I caught up - finally

I never go to the bank.

It has been on my list of things to do for a few WEEKS now.  I knew I needed to get cash out for the money jar but I just don't have the time to get to a bank so that I can get the correct amounts out.

So I was a month behind, but now I am two weeks (and two dollars) ahead.

I have put in the money for all but the final week in April and the grand total is now $642.  It should be $640, but I didn't have 48 dollars today, I only had a $50.

This should get easier since every week after this one is less than $40.

I don't have a set plan for this money, I will finish this challenge in January of 2014 so I'm thinking I'll either use it to pay off a credit card or to pay for a beach house for the summer of 2014.  :)

Just barely made it this week

I didn't realize I succeeded yesterday.  Friday night when I was scrambling to get the fridge and freezer cleaned and some of the writing challenges done, I kept thinking it would leave Saturday to get other jobs done.  And then Saturday I realized I had already finished all of my challenges.

52 Week Money Challenge now has $202 in the jar.  I have the money for this week but then I'll have to head back to the bank to get more cash out.  I did realize that I have a safe that I never use and I think I'm going to make a smaller Money Challenge Jar that I can store in the safe.  It makes the cash safer from someone taking it but also from me getting to it since I never remember the combination.  Of course, having to get in to the safe each week might help me to finally memorize the combination.

52 Week Food Challenge was a success due to a technicality.  I don't like Hamburger Helper, I finally made it for the kids this last year and they love it, but I just can't bring myself to eat it.  However, our renter came home on Tuesday from a week vacation and when we walked in the door she proudly announced that she'd made dinner.  She only cooks for herself about once every other month so this was a big deal.  The meal was one of those Velveeta things just like Hamburger Helper.  I ate some.  A few days later a friend said I should meet him at Starbucks and try his Chai Tea to accomplish this challenge.

I agreed, until I realized that I could count the dinner earlier in the week.  I told him I didn't want to "waste" any of the new foods counting towards this challenge, because I am really worried about running out of new things and having to try disgusting things by the end of the year.  I'll be saving that taste of Chai Tea for another week.

I do want to keep the spirit of this challenge and I do plan to try "real" new foods for it, as soon as I'm allowed to spend a bit more. :)

No Spend February wasn't a success based on my personal rules.  I really had hoped to only spend on bread, produce, and milk.  I did very well until the 23rd for the most part.  But then I decided that the next grocery trip (in which we needed bread and milk), would be the longer drive to the better grocery store.  That grocery store is almost 3 times as far as my typical store, but the prices are much better.  With the cleaned out fridge and freezer and the trip to the better store, I decided to stock up.  I still have to admit that it was mostly a success as I still spent at least $400 less on food this month than I normally do AND everything is stocked up to last for awhile.

I'm counting this week as a success, even though I can't deny that I gave up on two challenges this week.  Next week, I think I'll add a challenge to re-write the Mom Challenge into weekly challenges for the month of March.

Week Three: I'm admitting it, I'm giving up on two challenges

So I'm not succeeding at my challenges.  Yep, I'm admitting it.  Sadly, the things I'm not succeeding at are probably the ones I most NEED to succeed at.

52 Weeks to Simplify Your Life: Mission Statement - Check!
Okay, this challenge is starting to bore me.  A mission statement?  Get on with the stuff that's going to actually simplify my life?  My "mission statement" was about wanting the boys to grow up and be decent happy people.

52 Challenges in the Organized Home: Organize spices, pantry, and food storage - Check!
Yet another cake walk week for me.  I had organized the pantry during week one because I wasn't paying attention and thought I was suppose to clean the counters and the cupboards before I really finished reading the challenge.  Then today I was organizing the storage shelves in the basement just because I walked passed them.  Lucky me.

52 New Foods Challenge - Check!
A friend knows about this challenge and she brought me a pomelo today.  It's the grandfather of the grapefruit.  I looked it up after she brought it over.  Ended up just eating it plain, peeling it like an orange and taking a bite.  It was pretty good.

