End of Month Goals

My goals for February were as follows:

• Print out and follow my new February budget.  Done. This was a very tight month financially, so I had to be very careful. I ended up having to borrow money from savings, but have since paid it back. I also paid for a small gift card and paid for a birthday lunch. 
• Put away my seasonal dishes and exchange them for my everyday dishes by end of the month. Done
• Keep printing out the 10 minute decluttering tasks from Organizing Moms and try to incorporate as many as possible into my housekeeping schedule. This was a total fail. I have stopped printing them out to save on paper. If I want to resume sometime later, I will just bookmark the site and write in my journal. 
• Go through all my books and novels and purge as many as I can  NO
• Find more papers from my binders and filing box to shred          Ongoing
• Make another 25 cards this month     I don't think so. I made a lot of different cards, but I did not keep track. It is that accountability thing again. I need to become more disciplined.
• Put together one scrap book     NO
• Produce one homemade gift     NO, but working on it.
• Replace the flapper in my master bathroom toilet      Done. Yay for me.
• I discovered two slow plumbing leaks this past month. Try to fix the problem by tightening the fittings, before I need to call in a plumber. I did tighten the fittings and slowed down the leaks, but need to do more. I am afraid of breaking something.
• Buy some Spackle to repair some drywall areas in the house. Use a $50 gift card to buy required materials for this month's repairs.    DONE.  I bought it. I didn't say I was going to use it this month.
• Continue to send out at least 3 cards a week to keep in touch with family and friends. I think I have done pretty well so far but  I missed the week before my birthday. That may have been the week of many snowstorms, but I did mail out the valentines and birthday cards on time. 

So I did manage to complete some of my goals. The ones marked in green were done in the first week, while I was still very gung-ho on getting things done. My resolve slipped away as quickly as the rest of the month. I am just not in the mood for scrap booking or purging, and I know I will be so disappointed when spring arrives and I didn't do anything about it. I might as well not beat myself up about it. I want the book to be done well and not slapped together. I did manage to put together 14 pages so far. March could well be the month where I excel. Fingers crossed. 

End of Week Goals

Goals for the Week

• Print out Week 8 of the 10-minute decluttering tasks and do as many as possible. Didn't even print them out. I'm not doing any of them.
  

• mail out 3 "Thinking of You" cards this week     done

• work on my embroidery project for the satin pillow cases     did some

• work on the scrap booking project    NO

• dusting and vacuuming the downstairs floors and the staircase     hit and miss

• go through and purge the books from my computer room    NO

I was correct in thinking I hadn't done any of these. I was busy, but don't know what I did.  One of my overall yearly goals was to maintain better notes in my journal, and even that has fallen by the wayside. I think I am going to be disappointed when I check out my progress on my end of month goals. Stay tuned. 

Last Week of February

Where did the month go? Does anyone know what happened to it? In a couple of days I will need to report on my goals and accomplishments and I don't think I have accomplished anything.

I did not return home on Sunday. I stayed an extra day because of the weather. Sunday started with freezing rain, which turned into pouring rain and some flooding, and then we had gale force winds with blowing snow. I left Smiths Falls yesterday morning and got home about 11 AM. My son and DIL came out shortly afterwards to visit, do laundry, and stayed for dinner.  I will need a couple of days to get caught up with my emails, blog posts,  and messages.

This morning I watered my indoor plants, made a batch of yoghurt,  and cooked up a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup for lunches this week. I paid some bills on-line before heading out to shop. I stopped at the post office on my way out of town to buy a roll of 50 postage stamps ($50.85) , pick up my mail (there were two more birthday cards), and mail out two cards of my own. I picked up a bag of road salt from the Hardware store ($9.60) because I have used up the last of mine on my driveway. I stopped at my bank to take out my cash for household expenses and gas for the month of March. I picked up a few items at Shopper's and paid with a gift card I received for my birthday. I also picked up a very few craft supplies at the Dollar Tree before heading to No Frills for last week's sale items.

 Produce cost $35.63  (Frozen $25 and fresh broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and cabbage cost $15.63)

 Dairy cost $14.30, but $6 of that was paid with a gift card.

