The weather is decidedly colder and the days are incredibly shorter. Starbucks has released its red cups. The trees are starting to thin out.
It must be November!
[October Update]
Look for the good in others. I shouldn’t have tried to do this in an election season. (I KID). It was actually much, much more difficult than I anticipated to be endlessly forgiving, kind, and caring to everyone I interact with daily. It’s so easy to justify why I am allowed be less-than-kind to another. I think I should start with being kinder to people I already love and adore and then move from there.
Look for cheaper groceries and only spend $100 eating out. I tried so hard to not spend much…and we still spent $300 on groceries. And $122 on eating out. Maybe you all are right – groceries are more expensive, we have another mouth to feed, and the peanut shortage means Mike’s favorite food (peanut butter) is pricier. In happier new, our net income (income minus spending) was the highest it’s been in six months, which is a bit of a triumph it itself.
Find a book that I love and read it. Yes! YES. I picked up What Alice Forgot and was captivated from the beginning. The premise is that woman is 39-year-old, falls off a bike, and wakes up thinking she’s 29 and pregnant with her first child. The difference between who she remembers being and who is now is staggering, and it made me contemplate how I might change in the next 10 years. Thinking about waking up to a 10-year-old Gabe and not remembering any of his childhood was also difficult to imagine. It made me want to appreciate all these days I have with him, since they’re so fleeting. I was making time to read all over the place – reading every spare second I could, which is how you know it’s a good book.
Enjoy this moment. Though hard to measure, I didn’t complain about impeding winter at all, which is a major feat for a winter-dreader such as myself. I also made a bit of an effort to disconnect myself (ie: literally turn off my internet) and turn my time and attention to Gabe for a few hours several times a week. This is always an area I’m seeking to work on though – a constant battle against my fear of missing out.
[November Intentions]
Listen to music more. I want to spend more of my day with music in the background, not television. I’m going to be making playlists and looking for others’ playlists on Spotify once I figure out how to do it. In the meantime, all my Facebook friends on Spotify will be able to judge my taste in music now.
Push up challenge. I can do about 10 push ups in a row before my weak little arm muscles just give up. I got a push up app that will prompt me to do push ups three times a week – gradually increasing my capacity. I’m not running as often, so I want to increase my strength training with push ups and ab work.
Make Christmas travel plans. I have grand plans for our little family to have a tropical vacation this year. It’s time to stop dreaming and start, you know, booking. Christmas break is next month, after all!
Blog every day. We’ve already discussed this. It’s probably the scariest/craziest one on here. (!)
Just yes on your comment about food prices. I eat out maybe once a week and the dinner or lunch never costs me more than $20 …yet somehow we spent $476 total on food last month. I eat mostly fruits, veggies, soup, eggs, and fresh bread and make mostly my own meals…nothing exotic…how can that cost so much?! Our grandparents did not spend this much.
I love your intentions posts..it is always fulfilling to continue to work on being our best :)
Our grandparents actually spent way MORE than us as a percentage of their expenses – we’ve just grown accustomed to getting food cheaper due to farm subsidies and all the soy and corn fillers. And Americans spend the least on food than almost any other nation! But I’m still accustomed to cheap food…so I will try and lower it. ;) Ha.
Love the November intentions, and you did really well in October too! Blogging every day is HARD but it’s so much fun if you have the time for it! :)
I totally don’t have the time for it, but this forces me to just DO IT.
We spend a FORTUNE on food. Seriously, in some rural areas, it’s probably as much as some people’s rent. I’m not kidding. It’s not just that food is expensive. Good food is VERY expensive. We hardly eat out and aren’t particularly fancy about what we cook, but man do we spend a pretty penny on food. That said, I’m ok with it. This funds what goes into our bodies and will hopefully reduce the amount we spend on doctors and drugs as we begin to age (an investment for our future, yeah, that’s it).
I am stunned that you think $300 on groceries is still too much money. We’re only two people and we spend twice that…. food (good food!) is expensive and I am trying to put quality over saving on what we put in our bodies.
Food prices certainly vary from state to state, so that is one factor. Another factor is that we probably make less, therefore it FEELS like such a big part of our income is going towards food (because, well, it is!). We buy almost solely whole foods that I cook (and the only convenience foods we buy are from Trader Joes! :)), which probably lowers the bill. I certainly don’t put savings over quality, BUT I also don’t have the privilege of spending as much as we want on food at this time in our (one income) life. :)
Oh, Ashley, I wasn’t saying that you must put savings over quality… that
sounded wrong. You’re probably right that food prices in CA might be more
expensive than in Ohio, which might be a factor.
We’re currently living on one income also, but we don’t have a toddler and
we really don’t buy much convenience food either. I cook mostly from
scratch.
I was just simply curious that you can do grocery shopping on $300 a month.
I think, even if I wanted to, that would be really difficult here.
Adorable pics and I can’t wait for you to blog every day this month :)
I saw this on Pinterest, and though of you! http://pinterest.com/pin/191403052884806313/
I too would love to know your meal plan for $300 a month. We are a family of 4 and I have to try REALLY hard to keep it under $600. We are a meat eating family (and I buy only grass fed or organic meats) so I know that adds to the bill but I simple cannot fathom spending that little! I’m inspired!