View Full Version : Winter Challenge
I want to lose 2 1/2 pounds a month which will be 30 pounds over the course of the year. Got the boss to agree the office snacks will not be kept on my desk so less temptation.
Survive rollout of new software at work. It goes into effect 1/1 and we had to train ourselves by watching videos, some of which had glitches and flaws in them.
Try to keep my online posts to a minimum and give the new mayor a honeymoon period to get things done.
No Buy January
knit scarf
work on trunk quilt
Finish organizing fabric stash
get personal email inbox to under 100 emails
Tried No Buy January in the past and it didn't work. This time I have a project to keep me occupied and a it's a birthday gift so it will only cost time and means things get out of the condo.
Attended a free online class on Scrap fabric organization that included a class on a trunk quilt which is a blanket that can be put in the car and used for whatever.
Time to clear out the digital clutter, I tend to save emails like receipts and hotel reservations and forget to delete after the stay or item arrives. Started by making a hotel reservation folder.
Probably more stuff to add, drawing a blank
Winter Challenge List:
Kitchen remodel (We won't be doing the actual remodel, but there are plenty of action items on our part)
Install hand rail for stairway
Schedule attorney meeting
Transfer information to my new address book (yes, a paper one)
Annual file cleanout and shred
Learn to make one healthy recipe that is simple enough to include in our regular rotation (I think I had a similar goal before that I never completed. I recently bought two new Mediterranean Diet cookbooks, so hopefully this will inspire me).
happystuff
1-3-24, 11:25am
Winter Challenge List:
Learn to make one healthy recipe that is simple enough to include in our regular rotation (I think I had a similar goal before that I never completed. I recently bought two new Mediterranean Diet cookbooks, so hopefully this will inspire me).
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One of my kids recently found me a Mediterranean Cookbook - Matthew Kenny's Mediterranean Cooking. I have a habit of going right to the recipes in cookbook, but am actually planning on "reading" this one as well. LOL. Good luck with your endeavors. Would love to know if you find a simple and healthy recipe!
Here's my biggie. There's something happening in the market research industry. I, and a few of my colleagues, have experienced a downturn in the business. I earned about half of what I earned in 2022.
So, while I'm actively trying to shore up my market research business, I'm doing a side hustle. I'm writing a book. I have hooked up with a self-publishing outfit and I'm going to give it a shot. Why not? It's always been in the back of my mind anyway. This is my perfect opportunity to see if I can do it.
That's my winter challenge! Wish me luck.
iris lilies
1-3-24, 12:08pm
Catherine, you are a good writer, an inspirational one. So your book might make you some money!
Catherine, you are a good writer, an inspirational one. So your book might make you some money!
Thank you, IL! That means a lot coming from you! I will keep everyone here in the loop in terms of my progress. The book is non-fiction and tied to simple living themes, so at some point, I'll ask for y'all's input!
Good luck, Catherine! I will buy a copy!
Good luck, catherine! I'll also buy a copy... autographed, please!
iris lilies
1-4-24, 10:47am
Good luck, Catherine! I will buy a copy!
two of the three books I have laying around the house are self published given to me by friends.
I have purchased two simple living self published books, one by Jonathan Allen.. Do you remember him? He was instrumental in starting these forums 20+ years ago. The other book is by Scrubbyfish from the Mr. Money Mustache forum.
two of the three books I have laying around the house are self published Thanksgiving given to me by friends.
I have purchased two simple living self published books, one by Jonathan Allen.. Do you remember him? He was instrumental and starting these forums 20+ years ago. The other book is by Scrubbyfish from the Mr. Money Mustache forum.
Oh, wow! I definitely remember Jonathan Allen! I'll have to check him out. I have created a substack account as a way to make works-in-progress available to anyone interested. When I have something posted, I'll share a link here. I also have a FB account for it, but I only use it as a way to test ideas--I am not actively looking for followers yet, but from time to time I pay very little ($15-$25) for "sponsored ads" to gauge interest in specific topics. My biggest number of "likes" came from a post on local food, for instance.
ETA: I also once bought a book from a SLN author: HappyHiker. I remember enjoying it!
I'm writing a book. .. Wish me luck.
I wish you luck and look forward to reading the book. Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but am curious about what you and your colleagues think is happening in marketing research.
rosarugosa
1-20-24, 8:16am
I have made some progress:
Kitchen remodel (We won't be doing the actual remodel, but there are plenty of action items on our part) - starting to pack up some of the kitchen contents.
Install hand rail for stairway - bought the railing and brackets
Schedule attorney meeting - meeting scheduled for next week (I've procrastinated on this one for a long time)
Transfer information to my new address book (yes, a paper one) - I'm on "G"
Annual file cleanout and shred - done (and this includes doing the same for my mother's documents)
Learn to make one healthy recipe that is simple enough to include in our regular rotation (I think I had a similar goal before that I never completed. I recently bought two new Mediterranean Diet cookbooks, so hopefully this will inspire me).
Weight is up as my appetite came roaring back after I got better. Didn’t buy much for groceries this week, and nothing unhealthy.