 I paid $13.77 for a utility turkey that cost $1/lb.

Pantry cost $7.97 for a 925 gm tin of coffee, for  a grocery total of $71.70

Yesterday Was My Birthday

I "celebrated" my  69th birthday yesterday. I did not have a special dinner, have people over, or eat cake; but I received lots and lots of wishes by phone, cards, email and face book messaging. I have been receiving gifts since the weekend and I have been spoiled. My sister suggested I give myself a spa day but there was no uninterrupted time for that. I worked on my latest embroidery project between birthday greetings. And I waited until today to have my spa treatments at home. I first washed my hair and put in some Argon oil to leave in after my conditioning treatment. I wore a facial mask for moisturizing before slipping into a hot bath with a strawberry bath bomb. I used a pumice stone on my feet after soaking a good long time, gave myself a pedicure before slathering foot cream all over my soles, and finally put on some new fuzzy socks that was part of a huge gift from a good friend. She gave me lots of gift cards that I will be able to use over the next few weeks. 

I have decided to leave for Smiths Falls around 11 AM tomorrow, so I can accompany my SIL to Ottawa. My niece works at one of the museums there and she would like to give me a tour before we all drive back home for the baby shower that will be happening on Saturday. This afternoon I shredded and cooked a second cabbage to take with me, since I will be staying there until Sunday. I will wrap the baby's gift in a little while and pack an overnight bag. I am very much looking forward to a weekend away.

Yesterday I received my insurance renewals with the recalculated schedules. I am saving $80.50 a month by talking with my representative last week. Yay! That is a big chunk of change.

I probably won't be posting now until Sunday, so have a great weekend everyone. Stay safe.

Family Day: Daybook, Monday, Feb. 18/19

Canadians are celebrating a holiday today. Whether it is called Louis Riel Day, Islander  Day, Heritage Day or Family Day, it is a statutory holiday.  It only affects me because most places of business are shut down. Yesterday I made sure I picked up my prescription renewals on my way back from the restaurant where we were celebrating the birthday of one of my friends.  Today I prepared cards to place in the mail tomorrow. I wrote out 3 encouragement cards, 2 birthday cards and one "Thinking of You". I also got a phone call from a long-time friend (55 years and counting) and we talked each other's ear off. You know the kind of friend that you may not speak with for 6 months at a time, but when you do catch up with her it is like you just spoke with her the night before? That is the kind of friend I talked with this morning.

Outside my window.....it is sunny, bright and cold.

I am thinking.....of the wonderful time we all had yesterday afternoon in Rockport, where we gathered to celebrate the birthday of a friend. The restaurant was a casual dining place with a great stone fireplace and a kind of roadhouse feel. The company is always lively and engaging.

I am thankful for.....my many wonderful friends.

From the kitchen.....I made another batch of yoghurt this morning.

I am wearing.....the same thing I wore to lunch yesterday...black jeans, a turquoise and black checked shirt and fuzzy black socks.

I am creating.....a lot of kids' cards to have ready to send to my grand kids.

I am going.....nowhere today. Everything is closed.

I am hoping.....I have sent out my birthday cards on time.

I am hearing.....just the hum of my desk top computer.

Around the house.....my floors need vacuuming still. *blush* I have little shreds of paper being tracked through the house from my paper shredder which I was using again last week.

One of my favourite things.....lately, is my yoghurt maker.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include me being away for the weekend. I will drive to Smiths Falls on Friday afternoon to stay with my brother and SIL. On Saturday, she and I will attend a baby shower for her oldest daughter (my niece). I will stay over again on Saturday night and return this Sunday.

Goals for the Week

• Print out Week 8 of the 10-minute decluttering tasks and do as many as possible.
  

• mail out 3 "Thinking of You" cards this week

• work on my embroidery project for the satin pillow cases

• work on the scrap booking project

• dusting and vacuuming the downstairs floors and the staircase

• go through and purge the books from my computer room

In case you don't recognize them, these are the same ones from last week which I never got around to. Not only that, but I don't have a photo to share with you today. I am really slacking off.

