MONTHLY GOALS---NOVEMBER '22

[Serendip]

Hi Folks,
Here to start up the November thread.  I'm staying home all month, no travel or other plans so the month feels open & spacious.

I'm also contemplating a low-buy year for 2023 and establishing what that might look like..


GOALS

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week
-Keep groceries under $100/week, try to eat from pantry & freezer

-My daily's (or almost daily's)
YOGA, BREATHWORK, MEDITATION, WALKS (at least 30 min), LANGUAGE (DuoLingo)
-Try to visit sauna & cold plunge 2-3x/week

-Pay $1000 into RRSP
-Pay $1000 into tax instalments **rolled extra $500 onto each of these due to missing them last month, bonus points for more $$

-Put a bit into next years travel fund

-Organize in basement (bring winter gear up, put anything for sale that needs to be sold), finish covering the walls & potentially set up a mini studio down there
-Start prepping for low-cost Christmas, sourcing 2nd hand gifts or making them by hand

-Work two extra shifts to cover cost for a xc ski pass
-Aim for 4-5 no-buy days/week

[ixtap]

Low buy 2024 or 2023?

We won't get home until the 22, but we are spending precious little beyond lodging, food and transportation. The museum's are as much as 10x as much for foreigners, but still come to less than $10 each and we only go.to one at each stop, generally.

[Raenia]

Thanks for starting the new thread!

1. Read 8 books
  a. 1 Philosophy
  b. 1 History/Natural History
  c. 4 from TBR
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge
4. Computer-Free Evenings

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery
6. Bake something each week
7. Try a new recipe

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities
9. Thanksgiving Festivities
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see)
11. Start Christmas Shopping
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists

[Serendip]

Low buy 2024 or 2023?

We won't get home until the 22, but we are spending precious little beyond lodging, food and transportation. The museum's are as much as 10x as much for foreigners, but still come to less than $10 each and we only go.to one at each stop, generally.

Oops--low buy for 2023. Will edit my original post, thanks for the catch. I would be jumping WAY ahead of myself :)

We did a complete no-buy year 5 years ago (allowed groceries & hygiene essentials or things for work/safety reasons such as car repairs, etc) and while I don't necessarily feel called to do that, I think a low-buy will help me quell casual spending which I seem to have fallen into again (mostly books, courses and thrift stores).

Enjoy your travels!

[Raenia]

Week 1 was a bit short, but here's an update anyway!

1. Read 8 books - 1/8
  a. 1 Philosophy - Started
  b. 1 History/Natural History - 1/1 Done
  c. 4 from TBR - 1/4, 2nd in progress, 3 and 4 on request
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days - 4/4, going great!  The weather's been lovely.
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge - 4/4, though it's been harder than I expected
4. Computer-Free Evenings - 4/4, going ok

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery - Done
6. Bake something each week - Apple cake (though DH did most of it)
7. Try a new recipe - Apple cake

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities - Planned
9. Thanksgiving Festivities - Mostly planned
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see) - Started
11. Start Christmas Shopping - Making lists
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists - Started

[Serendip]

WEEK 1 UPDATE

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week: Roasted cauliflower w/cashew & lemon
-Keep groceries under $100/week, try to eat from pantry & freezer Broke $140 as a local farmer did a food delivery so I bought larger amounts of root and other veggies for storage ($90 from farmer friend, $50 in grocery store). This will help me avoid flown-in veggie for a bit longer. Will aim to spend $60 or less this week.

-My daily's (or almost daily's)
YOGA, BREATHWORK, MEDITATION, WALKS (at least 30 min), LANGUAGE (DuoLingo): YES!
-Try to visit sauna & cold plunge 2-3x/week Went three times last week, blissful and free thanks to a pass from a friend

-Pay $1000 into RRSP: nothing yet
-Pay $1000 into tax instalments ($700 so far but had to pull from a little stash)

-Put a bit into next years travel fund ($0)

-Organize in basement (bring winter gear up, put anything for sale that needs to be sold), finish covering the walls & potentially set up a mini studio down there : brought some winter gear up, found a jacket I can gift to my sister (*see goal below)
-Start prepping for low-cost Christmas, sourcing 2nd hand gifts or making them by hand : proposed a low-buy Xmas to a family member to gauge feelings around this--waiting for a response.

-Work two extra shifts to cover cost for a xc ski pass : picked up these shifts but then had to give one away due to an overuse strain injury
-Aim for 4-5 no-buy days/week: YES!, five last week

*as a bonus, a close family member called me yesterday to talk about "budgets". I don't necessarily budget but as this person consistently spends more money than they make, it was exciting to hear them express excitement about getting a handle on finances. We might come up with some creative spending challenges and I'm encouraging her to track expenses for at least the initial months.

