Dare I say? February Goals
I'm going to put myself into the deep and have a few goals that fit within my overall 2026 plan to have a more contented life. I've got six categories (7 if money goals are included) and know I can't tackle a lot in each, but aiming for intentional effort.
Personal healthcare
- Schedule mammogram
- Walk four times per week, 30 minutes or more. Strength, toning 3-4 times per week.
- Research alternative seasoning that brings out flavor similar to salt, but without salt (recommendations please)
- Lose 3 pounds and be back at a certain target weight by March 1.
- Get through February 14th with some big distraction. Even though Valentines was never a big deal in our marriage, it's still a painful reminder of loss and sadness on many levels
Social Battery/Connectedness
- Schedule one outing with a friend monthly
- Schedule one group outing with mom friends
- Play trivia at least 1X this month
- Decrease Facebook to no more than one 15 minute check in morning and early evening. No doom scrolling.
- Limit YouTube to one hour or as background while doing other tasks.
Mind/ Skill Development
- Research option for French language classes within 30 miles of me
- Read book club books and one non-fiction book
Travel
- Continue to build my travel notebook of options for both international and domestic trips
- Take one day trip that includes a new to me attraction/ location.
Family Relations
- Hold family dinner Super Bowl weekend, strays welcome to join
- Meet MIL for coffee or lunch, help her with any tasks needed
Home Management
- Purge linen closet
- Purge 100 items this month
- Purge and sort pantry shelves
- Make at least one batch of jam and bake zucchini bread with some of the stash of shredded veg in the freezer ( I'll bring these to MIL as part of coffee or lunch)
- Prepack and update as needed for Greece
Money management goes in a separate goal set and includes the usual paying bills on time to avoid penalties, depositing sinking funds, and topping off emergency funds. A few specific targets this month are
- Reduce grocery budget by 20%
- No spending on entertainment beyond the amount I took out in cash for the month
- No Amazon- if not an emergency, I do not need it
- Get a small amount of Euros for Greece
- Get taxes completed so I know where I stand in my set aside for paying in.( I had both as of yet taxed interest income and contract income). Any unused set aside goes to the emergency top off.
- Renew three CD's that mature in February
I know it's sort of an aggressive goal list for a short month. But, as I have family traveling on vacations, I won't be meeting up much with sisters or spending money. I've got at least one airport run for family members, caring for a sister's cats while she is on vacation, and being the support for same sister when she has foot surgery on February 20th (bringing her there and home and waiting during and for care instructions) and care/assist her at home over the weekend and following week in coordination with sisters who are returning form their vacation on the 22nd. It's also Super Bowl month and the Winter Olympics to watch so will be staying home more. I can fit tasks and exercise in since my schedule is so open.
Well done for the planning . I feel exhausted still and no energy to plan , but like you will enjoy watching the Winter Olympics , and also Six nations rugby - a great reminder of our trip to Cardiff and Wales’ last kick of the match winner - I hope your sisters op goes well
ReplyDeleteSiobhan x
We all know what is said about planning though. I will always have Welsh Rugby in my heart.
DeleteThis is a fantastic list! One of my goals is to take an intro Spanish class at the local college when time frees up. I have limited time in February with the trip, so I've tried to be cautiously optimistic about what I can accomplish - HP
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the nearby community college. Great idea.
DeleteI grind up celery seeds so they are really fine and use that as a salt substitute. Charmaine
ReplyDeleteI know celery is salty but is it a different impact on sodium?
DeleteCelery seed (NOT celery salt) contains a variety of minerals and vitamins. I looked up the content on the Internet and there is some variance between sites. Some say no sodium in celery seed, others say a very small amount. You would only be adding a pinch to your food, but if in doubt you are best not to add anything. Charmaine
DeleteGreat to know. I do like adding celery seed to cold pasta dishes. Such a nice flavor boost.
DeleteThat is an ambitious but clearly thought out list. Hope you find the connection and other activities you are looking for and that your sister's op goes as well as possible.
ReplyDeleteOff to a good start socially as met my mom friends last night and it was delightful.
DeleteYES on the mammo. Reward yourself with a small treat afterwards - not just motrin. Ha ha. I, too, am trying to limit salt and I find it challenging. I think removing the salt shaker from your line of sight and giving your tastebuds a chance to adapt is the best you can do. Salt substitutes taste really weird...On V Day, I plan on working and not thinking about it at all. My sister calls it a Hallmark Holiday, and I think she's right.
ReplyDeleteTa Da- scheduled for this Friday. They called and I was open the times they had.
DeleteAn aggressive list is OK as long as you won't beat yourself up if every item is not ticked off at the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are planning social things on your to do list. They often get left out and that is not a good thing.
I've never truly completed a goals list so I won't be too mad at myself. I'm just going for a bit of focus.
DeleteShamelessly going to pull a few things off your list and say they’re my ideas for myself. I already pulled my credit card off Amazon because fuck Bezos. It makes it so much harder to order if you have to put your payment in each time. I figure if it’s not important enough to drive to town for, I don’t need it! My “needs” are limited to the local stores and Costco. As Costco is 30 miles up (or down) I-5, we don’t go often and make every visit count.
ReplyDeleteJanuary is alway no spend, and we usually go through most of February as no/low spend. We will see how I do this year.
Mammogram is a great idea, but my practitioner no longer takes our insurance. (UHC took them over) so on top of everything else, we all had to find a new GP and the soonest appointment I could get with my new one was May. But hey, at least I get to pay for private insurance as I wait 5 months for an appointment!
Salt, you say? Growing up, my parents decided when I was maybe 6 “there’s plenty of salt in the foods you eat,” and salt was all but removed from the home. There was one shaker hidden deep in a cabinet. I came across it one day, and even with rice in the bottom of the shaker it was all stuck together.
I never really missed it, and rarely use it for anything besides baking. I DO notice if I leave it out of a baking recipe, particularly bread. For savory things like rubs for roasts, or casseroles, I don’t, more importantly the family, doesn’t notice I don’t add it. I use copious amounts of garlic and onion powder (not salt) in lieu of salt. It works great in mashed potatoes. Also, if a savory recipe calls for lemon juice, I usually use lime juice instead (salmon, chicken) and that tastes a bit saltier. For roasts (beef, turkey, pork) we like to add smoked paprika to the rub mix. Since I make my gravies from pan drippings and stock cubes, (or canned broth) I figure there is plenty of sodium in that! That said, the sea salt grinder IS by the range, and I will admit that nothing makes oven fries taste better than a quick turn of that shaker as they come out of the oven. And once Daughter took the grinder for a turn over some double chocolate chip cookies which really took them to the next level!
Happy middle of the week!
-Meg B.
I did better last week. My husband ate too much fast food for lunch his big culprit. I don't eat it much, rarely, so it is my own cooking I need to pay attention to. You sure have had forced change after forced change.
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