Grocery Shopping on Saturday

I woke up early again this morning and just lay there in bed....unable to fall back to sleep. So after breakfast I left the house early to start my shopping. No-Frills is having another Dollar Deals sales event, so that is where I started. I ended up at Shopper's Drug Mart, where I knew my eggs would be on sale again for $1.88 a dozen today only.

Produce (fresh and frozen) cost $28.65  (four bags of winter veggies, 1 bag of oriental mix, 2 pkgs. of chopped spinach, 2 kg bag of strawberries, and 2 small heads of cabbage)

Meat cost me $12.57 (chicken legs with backs attached were $1/lb., 4 chubs of ground chicken were $1 a piece and smoked sausage was $1 a piece) I still have ham and pork chops in the freezer, so this will give me some variety.

Only the eggs were on sale, so I paid full price for milk and yoghurt but needed to buy them in order to make my own yoghurt. One tub of yoghurt is a starter for 3 batches of homemade. I bought one pkg. of no-name cream cheese. My dairy cost $14.59

Pantry items cost $5.52 (tinned tomatoes were $1 each and the no-name evaporated milk only cost me 88 cents a tin.) I also spent $3.99 on 12 rolls of Royale T.P. on sale for a total spend of $90.85  With money I saved this month, I bought a $25 gift card to send as a gift to someone, leaving me $21.75 in my household budget for the rest of the month. I still have $40 left from my gas allowance and 3/4 of a tank of gas.

Digging Myself Out

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. 

Tuesday I reported a snow storm was dumping snow over most of the province. The snow continued all through the night. Yesterday morning, the snow seemed to stop and I even made a comment to someone that I thought the advisory was over. I spoke too soon. It started up in our area again and continued well into the afternoon. I bundled up against the cold and wind and went out to tackle the bottom of the drive. It was the most and the heaviest of all snowfalls we have had yet this year. It was very difficult to move. I use my shovel to push the snow and I take lots of little breaks so as not to over extend myself too much. I stayed outside for about 2 hours, but only managed to clear the bottom of the drive.  (If I had to leave my house for any emergency, I would be able to drive out onto the highway). There was still the top of my driveway to clear, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do that until today. When I came into the house yesterday, I was very sore and physically exhausted. I did no housework, nor did I work on my scrap booking. I did make another card however. I just had to reheat leftovers from the night before. Mmmm......leftovers.  (I'm looking at you Bless)

I started today with finishing the driveway. There was still lots of snow, but the job  went more smoothly. My sister's birthday is this coming Tuesday, so when I realized this morning that it was Valentine's Day, it hit me that I should have mailed her card at the beginning of this week.  I can't believe this week is almost gone.  I walked to the post office to mail her card and picked up my mail. Among the envelopes was my insurance renewals for both my car and my house insurance. OMG! I thought last year's increase in the house insurance was bad news. This year was far worse. I wanted to cry.

I called to speak with a representative, but truly I didn't expect much sympathy. I called last year, but they did nothing for me. I guess it depends on the person you speak with, because this agent was absolutely wonderful. He worked with me for a good long time, asking questions and making recommendations. The final result of all the time spent on the phone, means that my premiums for BOTH my car and house insurance are less than what I paid last year. He is saving me a pile of money.  Yay!

Here is the sweet little encouragement card I made for one of my grand kids yesterday. I guess I should have drawn some little muscles on those skinny little stick arms, but I can't draw to save my soul. So it will have to do. She will think it's funny anyway.

Snow Storm

I didn't hear until this morning that a storm was moving in, so about 9AM I walked over to my convenience store to buy a dozen eggs before the weather got bad. The snow had already started. The last two days have been sunny and bright and that is when I should have driven over to Amerstview to get cheaper eggs, but I didn't. As a result, I paid almost $2 more. But now I am snug as a bug and I will have eggs for breakfast tomorrow.  I put a pork roast in my crock pot for dinner tonight.

