graduates. The cold winters and my arthritis aren’t a good match and I’m considering a warmer climate for my retirement years. Traveling in the US would allow me to see if I would like living somewhere else.

What are your thoughts about travel? Are you a fan of international travel or do you prefer to stay close to home? Have you been to any of the places I mentioned above? I’d love to hear from you – please leave a comment

100 Day Challenge Update 3

Goal – Stay within my budget

My main motivation for this goal is to be able to start putting money into a liquid emergency fund. We have money in mutual funds but we may not be able to access them quickly in case of an emergency.

Currently I try to save  so that at the end of one year I have enough money to pay the next year’s property taxes and the car, disability, home and life insurance premiums. I was not able to do that this year so I need to save for that shortfall along with the regular savings and my hoped for emergency fund.

The property taxes and the life insurance premiums come due in the first three months of the year. I had enough for them but we’ve had some unexpected expenses come up and that is putting a wrench in the works.

First the check engine light in the car came on. While it was being fixed my hubby decided to have them fix the rear windshield wiper as well. Then the circulating pump started acting up and we weren’t getting enough hot water for everyone to get a bath/shower.

Now I need to work hard to keep the other expenses down. We’ll be eating out of the freezer and pantry as much as possible and staying out of stores. Hopefully we’ll be able to squeeze out a few dollars over the next three months.

How do you handle unexpected expenses? Where do you keep your emergency fund? Drop me a comment and let me know.

100 Day Challenge Update 2

Years ago I started scrapbooking because my sister in laws were doing it. We got together a couple of times and I made two scrapbooks for my daughter. I collected a lot of photos and mementos through the years but once my son came along there never seemed to be time to do anything with all the stuff I collected.

Now I’m going through the boxes and trying to decide what is worth saving and what isn’t. There are a lot of good memories and some things I had forgotten about in these boxes. There are things I want to save even if I don’t decide to put them in scrapbooks. However there is a lot of stuff that I’m going to toss. I can’t decide if it is horrible or okay that I’m considering throwing away photos of my nieces and nephews along with things that my kids have made for me.

So anyway, the challenge update of this post is that this week I’ve done some decluttering and spent some time on a hobby that I’m trying to decide if I’m going to continue or let go of.

What have you been up to lately? Are you making progress with your goals? Leave a comment and let me know.