[Serendip]

WEEK @ UPDATE

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week: celery leaf pesto
-Keep groceries under $100/week, try to eat from pantry & freezer did well eating down the fridge, freezer and pantry this week, don't think I visited the grocery store although my SO did

-My daily's (or almost daily's)
YOGA, BREATHWORK, MEDITATION, WALKS (at least 30 min), LANGUAGE (DuoLingo): pretty good..falling off when I'm busy
-Try to visit sauna & cold plunge 2-3x/week Went twice this week..wonderful

-Pay $1000 into RRSP: $500 so far
-Pay $1000 into tax instalments YES!

-Put a bit into next years travel fund ($0)

-Organize in basement (bring winter gear up, put anything for sale that needs to be sold), finish covering the walls & potentially set up a mini studio down there : Sold a few items, waiting on people to pick up others, need to work on the basement still
-Start prepping for low-cost Christmas, sourcing 2nd hand gifts or making them by hand : Found some good things to re-gift :)

-Work two extra shifts to cover cost for a xc ski pass : worked one shift but had to cancel another. Might be able to pay for pass with gear that we have sold so far
-Aim for 4-5 no-buy days/week: bit off this week

[Raenia]

Bit late on the week 2 update, he we go:

1. Read 8 books - 4/8
  a. 1 Philosophy - 1/1 Done
  b. 1 History/Natural History - 1/1 Done
  c. 4 from TBR - 3/4, 4 out from library
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days - 12/12, I'm amazed I'm keeping up so well.  Getting better at braving the bad weather.
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge - 11/12, missed one day which I'll have to make up
4. Computer-Free Evenings - 12/12, enjoying the variation.

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery - Done
6. Bake something each week - Apple cake (though DH did most of it), whole wheat bread, granola
7. Try a new recipe - Apple cake, turnip+potato gratin

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities - Planned
9. Thanksgiving Festivities - Mostly planned
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see) - Started
11. Start Christmas Shopping - Making lists
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists - Started

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week: celery leaf pesto

How is that?  I had some celery leaves the other week, but decided to put them in my veggie stock instead of pesto, since I was worried the flavor would be too strong for pesto.  Plus it's soup season now, so I know I'll use the stock soon.

[Raenia]

How've you been doing this week, @Serendip?

1. Read 8 books - 7/8
  a. 1 Philosophy - 1/1 Done
  b. 1 History/Natural History - 1/1 Done
  c. 4 from TBR - 3/4, 4th started
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days - 18/19, been going great
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge - 17/19, missed another day due to feeling crummy after my flu shot
4. Computer-Free Evenings - 19/19, been mostly great

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery - Done
  d. Sweatpants reinforcement
6. Bake something each week - Apple cake, whole wheat bread x2, granola
7. Try a new recipe - Apple cake, turnip+potato gratin

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities - Done
9. Thanksgiving Festivities - Planning finished, ready to go
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see) - Almost there, waiting on one person's schedule
11. Start Christmas Shopping - Making lists
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists - Started

[Serendip]

How've you been doing this week, @Serendip?

@Raenia --good but busier than normal! I extended a few shifts at work and it really alters things when I come home more tired and with less time. But...all good now and I have a couple days off.

As for the celery leaf pesto--I really enjoyed it. Definitely a strong celery taste but maybe b/c it was fresh, local celery it has other more nuanced flavours to it as well..and I made it with almonds which undoubtedly altered it too.

[Serendip]

WEEK 3 UPDATE

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week: fried cauliflower rice with curry leaves, surprisingly tasty
-Keep groceries under $100/week, try to eat from pantry & freezer spent $110 but we ended up having a fancy dinner out which definitely tipped the scale WAY over budget :)

-My daily's (or almost daily's)
YOGA, BREATHWORK, MEDITATION, WALKS (at least 30 min), LANGUAGE (DuoLingo): decent but faltering..I have scheduled myself a bit too much to do
-Try to visit sauna & cold plunge 2-3x/week Went twice again..so good!

-Pay $1000 into RRSP: $1640--surprised myself by being able to contribute way more than expected
-Pay $1000 into tax instalments YES!