I printed out the pillowslip border that I will put on my grand daughter's pillow slips that "Dee" had delivered from Amazon to my house. Then I transferred the design to the pair of  satin pillow slips. When the mood strikes me, I can start embroidering.  By this time it was lunch, so I reheated half the chicken stir fry and cauliflower rice that was left from last night's dinner.  Then I started back on my scrapbook project. I am not embellishing the pages nor am I journaling yet.  I am only matting the photos and arranging on the pages. It is a slow process for me so I have only accomplished 2 two-page layouts this afternoon. I will be lucky to accomplish one scrapbook this winter at this rate.

Daybook: Monday, Feb. 11/19

Outside my window.....it is sunny and mild. Snow is melting off my roof and dripping over my verandah. We had a little snow overnight, so the sunlight is looking particularly bright this morning.

I am thinking.....of my late husband. It is his birthday today.

I am thankful for.....all the phone calls and well wishes I received over the weekend from family members and friends.

From the kitchen.....this past weekend I made a pot of soup, sauteed shredded cabbage, another batch of yoghurt and I cooked all the chicken legs with backs attached to remove the meat from the bones.

I am wearing.....black denim jeans, gray and red striped socks and a gray sweater with a cowl neck.

I am creating.....enough kids' cards to last me a little bit, so I can get down to business and work on a scrapbook.

I am going.....??? I have no plans to leave today, but I do need to pick up eggs again.

I am hoping.....for positive outcomes this week.

I am hearing.....the clock ticking in this room. I have never noticed it before.

Around the house.....the furniture still needs dusting and the floors still need vacuuming.

One of my favourite things.....is my paper shredder. It makes short work of my paper clutter.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include a birthday lunch at a restaurant on the Parkway this coming Sunday for one of my girlfriends. We are getting together late for her birthday which was last week. My celebration will likely get pushed ahead to March. I have no Doctor's appointments during this month.

Goals for the Week

• Print out Week 8 of the 10-minute decluttering tasks and do as many as possible.
  

• mail out 3 "Thinking of You" cards this week

• work on my embroidery project for the satin pillow cases

• work on the scrap booking project

• dusting and vacuuming the downstairs floors and the staircase

• go through and purge the books from my computer room

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

No Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval

I'm on strike, I guess. I'm not feeling the motivation for housework. Well, it's just me after all, so it isn't too bad (except for the top of the dining table). I wanted to vacuum, but I didn't. Whenever I think about it, I want to take a nap; so I make cards instead. I have made my ten cards for this past week, so I got at least one goal checked off. I have done up my laundry, made another batch of yoghurt,  shredded the second head of cabbage I bought last week and made a large pot of chicken vegetable soup for lunches this week.  Let's see what else I accomplished from my list.

 This Week's Goals

• make 10 cards this week      Done 

• mail out 3 "Thinking of You" cards     Not exactly...not in the way I intended when I decided to make this a goal. I did mail off more than 20 valentines and two more kids' cards
• exchange my seasonal winter dishes for my everyday     Done

• dust and vacuum the downstairs and the carpeted staircase     No

• Go through the book case in the computer room and purge       No, but I shredded more papers and printed out more return address labels.

• Check Michael's to see if they have blades for my paper slicer     Done

• Use my gift card for Home Depot to buy Spackle and a flapper for my toilet     Done. I have already replaced the flapper and chain inside the tank. Easy, peasy. 

Dinner This Past Week: (Friday to Friday)

Feb. 1  roasted chicken thighs with creamed cabbage
Feb. 2  ditto
Feb. 3  sliced ham with mashed turnip and green beans
Feb. 4  pork chops and cheesy broccoli and cauliflower
Feb. 5  chili con carne (without the beans), toasted keto bread with melted cheese
Feb. 6  sliced ham with creamed cabbage
Feb. 7  encore presentation

Now that I am a little ahead with cards to send out this month, I will probably concentrate on working on my scrapbook now that I have sharp cutting blades for my papers.

Sleeping In

I woke up again before 6 AM, but before my feet could touch the floor, I fell back to sleep and didn't wake again until 9. I guess I had to have a little extra shut-eye.