52 Week Money Challenge - Check!
Since the money for the month is already in my drawer it's pretty easy to do.  I dropped it in on Friday night and I'm on my way to success with this one.

Listmania: Crushes, past and present - Check!

Really?  So it was a little silly to think about who I had crushes on back in the day (Will Withers - even though I never watched Star Trek, NKOTB, Christian Slater, yeah I had tons.)  My list now is pretty short with people like Brad Paisley and Patrick Dempsey :)

Wellness Calendar: Goals to Reach this month and Declutter one area - BLAH!

This is where I start to fail.  I just have a hard time having the calendar available each day and remembering to see what the challenge even is.  I made the menu for the week, and I stuck to it... But I forgot every other challenge.  I looked at them now and I definitely didn't work out hard on Monday, and I didn't send a card to someone I love during the week.  I didn't do a single pushup and I didn't change a recipe.  I could at least update the recipe tonight to reach at least one of the goals, but I think I just quit on this.

28 Day Mom Challenge: Utter Fail

Okay really.  I just can't find it in me to find the calendar and check it each day.  The challenges themselves aren't necessarily hard, I just don't remember that there's something new each day.  I think I should re-vamp this challenge and try it again another month, with weekly goals.

No Spend February - Check!

THIS I have done great with.  I did pay for a mud run, but even if I didn't pay for it in February, I would have paid for it in March, so what is the difference?  And really, I was just worried it would sell out before March.  And then today I did spend money at Home Depot.  I've never spent so little at Home Depot, so $35 isn't much AND it was soil and seeds for the garden.  I think that shouldn't count.

I got a ton of stuff planted and it's all laid out on my table because I really want this year's garden to be the best.

The Start of Week Two

I semi-purposely started my weeks on Sundays, simply so I'd have a day to try to get some of those challenges done before I get back into my work schedule.  And today is Sunday.

And I have just completed the 52 Challenges in the Organized Home for this week.

These pictures would be more shocking to people who have been in my house before.  I am known for having all kinds of gadgets and "stuff" in my cupboards but I managed to organize all of the cupboards and clear our my drawers and they haven't looked this clean in years.

I even cleaned out the storage in our benches in the breakfast nook.

 Here is a picture of half of the junk I posted to freecycle/recycle.  My counters are suppose to be clean thanks to the challenges from last week so people better show up to get this stuff soon or I will sweep it all in to a trash can.

I also got the 52 New Foods Challenge done!  There was another jar of strange Korean something or other in our basement.  The two jars were given to me.  I have no idea what flavor this one is, but I prepared it the same way and made tea.  It was pretty good, a year after it was given to me.

I just tossed that egg in the picture so people would realize how large that coffee mug is :)

I am going to get to writing so I can get a few more challenges done before the game starts.

Week One: Success

52 Weeks to Simplify Your life: Make a list of Everything that Went Right in 2012 - Check!
So my list wasn't very long.  It isn't that I think everything went wrong, I just felt strange writing the list.  I mean work went well, my house went well, my kids went well.  Maybe I'm expected to be more specific?  In any case the list was done.

52 Challenges in the Organized Home: Clean the Counters - Check!

The rooster and the onions stay.

It didn't seem to even take me that long, but I was able to put everything away, off the counter and it has been a few days with things still staying clean.

The compost/chicken scraps tub and the recycle basket under the sink out of sight 

Many things just needed to have a spot.  There are still things I need to sort through, but they are in the cupboards and apparently that is coming up next week.  I didn't realize that until after I'd already cleaned out two cupboards.  I'm finally admitting that I need to move things into the basement to storage since I rarely use them.

52 New Foods Challenge - Check!
Okay I had to go digging through the freezer and shelves for this one and I have a feeling I will have trouble with this for the rest of the month due to another challenge.  So I found two things that I haven't tried.  If I were smarter, I would have saved one for next week, but I wasn't smart in the moment that I made them both.

