Monthly Archives: December 2013

The” just keep walking “project

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imageThis was the park when I walked after the big freeze!

When I started walking, it really was, just walk. It didn’t matter if it was 5 minutes or 1 mile. The point was to walk every day.

Now I’m on day 218, and it’s exciting. Some days  I walk 2 miles some less, some a little more. I just listen to my body.

I invite everyone to join me in “the just keep walking project” for 2014. I started mid year, but the point is to just walk, just keep walking.

It’s a healthy way to feel good and possibly lose some weight.

Even with my health issues , I have found this has helped me considerably. My legs are stronger and my back is too. Because in myeloma, the bones can be affected, I take it seriously to get some resistance type activity, and walking is perfect. I can’t run, too dangerous for me, or take any physical risks, so walking is the best the I’ve found to help me stay on top of things, and it has helped me ,I think, be healthier.

Join me, it’s fun and always interesting. Join the ” just keep walking ” project!

 

A new week and a new year!

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So it’s Monday, and it’s a new week. 

The last few days were nice. Pretty normal for us. I worked friday and Saturday at the best little job in the world. The library was so slow, even slower at our branch than normal. I’ve read a few books that were ok. The Forgotten Garden, is good if you like a mystery that’s not murder. Then some Robert Parker’s Jesse stone books. I like these. They are quick , and I like the character. 

Then Sunday it was a Costco, winco trip. I’m all set for groceries for a week or two. I’ll need to get to Costco with the coupon book in January as turbo tax, and some other items I use are on sale. But other than that, and veggies , we should be fine. 

This is my week off revlimid and no dex Saturday, so it’s nice to get that break. I’m going in this morning to get my blood test. This month is uunusual,as my doctor is moving over to Mercy cancer center, so I’ll have this test and then he’ll get the results and then I’ll see him at the end of the month. This finishes month 5. I’m not sure but I feel my numbers are probably the same or still inching up. 

Yesterday, was day 214 walking. This starts week 32 or 33 , but it’s cool and I’m glad we are perservering. 

It’s really kinda fun to go out in the dark and then finish  when it’s just getting light. 

Bitter sweet.

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We all had a great Christmas. Didn’t over do it so , nice. 

But our sweet cat Tucker , who has had feline diabetes decided Christmas was the day to go to the great cat beyond.ImageHe was a wonderful pal.  We will miss him. May he journey well.

Being frugal, what does it mean ?

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http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2013/12/do-you-really-need-to-be-frugal.html

this is a great post by Froogs. She is an inspiration on being frugal and taking the risks to live more simply.

We have always been inspired to live simply. We were Quakers when we first married and live by many of the queries. We have lived mostly in small houses and even a trailer. But, we have not been wise with money. It’s taken really most of our lives to figure out money and now on the eve of retirement ( for my husband) we will still have a mortgage and will not be free from that. We now work with a budget and save some. But, it’s maybe it’s a bit of a little too late. But we’re determined to make the best of it. Because of my cancer, I can’t really work much, but I do love my little job and hope to continue it. I’m probably adding Velcade to the mix in the next few months so well see how that plays out.

Being frugal at this point is only buying what is necessary. We don’t buy fancy clothes, or house goods. We try and plan for the expenditures. This is the first year we maxed his 401k contributions. It added up but again maybe a little too little too late. But I’m an optimist and will keep plugging away into 2014.

January low/no spend with Carla !

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image

http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/.a/6a016300f919ba970d01a3fa9e779f970b-p http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/.a/6a016300f919ba970d01a3fa9e779f970b-pi

I’m joining Carla , over at halfdozendaily ,for a low spend January . So far my goals look like this:

  1. Get my 52 week saving sheet out and start that. Week one is $1, week 2, $2 and so forth.
  2. Turn in my $5 savings and put aside in savings. I should have $500 by December 31.
  3. start a new $5 savings envelope.
  4. Keep putting the small pay increase in B’s check over to savings. It’s about $80 a paycheck. I’ve done 2 months already.
  5. keep food budget under $500. This is always a challenge, but has gotten way better since I bought my freezer.
  6. we will need to buy propane and that’s $300. Minimum amount. This has to be done so the budget will take a bit of a hit.
  7. Aside from these savings that Ive already been doing, I’ll  just try and keep everything low spend. I’ve been keeping track of money spent in December ,so I’ll keep that up and try and have 10 no spend days.

Christmas shopping done!

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I went out and bought 1 more gift card yesterday, and I need one more, then I’m officially done. Actually I’ve been done with my shopping  by dec 1 for most things, but there’s always a few things that linger. So except for some groceries , it’s done.

im feeling very blocked with my minimalism attempts. I’ve gotten rid if tons of stuff, but somehow  I’d like to do even more. Not sure where to start. It’s really going another layer into it. It could be too with Christmas decorations up, things seem more busy…

I think next time I’m alone in the house, which is rare, I’ll walk around and see what areas bother me. I need clear surfaces, and things in there right place. I’ve looked at some e books on minimalism and none of them have really inspired me. Maybe I need a fresh approach. 

So, off to work today, first my walk in a few minutes. Today is day 202. I’m feeling pretty good. No aches or suspicious pain. I’m only half way thru my revlimid cycle. Then I’ll get my blood test the first week of January. I don’t think I’ll see a downward trend, but hopefully it’s not going up. 

Saturday updates

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Whoa, I’ve gone way over on Christmas. This shouldn’t be a surprise because I always do, I love getting presents and decorations. But I’m not sure of the final numbers yet as my son has not ordered his PC yet. But I was adding in everything ( like my new danskos), and then decided that was really clothing I needed was not really for christmas. So I’m going to do anot her tally . This is the time of year I usually add extra stuff in, so it’s not really Christmas but could be considered as such. So, I think next year I’m going to try and have $1500 for everything.

i recalculated and I think with the $1000 Santa fund, the extra was @$500. So that’s what I’m figuring. This is when we buy sweats, jammies, slippers , etc. so I need to figure that in to clothing and Christmas.

well, this was suppose to be posted yesterday, but here it is.