For a while it looked like it was going to be another wintry day of snow flurries, very strong winds and mainly cloudy. With that in mind, I decided to go to the post office early to mail out the rest of my valentines. While there I picked up an Amazon order that Dee sent my way. She bought my grand daughter some satin pillow slips, but asked me if I would embroider the edges for her. I have no idea how difficult it is to embroider satin, if at all, but I will try. I also received some taxation forms that I will need in order to do my taxes at the end of February.

When I got back home, the sun came out and the flurries stopped. I decided to get out of the house and hit the roads. I went first to Michael's to see if they had any blades for my paper trimmer. Yes, finally!  I used a 45% off coupon on the package of two blades. I also picked up some enamel hearts to attach to my cards. This year's valentines are finished, but I will have them for next year. They were 50% off and I paid the total with a gift card. No oop.  From there I went to Home Depot to pick up my pre-mixed sheet rock mud and a flapper for my toilet. I used a gift card that I received for "Mother's Day", so again no oop.

Staples was right next door in the mall, so I took advantage of a GREAT sale and another gift card that I received at Christmas to buy 100 page protectors and 750 mailing labels.  These packages were on sale for only $5 each.

I was on a roll, until I got to No Frills to buy some  frozen produce and no gift card. That wasn't so bad because I need to eat.

I spent a total of $17.95 on mixed berries, 1 bag of Oriental mix, two bags of winter mix and shredded spinach. I probably already had enough veggies for the coming week, but since I was in buying berries, I decided to pick up more frozen produce. 



However, my next stop on the way home was to the Dollar Stop in Amerstview, where I only intended to buy more 2-way tape, but ended up buying more.

I picked up 4 rolls of tape, 2 packages of enamel lady bugs, and some clear acrylic stamps for only $2. My total here came to $12.45  On the right is the package of enamel hearts that I picked up at Michael's for half price.  I see lots of card-making in my future. Have a great weekend everyone. I know what my plans are.

Freezing Rain

Monday and Tuesday we had a two days in a row of above freezing temperatures and some sunshine. They felt like Spring Days had arrived. We lost a lot of snow due to melting.  I changed out my seasonal dishes for my everyday dishes. I made three new cards, then walked to the post office to mail them out with my long distance valentines to make sure they were received by next week. I will mail out the local ones this Friday. While at the post office I picked up the new stickers for my license plate that I had renewed on-line. And while I was outside and the weather was nice, I spread my full container of used coffee grounds on one of my flower beds.

Inside I made a batch of yoghurt and baked another loaf of keto bread. Last night I made chili con carne (without the beans) for dinner with some toasted keto bread and melted cheese. I made another jar of taco seasoning and wrote up a list of spices to buy the next time I shop at the Bulk Barn. I paid my Hydro bill on-line. I didn't accomplish much from my goals list, but I was busy all day. I accomplished lots and was tired when I went to bed.

This morning was so-o-o different. It was freezing rain and ice pellets all day. It is another winter wonderland out there with temperatures back down to minus 10* C. The plows and sanders have been going constantly and the fire department has been responding to highway accidents. I have no idea what I did today, except that I had a long nap on the couch this afternoon. I guess some days you just have to give in.

Daybook: Monday, January 4/19

Outside my window.....it is mainly overcast and wet. Temperatures are above freezing today, so a lot of melting going on.

I am thinking.....of the busy day I had yesterday. Having not posted anything since my last Daybook Monday, I wrote 4 blog posts yesterday...My Budget,   January Goals Update, This Week in Review, and
My Mile Long To-Do List for February 2019.     These posts were written as my goal check-ins to keep me more accountable this year.

I am thankful for.....all my wonderful friends and well wishers who keep me in their thoughts.

From the kitchen..... I may not have tackled many goals from last weeks list, but I was busy with chores, nonetheless. I "riced" all 5 of the cauliflower I bought on sale Friday and shredded one of the large heads of cabbage. I made another loaf of keto bread and today I will be making another batch of homemade yoghurt. I sliced up the large ham and portioned into freezer bags. The ham bone is now in the crock pot to make a broth. I baked up all the chicken thighs on Friday because my son and DIL came out for supper. I had enough leftover for two further meals. I gave my DIL the sweet potato I cooked and mashed and froze. I also gave her my shaker bottle of "Seven Things Farm Chicken Seasoning" because she loved it so much. I will need to make another jar for myself.

