November 2022 (!) Goals and Plans

 

It's so difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that it is November.  Or very nearly at the time I'm writing this.  Where did the year go?!  I seem to ask that more and more often these days.  Is time truly just going by that quickly?  

At this time the plans are to get the house in town cleared and cleaned.  Homes in our area do not make big money but they are selling from what I'm told, so I do hope that this one will do the same.  In the meantime, before listing, I insist we clean it up and give it a look of Sunday best even if the best is a little shabby.  Neat and clean never hurt a soul or a house either one.

Thanks to Juls who pointed out I'd originally titled this '2021 goals'...Where was my head?

It is our intent not to wear ourselves out and work non-stop, but I have a goal to have this done and dusted within the first two weeks of the month.  Our current plan is to work one room at a time and get that room spotless before moving on to the next.  I'm saying 2-2.5 hours a day and if more than one room gets cleaned in that time then so much the better.  I think we'll have three of us working away at this job so that should be doable.

There are things to be donated that I will carry to Goodwill or the Thrift store.  We're going to hire a skip (or take to the dump) the stuff left behind by others who've lived in that house.  I'll gather those things Katie asked me to store.  She's been very clear about what few items she wants so there will be no guess work.

At the moment it's undetermined if we're renting a skip or going to reel in some family help.  John is all for the latter.  I prefer working on my own timeline having experienced ten times too often waiting on family schedules to coincide with my own.  It involves less negotiations I think, to rent a skip.  So, we'll see.

If you are wondering why Katie left things behind, it's not really her things except for one or two items that we agreed to her leaving because we knew we'd be hauling things off.  It's some of Mama's stuff left five years ago and some of Katie's ex's that he hasn't bothered to come get in the two years since he left. Nothing expensive but a lot of junk he was going to work on and turn into a profit.  

I'm very grateful that prior to his accident Steven had done a great deal towards trying to clear things out several areas.  It's going to make this a whole lot easier to do, since it's now down to cleaning.

I've told John that while I mean to work on the house most days, I want to make a trip over to the mountain one day if the weather cooperates.  We need the change of scenery and the respite from the everyday things.  That trip over there always restores us.

Other plans for this month?  Find my bearings.  I'd like to find a routine that works for me in my home, writing, etc.  I'd like to find a new rhythm for this new season of life.  

I'd like to finish the annual review.  I'm ready to do the journaling part of it.  Then there's the Christmas shopping to sort out.  I need to make my list and determine the budget.

I also need to make a list of personal and home needs.  I've started on this, but I'd like to finish it.  Then I can watch for sales, budget for items, etc.

Katie didn't ask me to store very much at all.  I'll empty a shelf for her stuff in the shed and store those things.  I'll need to rearrange a few things, but it won't be much of a struggle to do so.  

Do a proper grocery shop. I feel the past two or three months all I've done is just run-in, grab the really good sales and run out again.  I've not had a set grocery shopping day or even a consistent once a month trip to count on going in months now.  It's been catch as catch can and if a week or three went by and we couldn't make it then I went without anything I didn't have.  I've not bought from a list in months now, other than the sales lists on my phone.  We've pretty much relied on the freezer stock and pantry.  I have a few outages and a few other items that are low that I'd really like to restock especially with the holidays coming up.

I'll tentatively plan a small holiday meal, I think.  I've been approached no less than three times about our Thanksgiving plans already.  I just wanted to get through October.   This is something John and I will need to sort out between us.  

I want to try to get Christmas cards ready to go out prior to the end of November and I'd like to have my Christmas tree up by Thanksgiving weekend if I possibly can.  I'll plan those two things into the end of this month. 

It doesn't sound like much really but those are the goals just the same and we'll see where I get with them.