Wednesday, January 1, 2014

January Challenge

My goals for January's No/low Spend month are very simple:   (Click on the link to go to Carla's page about the January challenge!)

1.  No use of credit cards. They (all 2 of them) are currently at ZERO and the plan is to keep them that way!
2.  Spend $ only on food for Kazi and I and gas for Dougie the Dodge.  No stopping for coffee in the morning, no newspapers etc. (Kazi has joined me in eating mainly fruits and vegetables and enjoys the juice I make. I will buy NO meat. My main place to shop is the United store which is an Asian grocery store. I bought 5 packages of yellow peppers for a $1.00 per package - 4 peppers in a package, that's....25 cents per pepper! They have great selection and LOW prices. They also have a big section for produce that is past its "best by" date and that stuff is perfect for juicing. I have $20 in my wallet and $463 in my acc't to last until next payday which is Jan. 15th. Anything leftover will go to savings...immediately...do not pass GO!!)
3.  Put extra $$ towards my savings. I was short of my savings goal by $1500.00 at the end of 2013. With interest added since yesterday and a small transfer of $17.27 from my chequing account I now need to find $1400.00 in additional savings. (This is on top of what I normally save in a month.) It won't happen all in one month as there is just not enough $$ in the budget but I will whittle away at it the best I can. This is important as when I retire in a few months I want to have a certain amount of $$ in savings. Although I have NO FREAKING IDEA how the year will unfold and whether I'll sell the condo or sell Crofters Lane or whatever... I'm going to continue as I started my journey - saving and keeping expenses as low as I can. I'm sure some plan will unveil itself to me eventually if I keep listening and watching.

Personal goals for 2014 include eating a plant-based diet and getting my fat arse back on my bike! The main reasons for overeating in my case relate to the stresses in my life (wow, what a shocker!) The more stress there is the more I eat!  Hope you were sitting down for that revelation!

Right now I'm on a 5 day Reboot with Joe as my health, while usually excellent, has suffered recently. I had a nasty cold and then I had the flu from which I am still recovering. If ever a system needed a REBOOT it's mine. So far Day 1 is going fine. I'm currently enjoying a juice made from apples, cucumbers, kale, parsley and a yellow pepper just for fun. I'm so glad I didn't have to use up my sick days during the flu. I'm back to work Jan. 6th so HAVE to get my health shipshape again.

I had a pretty good New Year's Eve. My friend Troy hosted and we all brought food and wine to share. It was an amazing spread but I'm happy to say I didn't overdo it on food or drink. We had so many good laughs it was very therapeutic. But now I'm feeling tired and am going to listen to a book on tape while I lay down on the couch. If I fall asleep well then I must have needed to. Just another aspect of regaining my health - SLEEP!

Until tomorrow my friends :)

19 comments:

  1. Such a great list of goals! I soo miss juicing! :( *sigh* Anyways, I think that's an awesome way to kickstart your healthy new you again!! Good luck! You're gonna rock it!

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  2. I'm glad you had an enjoyable New Year! Your goals sound great! I know you can do it! :)

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  3. Your goals sound awesome and doable! Glad you had a nice New Year celebration with your friends. :)

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  4. I pray that 2014 is a much better year for you and me both!

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  5. Eating a plant based diet will do wonders I'm vegan and it's great!
    Jane x

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  6. Great goals Jane! Yep, sleeping is on my agenda as well. I so don't want to get the flu again. I hope your health comes back strong!! It's a bummer to be sick so long. REST, REST and then REST some more!!

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  7. Sounds like your year is off to a bang already-solid goals, full speed ahead with your health, taking each day as it comes. You're an inspiration :)

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  8. Sleep is always good. And yeah, who'd thought stress had anything to do with eating habits? I normally do NOT eat anything for days when I am stressed. It's equally bad for you as overeating. But you're getting into all the right steps. Have you thought about freezing some of your juices for easy snacking when you don't feel like putting up with the blender? We used to make tamarind paste back home, same with passion fruit. Then just add water, and ta-da! Fresh-from-the-blender quality juice at 2:45am when the blender would've been a bad idea!

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  9. Oh man - you are so good! You are making me feel so bad!! But my new years resolutions start when I get back from England to Canada ;) I hope the reboot works and you feel a bit better!

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  10. Day 3 and I feel great! When are you back in Canada?

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  11. Good idea Tanner - that would definitely save me time too when I'm back at work. You're so smart :)

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  12. Thank you, I don't feel very inspirational but I appreciate your saying so. It helps to get involved in things and try to forget about your miseries. One day at a time.

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  13. Yes, on Monday I'll be back at work with little time for resting, so taking advantage of it now.

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  14. Yes, I knew that about you and admire your wonderful looking meals. I recently watched Forks over Knives and have the cookbook now. Once I finish my juice fast I'll be raring to go - first up will be a root veggie stir fry!

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  15. Well, I'm going to TRY to rock it lol! One day at a time.

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  16. I fly back on Monday - so I guess I start in earnest on Tuesday (exercise and better diet), although I have already stopped smoking for three days so far!

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