I am wearing.....blue jeans, a blue long sleeved hooded pullover with an allover pattern of small gray hearts, and black fuzzy socks.

I am creating.....probably more cards this week, as I cannot start my scrapbook yet. I finished an embroidery project for myself.

I am going.....to the Post Office today. I did not send out any cards last week, but I do have to get some birthday cards and valentines mailed out as soon as possible.

I am hoping.....to have another relatively successful month of February in which I can get some home maintenance projects done.

I am hearing.....the sound of traffic this morning. The roads are wet with puddles of melted snow.

Around the house.....there is a lot of dusting and tidying to do. I have sort of let things slide while busy with my crafting.

One of my favourite things......is my Amazon Echo, which was gifted to me at Christmas. I have been playing music from some of my favourite artists (Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Simon and Garfunkle, and Evanescence). Quite the eclectic mix.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....do not include appointments. The one appointment I had last week, I did not make because of the snowstorm. I bought groceries on Thursday and yesterday, so don't expect to have to buy more. My trips are usually spontaneous. I don't put a lot of planning into my trips.

This Week's Goals

• make 10 cards this week

• mail out 3 "Thinking of You" cards

• exchange my seasonal winter dishes for my everyday

• dust and vacuum the downstairs and the carpeted staircase

• Go through the book case in the computer room and purge

• Check Michael's to see if they have blades for my paper slicer

• Use my gift card for Home Depot to buy Spackle and a flapper for my toilet 

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

 Making yoghurt

 An embroidery project I did for myself.

My Mile Long To-Do List for February 2019

Here is a guide for February activities that will help me to achieve more of my goals.

• Print out and follow my new February budget. 
• Put away my seasonal dishes and exchange them for my everyday dishes by end of the month.
• Keep printing out the 10 minute decluttering tasks from Organizing Moms and try to incorporate as many as possible into my housekeeping schedule.
• Go through all my books and novels and purge as many as I can
• Find more papers from my binders and filing box to shred
• Make another 25 cards this month
• Put together one scrap book
• Produce one homemade gift
• Replace the flapper in my master bathroom toilet
• I discovered two slow plumbing leaks this past month. Try to fix the problem by tightening the fittings, before I need to call in a plumber. 
• Buy some Spackle to repair some drywall areas in the house. Use a $50 gift card to buy required materials for this month's repairs. 
• Continue to send out at least 3 cards a week to keep in touch with family and friends

This Week in Review

This week I gave up on my list of goals. One of my excuses, I think, is because it was the end of the month. It felt like an additional week, and since I planned to update my goals review and set up some new ones for the next month, I dug in my heels and didn't do anything goals related until this weekend. Besides that, I was kind of snow-bound. We received so much snow Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I was outside pushing snow twice a day. I didn't have much energy or will to do much more than that.

I did look at my budget for February and I did my first grocery shopping for the month this past Thursday. I shopped at Food Basics and No Frills for the bargains. I also went to Michael's for some new blades for my paper slicer, but they were completely sold out.

Fresh produce cost $23.18  Cauliflower was only 1.97 this week, so I bought 5. Yellow onions were only 88 cents, 4 sweet peppers were on sale for  $2.97. Cabbage was not on sale for 97 cents per pound.

Frozen produce came to $24.94  This weekend I bought mixed strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries for $11, 4 winter veggies, 1 of green beans, 1 of Oriental mix, and 2 blocks of spinach. Since zucchini is now almost $3 a pound, I will make my omelets with spinach.

I paid $37.02 for meat. I hadn't found much meat on sale in the weekend flyers, so while I was at the first store, I bought chubs of ground chicken for $10 and 4 chicken legs with backs attached, just because they are always the cheaper cuts of meat. I still have lots of pork left in my freezer. However, when I arrived at the second shop, I found the large hams on for only $1.75/lb. and chicken thighs also for less than $2/lb. 