A student gave me two jars like this last year with a note that told me how to make them into tea when I'm sick.  I have no idea where the note is, but I found one line of English that told me to mix some teaspoons with hot water.  It was actually pretty good and we went back for seconds.

Citrus Tea, or so they say

 And then I made this.  I bought this for some reason a long time ago and it has sat in the freezer.  It is called Turkey Hunter.  It's a stew or something.  So I made it, with apprehension.  But it was actually good too.  If Only I'd made some rolls or something to dip in it.

52 Week Money Challenge - Check!

The first $52

I decided to go backwards with this challenge, starting with $52 the first week and working my way to $1 on the 52nd week.  I actually got the cash out for the entire month but I am going to make myself wait to put it in each week.

Listmania: Currently I am... - Check!

It took me one night and then a few minutes on another day, but I finished writing this in my journal on Saturday.  Taking the time to sit down and write is hard for me.  I have wanted to write in this journal for THREE YEARS.  

It still has the sticker on it

And has prompts to make it easier to write

I didn't realize it has been three years because I am constantly saying "Okay this week, I will start writing in there again."  I just looked and the last entry was 3-31-10 when we were in Jamaica. Seriously, that's too long.  I managed to write in it three times this week, partly to finish some of these challenges.

Wellness Calendar: Goals to Reach this month and Declutter one area - Check!

Again, this list was short and also in my journal.  Not that I don't have a lot to complete but I wrote "completing all challenges" which means doing 100 different things that I don't have to write down.  The things on the list that aren't on my challenge calendar are losing 5 pounds, getting the chicken coop put together, getting more chickens, having extra money this month, getting my garden planned, getting my taxes done, and getting some questions about my son's behavior answered.

As for the decluttering, I made this chair, which is clearly my dump zone

Look like it should

By simply taking the time to organize things and put them where they belong.  I won't lie, the weight vest will be back on this chair because I walk past this chair to the gym each morning and stop here to take the vest off when I get back.  I don't really have a place to hang the vest considering how heavy it is.

So I admit that I cheated a little.  A huge pile of papers went from this chair into the office.  Where it is now sitting on the desk needing to be organized.  That's another week though, I'm sure it will be a challenge later. The only rule was to declutter one area, and I did!

28 Day Mom Challenge: Plan an activity this month and kiss the kids - Check!

Easy to do considering I planned out the month of activities and challenges for myself.  The kissing them while they're sleeping is a different story.  The youngest was easy, he was asleep around 8 so I just went in and fixed his blankets and kissed him.  I went to bed at 11:15, which is really really late for me, but the oldest was still awake.  No really, he was sitting in bed reading for at least 2 hours.  I had no choice but to get him when I woke up in the morning.

So this morning I went in there around 7:10, and right as I kissed him he woke up and startled in fear.  It was one of those inhaled gasps that was so loud.  I quickly left the room and was trying to hold my laughter in.  He was up and out of his room a few minutes later to go feed the animals and as he was coughing from his cold he said "I can't believe I'm still sick, I woke up because I was having trouble breathing."  And I'm laughing because he never seems to have any idea what happens when he is woken up...

No Spend February - Check!

For several years I had a "No Spend January" but I didn't this year.  And then I decided to do it once the month was half over so I am starting now.  The rules are simple, I am not allowed to spend ANY money unless it is an absolute necessity.  Gas and basic groceries are the only things on the list.  Basic groceries is the rule.  No treats, no fun stuff, no fresh herbs or interesting things.  Basically I can buy milk and bread and fresh fruit.  Everything else that we eat needs to come from our storage or our freezer.  It has only been two days, but so far I'm good.

No Spend February is going to mess with the food challenge.  It isn't like I have food in my house that I haven't ever tried before...  Not sure if I will be able find something new for the next three weeks if I'm not allowed to go buy something.