July 2025 Goals

    

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     2025 is half over. Why do the months and apparently the years go so fast as we reach a certain age? June was a mixed bag of success towards goals, but no one but myself is counting on me to achieve them, so no harm no foul. Still, it seems at least thinking about what I'd like to get accomplished is a good thing. My list is sort of suggested guideline, not a mandate. Some of these are repeats from June, and some were June fails, but I'd like to keep them on a regular basis. A "C" next to a goal is a continuation as in it was not completed in previous months but still needs to be and has an end point. A "R" means it's a repeated goal. 

Financial:

  • Shave $75 off budget grocery/ HH target of $575. I say target not budget because I feel like I have less control on costs, but control on what I buy. Since last month was going well until the final stretch, this seems entirely doable. R I plan to combine efforts to save money and lose weight/ improve my diet with seasonal eating, more plant based meals, and cutting most junk food.
  • Reduce gas to not more than two fill ups. More walking, more consolidation of trips. R

Family:

  • Do one fun activity with each or kids collectively. R
  • Go to lake to visit MIL at least one time. I'm still trying to have an amicable relationship. After her knowing me for 39 years, I don't expect to develop a closeness. For my kids and husband's memory, I want a good rapport, though the subtle and not so subtle criticism wears thin. R
  • Join my family Tuesday lunch at least one time. I'm trying to be budget conscious so weekly is too much, but on occasion a nice splurge. I'll be selective about which weeks to join based on quality of menu. R

Fitness ...and Health (physical and mental):

  • Lose 5 pounds- let's try this again shall we. This just seems like it's going to stay each month until some (utopian) future when I achieve the healthiest weight for me. C
  • Download a good podcast ( and have some ideas for next round) for walking C
  • Walk at least one time per week, with or without grand pup, outside of my neighborhood R
  • Replace my mattress
  • Get a good haircut and color. I wore my hair in a braid when I met the retired coworker. She sort of gasped at how long my hair had gotten and jokingly called me a hippie. My hair grows fast and the graying at the roots and sides shows more but I don't think about it until pointed out. I say people can wear hair or clothes anyway they want regardless of age, but the aging hippie look is not what I'm going for. 

Personal

  • Meet up with at least one friend. R
  • Play trivia at least one time in the month. R
  • Get out with my camera a minimum of two times. Document the evidence in blog posts. R
  • Read two books, both family book club one and a second. R

Organization

  • Purge xx items of clothing. I know there are heaps that can go, but as I'm likely to buy minimally, need to review conscientiously what gets tossed so still not setting a specific number C
  • Get the office set up  technically a continuation of getting rooms flipped and this includes purging of the closet, and an organization system set up
  • Paint nightstand 
  • Repaint a shelf from old bedroom to use as a board game shelf
  • Empty, sort, purge, reorganize hall linen closet
  • Empty, sort, purge, reorganize entry closet 
  • Empty, sort, purge, reorganize trunk bench and hall tree in the entry to garage hallway
  • Start organizing a better e-file for my UK trip (including things that may need to be taken care of by others while I'm gone for so long)
  • Another run to the recycling zone and donation center 

Other

  • Blog at least 3 times per week. R
  • Make time at least one time per week for other writing projects. I might move Thursday dog sitting to my daughter's house and she'll get him on Wednesday nights and I'll go there Thursday where there's less distractions. R
  • Make at least one batch cherry and one batch strawberry jam
  • Hunt for (find) porch table at thrift conscious price point. Of course, not a necessity, but as the front porch is such a nice place to sit depending on time of day and activity outside, it just adds to things I still like about my house. I temporarily moved a footless cube type nightstand that came from the room that will be the office for now to hold a book or cup of coffee, and got the wobbly plastic thing in recycling. Even though I could jazz this up to work, it's just too short as a table.

     Most seem to be repeat goals from the previous month but keeping them on until I establish a good pattern. I added the Organization list and while long, each item is a 1/2 day project, so not too great a challenge. It doesn't include just basic life maintenance we all have, cooking, cleaning, yard work but I'm trying to get into a pattern for those kind of things such as weed for one hour-3X a week, spend up to two hours per week on life admin/paperwork/sorting, filing, and purging, weekly pantry inventory and meal planning to avoid waste and save time. I'll check in next month. 

    

Comments

  1. What an ambitious plan for just a month. What do the Rs and Cs stand for?

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    1. I'm sorry if not clear in my explanation in the post. R is repeat goal. C is a continuation of a goal from previous month (month) but won't repeat once complete.

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  2. That was me who just posted anonymously. Got a new computer and I'm not being recognized anywhere.

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    Replies
    1. No worries! Thanks for asking the question. Yes, ambitious but doable with the amount of free time I now have.

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  3. You can do it! Today's a great day to check something off :-)

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    1. I'm trying to think of anything got fully checked off yet, but no. By the end of the weekend yes.

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  4. On the MIL front (me butting in): I get it that it is your (Adult) children's grandmother. Let them make those connections. As for you, it is okay not to push yourself where the "subtle and not so subtle" criticism is an element. Be kind to yourself, Sam; your well-being matters.

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    1. I know, though it's not easy. There was an "intervention" of sorts on my kids last September. I just don't want to put them in between any resentment.

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  5. You have a really great list! My monthly goals are also typically very similar, with some customization to account for anything special happening that month, or any 'must dos'. Good luck with your July goals! - HP

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    1. I figure if I can keep these as goals, eventually they'll develop I to patterns and the norm.

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  6. Your home related projects all sound great in terms of how they will make your house more comfortable and satisfying. It is also a nice time of year to enjoy the outdoors.

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    1. That's really the intent. I realized that nothing was missed after filling the dumpster, large dumpster and a truckload of donations. summers ago from the crawl space and garage. I have to remember that with each closet or overflowing storage area.

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  7. Great set of goals! I know you'll be scouring FB Marketplace for 2nd hand porch decor (if not, I highly suggest it!) I feel for you on MIL and you just do your best. I am also ready to do my roots and another trim but my hair is nowhere near as long.

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    1. Only thing I'll look for is a table. No decor shall cross my property lines, lol.

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  8. A couple of weeks ago, I was embracing the aging hippie look (inadvertently) and it was making me hotter and more miserable than anything else. Went to get a couple of inches chopped off and it feels fuller and cuter. Maybe I'm imagining that!

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    1. Thinking out and cutting a few inches definitely improves my look and the feel. I gave myself a headache yesterday with my bun twist and clip.

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  9. That’s quite a list! My goals for July are all fun ones, a big cookout this weekend, girls trip, having DD and boyfriend for dinner-I’ve accumulated enough points for a free family meal from Moe’s, celebrating DS’s girlfriend opening her own dog grooming business, hopefully seeing my mom friends, heading to the Arts and Heritage Festival this weekend, and spending as much time as I can outside. July and August are my favorite time of year. I try to soak up enough to get me through the grey months. Pittsburgh has a lot of those. JoAnn

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    1. Yours sound much more fun than mine, but hopefully mine will mean August will have more fun items as goals.

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  10. Really good goals!
    I think it's really good of you to try to continue a relationship with MIL who, it sounds like, you've not been too close to. I count myself really lucky to have a lovely MIL. I'm not a fan of my FIL and would struggle to continue contact with him alone.

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    1. Oh, she's lovely, just ask everyone. I'm the problem in that I just too often am not doing or thinking things the right way.

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