Dairy cost $25.46  I bought 3 pkgs. of cheese (450 gms each) for $3.77 each,  butter at $2.97/lb.,  and 1 doz eggs only for $2.27 because I knew I could pick up more for cheaper this weekend at Shoppers.

I bought Stevia for $6.47 (I was completely out) and dishwasher tabs for $12.99. I had run out of those a few days before, so had been washing dishes by hand. Total for these two items was $19.46  I spent a total of $131.75

Today I drove into Shoppers to pick up my 2 doz. eggs at only $1.88/doz. and 3 tins of chunk tuna for $5 (I opened one for lunch already), 4 liters of milk and cottage cheese on sale for $2.49 for a total of $16.55, leaving me a total of $151.70 for the rest of the month. I added the two dimes in my wallet to my found money jar.

January Goals Update

1.  Print out a new budget sheet for January     Done

2.  Print out checklist called "100 Things to Throw Away" and see how many I can check off in January    Not even started

3.  Subscribe to Organizing Moms to receive their weekly "10 minute tasks" to complete.   I print this list every Monday, but have not been very good about getting them done. I have attempted some.

4.  Take down indoor Christmas decorations and tree and put in storage.        Done


5.  Take down outdoor decorations and lights and put into storage.      Done

6.  Organize my filing bin and throw out papers and instruction manuals no longer relevant     Done, but I want to do a better job. This is a work in progress.


7.  Organize my recipe binder and throw out papers no longer relevant     Done

8.  Organize my card-making binder     Done

9.  Organize my Christmas and gift binder     Done

10. Organize my home and finance binder     Done  I worked at organizing my binders, but I need to go through again to purge material no longer relevant.

11.Shred all papers and save to the garbage bin to use as mulch in Spring.      Ongoing, and since decluttering and organizing my filing bin, I have even more papers to shred.

12.Paint primer on door (inside and out) of downstairs powder room       Done. I also primed 2 shelf units and a bedside table.

13. Put weather caulking around smaller kitchen window      Done

14.Put together one scrapbook     No. I am still waiting on new blades for my paper slicer.

15.Make 25 cards this month     Done. I made 25 valentine and birthday cards alone. I also made some additional thank-you and Thinking of you cards


16.Produce one gift     Done. I embroidered another tea towel this past month and put it away in my gift trunk.

My Budget

My finances are not in a very healthy state but this is my day to day life and the consequences of not being prepared. Nobody expects their lives to take a turn for the worst, but you must prepare yourself for that possibility.  This is the result of not having all your ducks in a row.

I am new to the game of finance, but I take my share of the blame because I frankly did not want to deal with money when my husband was alive. So now I am taking on my share of the responsibilities. I know  enough that I know these percentages are not healthy, but at this point I am just trying to learn.

I am still paying a mortgage. The total of my mortgage, property taxes, house insurance, and payments on a new furnace accounts for just under 50% of my pension.
Utilities account for 20%
Debt repayment accounts for 16%
Household and car expenses use roughly 13%
And if you have been adding that up, I have already spent approximately 99%, so that leaves maybe 1% for savings....sometimes more or less, depending on how much less I had to pay on my utilities.

Because of the amount of pension I receive, I qualify for some government assistance., which I do not count as income.  One small cheque arrives monthly, which is earmarked for gifts. Another slightly bigger cheque arrives quarterly, which is earmarked for savings. If I do not need to rob my savings account for those "surprise expenses", I take a chunk of it every so often to dump into debt repayment.

 I need to look at my budget at the beginning of every month to find extra savings so I can figure  out how much I can put in my savings account first. I am not really "paying myself first", but rather figuring out what is left over, so that I can put it into the savings account so it isn't as easily accessible. If I miscalculate, or there is a surprise expense I didn't see coming, that money is sometimes taken back out before the end of the month, but there is a little bit of cushion. Also, last month I started going to my bank once at the first of the month to physically remove the cash that I allocate for household and car expenses. That way I see exactly what is left.  This month I still have not got my final tally for my Hydro and some unexpected charges, so I still do not know if there will be much if anything to go into savings for the month of February. March is looking more promising.