Life So Far in 2026

      Little by little ( and do I mean little) I'm working on various parts of my 2026 aspirations/ goals to be content list. I seem to be doing fairly well on the social front despite hibernating as much as possible. Purging is happening by removing items either through donation, gifting, or trashing. My next door neighbor was ecstatic to accept this child size camping chair for her soon to be one year old and I was happy it found a new owner.

     I've vowed to bring into the house nothing but consumables, and then actually use said items, unless it's a real need or problem solution-the rare exceptions. Now in full disclosure and honesty to myself, I loosely applied several purchases to the exception. These include the blood pressure monitor, a rechargeable handheld vacuum (pet cleanup and the big vacuum gets heavy lugging it floor to floor for controlling pet hair and mess), and an assortment of Command hooks for bathroom organization and hanging pictures up finally. 

     I'm holding off on my mammogram until warmer weather when I'm not wearing layers and a big coat. I've no history in my family and have always had normal scans. I've other more immediate needed appointments taken care of or at least scheduled. If I'm not getting outside walking or shoveling for exercise, I'm adding a bit more indoor activities, trying to gear up for travelling. On that front, I've started a new notebook from the many pretty ones given to me over the years, with travel ideas, and will add price estimates, sample itineraries, and other details. 

      I attempted an online French class, but it turned out to be a sales pitch that was set to last over two hours. I clocked out, but am registered for a money management one with AAUW this week. Mental stimulation has been limited and I'm aiming to do better for myself going forward in the year. 

     I'm cooking and baking bread again. Because I've had some expensive outings for birthday's, it's been essential to my cash flow to not pick up take out so having extras of things to heat up for easy meals with something yummy fits the "wants."

     I've decided starting in February my spending money will be done in cash. Some call this their walking around money, but it'll be what I have in my entertainment budget, not counting Internet and streaming which I've put in my utilities. That's probably denial on my part as streaming is not essential as other utilities are. January ends Saturday. I'm not sorry to see it go, not that February provides much relief from the cold and snow. But, we do get noticeably more light, just as we see the days shorten in November, they grow again in February.