November Goals

October turned out to be busier than I had anticipated.  The month turned out a little differently than I had planned it in my head, and I probably bit off more than I could realistically chew.  I sort of forgot the fact that we’d be out of town 2 weekends in October and that The Teacher would be away for 1 weekend for his drill with the National Guard.  Since I tend to have bigger chunks of time to get things done on the weekends, I should have known better.  Oh well…live and learn, right?

Before I move on, here’s a quick rundown of how October went.

1. Date night with The Teacher

Date night didn’t happen this month, but we had some good time in the car while we were driving to our church retreat.  The kids slept a lot, so we had some really fun conversation while driving.  It wasn’t an official date, but it was nice, nonetheless.  Some months, you just have to be happy for what you get, right?  🙂

2.  Power wash the house and weed flower beds

I had good ambitions on this one, but it should have never been a goal this month.  We had too much to do on the weekends and there was no way it was going to happen realistically.  Pushing it to this month, especially since most of the leaves will have fallen by then anyway.

3.  Finish reading Spark Joy*

I’m annoyed that I haven’t managed to get through this one more quickly.  I’ve had small chunks of time to read here and there this month, which just drags books out for me.  This is a very practical guide to follow-up to her first book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up*, so it’s been good to read as I continue to tidy our home and hone my skills.

4.  Work on tidying papers (using the Kon Mari method)

I technically started this one, but I didn’t get very far.  I sorted through the kid’s old school papers and artwork, which is a start.  I just read her chapter on this category from Spark Joy*, so I’m a little more mentally prepared to tackle it.  This category will probably take me a long time!

5.  Complete another project in Savannah’s room 

I finally shared about Savannah’s lamp makeover, but I was about to get another small project marked off my list too.  I made her a headband holder and it turned out pretty well.  I’ll share more about it later!

6.  Do a freezer cooking session

I’m counting this one although I didn’t get to do a large freezer cooking session like I had hoped.  Due to time, I just made sure to double my butternut squash soup recipe.  At least I got something in my freezer!  🙂

 

* * * * * *

Here’s my plan for October goals

1. Date night with The Teacher

I think we should be able to make it happen this month!  Really!

2.  Yard work (power washing house, weeding beds, raking leaves)

We have a lot of leaves to rake, so this just has to happen.  I do not want to deal with yard work in December, that’s for sure.

3.  Finish reading Spark Joy*

I’m almost out of renewals, so I have to get this one finished up soon!

4.  Work on tidying papers (using the Kon Mari method)

I plan to schedule this out for one weekend this month.  Marie Kondo says it can take up to six hours, but I’m hoping that my mental preparation will help me get it done quicker!

5.  Paint a piece of furniture in Savannah’s room 

I’ve been dying to have a long weekend to work on this and I think we should be able to make this happen this month.  I know it will make a huge difference in her room.

6.  Decorate for Christmas & select Christmas card picture

I used to think my friend was crazy for decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I think she has the right idea, especially since we are usually out of town that weekend.  I wrote about this in a recent post, but I want to decide on my Christmas card picture very soon so I’m not panicked next month!

 

 

There you have it. I’ll report back and let you know how I do.

* * * * * *

What are your goals for this month?

P.S.  For more frugal family inspiration delivered to your inbox, subscribe to my email list here.

{Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read disclosure here.}

 

photo source