Am not posting things directed at the mayor, but still posting. May focus on helping a challenger to our useless state senator next.
rosarugosa
1-22-24, 7:13am
I finished the address book.
No Buy January in progress
knit scarf 40% done
work on trunk quilt in progress
Finish organizing fabric stash finishing up
get personal email inbox to under 100 emails forgot about it until now
Have a few days left in January, only things bought so far are covered under monthly bills (mortgage, utilities), health (prescriptions, dental copay), and necessary to live (groceries, car maintenance).
Still working on the scarf, at this point it will be too warm for scarves when I finish
Fabric stash is mostly done, I decided to sort by quantity rather than color or fiber, since my search for fabric begins with quantity then color then fiber. Makes sense to me. I have a bin of fabric in lengths of 3+ yards, 1-2 yards and scraps, anything less than 1 yard.
Working on the trunk quilt have about 20 of 42 squares done, hoping to have the top sewn by the end of February and finished up in March for an April birthday.
I did make a folder for hotel reservations and receipts I won't need right away, haven't moved anything into it yet or check to see which old receipts I can delete. I probably don't need a receipt for a conference I attended in 2018. Think I need to listen to an audio book or podcast and get it done.
rosarugosa
1-26-24, 7:13am
Hana: Well you can be sure that it will get cold and scarf weather will come around again, even if you miss this winter!
Attorney meeting was completed on my list.
Rosa: in the Mid Atlantic I can wait until July and may need it then. Past Monday the schools closed for snow and yesterday it was 75F with no sign of snow. You can go through all four seasons in 24 hours here.
Glad you spoke to the attorney. You don't want to do some things, it's better to do so sooner than later.
Still dealing with the new software, which is missing functions. Guess I’m doing OK as someone from another location called me to ask a question on it the other day.
rosarugosa
1-28-24, 4:29pm
Rosa: in the Mid Atlantic I can wait until July and may need it then. Past Monday the schools closed for snow and yesterday it was 75F with no sign of snow. You can go through all four seasons in 24 hours here.
Glad you spoke to the attorney. You don't want to do some things, it's better to do so sooner than later.
Yes, I knew this was the suckiest thing on my list, and the one I was most likely to put off, so I was rather pleased with myself for being able to finally cross it off my list.
I guess we New Englanders aren't the only ones with crazy weather!
Halfway to the Spring Equinox and here's my progress so far
No Buy January done
knit scarf 45% done
work on trunk quilt ongoing
Finish organizing fabric stash done
get personal email inbox to under 100 emails done
No Buy January is a success! Going to keep going to see how long we can go without buying anything. Anything beyond today is sprinkles.
Scarf knitting is ongoing, have a late meeting tonight and expect to get some done then.
Trunk quilt have 38 of 42 blocks needed, will finish blocks this weekend and probably start assembling next week
Fabric stash is done, I did organize the smaller scraps into similar sized shapes, and crumbs basically scraps the size of a stamp.
Email inbox is about 90 messages. I set up folders for reservations/vacations, prepaid items, warranties, recipes, taxes, just purchased, and mailing list confirmations. Then I organized them into their folders and now the stuff not in folders is usually the stuff that requires my attention. Even deleted old emails, I probably don't need the receipt for a convention membership that I attended in 2018 anymore. I put on a CD and it took about an hour.
This weekend is our final push to empty out the kitchen since the work begins on Monday. I've been slowly packing the less essential items, but this weekend will be everything!
I will wait until after the kitchen is done to tackle the recipe item on my list for obvious reasons.
New software at work is getting worse. Spoke to a woman in corporate and they are pulling their hair out. It’s their job to resolve issues for the stores and they don’t understand it themselves. If I were able to retire I would. Don’t really feel like looking for another job. I hate interviewing, know I would face age discrimination, would probably get lower compensation. Trying to just hang in there.
early morning
2-3-24, 2:13pm
jeppy, that sounds awful. Computers are great, obviously, but when they don't work, there is often no fall-back or work-around... When our cash register would sometimes go offline or otherwise mess up, we have an old "knuckle-cruncher" hand held card machine we could use with the carbon-copies, remember those? But now, we can't even use that because all the stupid cards are flat. So, you have to write down the card info if the customer is ok w/that, and wait until the system is back up and plug it in by hand, and hope it's not declined. We do a lot of business with people from out of town, so no, they DON'T want to come back later, so it's that, or no sale or admission. It can be really frustrating. I sure hope they get your issue figured out soon!!
No Buy January done
knit scarf 45% done
work on trunk quilt ongoing
Finish organizing fabric stash done
get personal email inbox to under 100 emails done
Scarf is over halfway done. Might delay putting away the winter gear until I finish it. Cherry blossoms are budding so chances of super cold weather are very low at this time. Then there are times when we celebrated the Spring equinox with snow. Time to get ready for pollenpocalypse regardless. Quilt trunk blocks are done, I"ll work on placement this week and sew in the next weeks, goal is to have the top done before the end of March.
Bravo! Hana, you've made real progress!!!
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