-Put a bit into next years travel fund $500, split into two separate accounts, one for 2023, one for 2024

-Organize in basement (bring winter gear up, put anything for sale that needs to be sold), finish covering the walls & potentially set up a mini studio down there : Sold a bunch of things (money went to the travel fund), haven't had time to set anything up in the basement though
-Start prepping for low-cost Christmas, sourcing 2nd hand gifts or making them by hand : getting there...a mini-stash of regifts and good thrift finds

-Work two extra shifts to cover cost for a xc ski pass : done!
-Aim for 4-5 no-buy days/week: forgot to even pay attention to this this week...but was more spendy than normal due to a staycation and fancy dinner out

[Raenia]

Week 4 has slipped by, but a bit more progress is made.

1. Read 8 books - 8/8
  a. 1 Philosophy - 1/1 Done
  b. 1 History/Natural History - 1/1 Done
  c. 4 from TBR - 4/4, Done
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days - 23/24, been going great
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge - 22/24, no lost ground this week
4. Computer-Free Evenings - 24/24, though DH is starting to gravitate back to youtube for lazy evenings

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery
  d. Sweatpants reinforcement
  e. Fix pant hem
  f. Darn hold in sweater
6. Bake something each week - Apple cake, whole wheat bread x2, granola x2, banana bread
7. Try a new recipe - Apple cake, turnip+potato gratin, roast chicken

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities - Done
9. Thanksgiving Festivities - Done
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see) - Done, maybe?
11. Start Christmas Shopping - 3/8 finished, 1 halfway, still searching for ideas on the rest
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists - Done, sending out to those who've requested ideas

I've been doing all the sewing that doesn't require taking out the machine, since DH has been using the table for his bookbinding projects.  I also need to take my baking in different directions, as DH doesn't want me making so much granola - he says it's too tasty and he's eating more than is healthy, since it's so calorie dense.  And we're coming in to cookie season, so I'll have plenty of options.

[Serendip]

WEEK 4 & Final UPDATE

-One New or Newly Tweaked Recipe/week: tomato galette with rescued green tomatoes
-Keep groceries under $100/week, try to eat from pantry & freezer Overall I did well with grocery store purchases but not as well with my eating out budget--start of ski season had me in a celebratory mood 

-My daily's (or almost daily's)
YOGA, BREATHWORK, MEDITATION, WALKS (at least 30 min), LANGUAGE (DuoLingo): back on track with all of these. I realized that if I don't start checking email, etc in the morning then I can keep my mind clear and get a few of these done first thing. Feels good
-Try to visit sauna & cold plunge 2-3x/week This was a great addition to the challenge, a real boost for November and free since I had a pass gifted from a friend

-Pay $1000 into RRSP: $1640--surprised myself by being able to contribute way more than expected
-Pay $1000 into tax instalments YES! Might've even gotten to $1200

-Put a bit into next years travel fund $500, split into two separate accounts, one for 2023, one for 2024

-Organize in basement (bring winter gear up, put anything for sale that needs to be sold), finish covering the walls & potentially set up a mini studio down there : Only did the first half of this but at least made progree
-Start prepping for low-cost Christmas, sourcing 2nd hand gifts or making them by hand : YES--even found a mint condition Barbra Streisand Xmas vinyl yesterday which I can give to my mom

-Work two extra shifts to cover cost for a xc ski pass : done!
-Aim for 4-5 no-buy days/week: ... lost track!

[Raenia]

Final update for the month!

1. Read 8 books - 8/8
  a. 1 Philosophy - 1/1 Done
  b. 1 History/Natural History - 1/1 Done
  c. 4 from TBR - 4/4, Done
2. Spend time outside 20/30 days - 29/30,very pleased
3. 30 Days of Yoga Challenge - 26/30, didn't meet the goal but I feel good about how I did
4. Computer-Free Evenings - 30/30, success, now we're ready to carefully reintroduce screens into our evenings.

Creativity:
5. Sewing
  a. PJ repair
  b. Skirt alteration
  c. Handkerchief embroidery
  d. Sweatpants reinforcement
  e. Fix pant hem
  f. Darn hold in sweater
6. Bake something each week - Apple cake, whole wheat bread x2, granola x2, banana bread
7. Try a new recipe - Apple cake, turnip+potato gratin, roast chicken

Social:
8. DH Birthday Festivities - Done
9. Thanksgiving Festivities - Done
10. Plan Christmas (4 families to see) - Done
11. Start Christmas Shopping - 3/8 finished, 1 halfway, ordered a few things, and requested wishlists from the rest
12. Make Birthday and Christmas Lists - Done

[Raenia]

And I started a thread for December if you're interested:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/monthly-goals-december-2022/