2017 Budgets

Last year I overspent my clothing budget by £34.  I wasn't too upset as I did replace some really old clothes and shoes which should last me a few good years.  And I'd committed to buying/making clothes that were environmentally friendly so that made a few purchases more expensive.

I'm sticking to the same £500 budget as that worked out to be a pretty accurate number for my needs.  So I've kicked off my year by buying 3 balls of sock yarn.  Handmade socks last for years.  I have a pair that get worn once a week in winter that are now 13 years old!  They were my first ever hand knitted socks.  In the photo above the purpley yarn (Passion fruit cooler) and green yarn (Mojito) are made in Yorkshire using 35% Bluefaced Leicester fleece 😎 Have a look here at West Yorkshire Spinners for all their yarns. So far they're knitting up beautifully.  I'm trying to knit every day to help me relax and de stress at the end of the day!

For the first time I'm going to keep a track of how much I spend on my garden this year.  I grow stuff not just to save money but to eat produce that hasn't travelled hundreds of miles or been sprayed with chemicals.  And it's good for my well being spending time outside! I'm not planning on spending on anything big (although I might buy another raised bed, I'm undecided atm) so hopefully it shouldn't be a big number.  I have a wee polytunnel, 3 raised beds, lots of ceramic pots, potato bags and loads of small plant pots.  I've been watching a few YouTube channels including this one on growing veggies and am keen to try growing carrots, leeks and potatoes in 10 litre pots.  So I've ordered 20 recycled black pots from eBay to add to my container gardening.

Now I just need to narrow down my seed choices and hopefully get started soon.

My 2017 plan

During this holiday I've spent a lot of time thinking and writing about 'stuff,' mainly about how I can get organised and make quality time for myself.  This is a hugely condensed summary of that thinking so you won't have to wade through my stream of conscious ramblings.  I do find writing/drawing helps me focus on the issues especially if I use the mind mapping technique.  So here goes.  This is how I'm going to make 2017 work for me.

This time last year my main focus was on getting a permanent teaching post.  I worked really hard towards that goal and secured a post in a local school teaching early years.  I knew it would be tough leaving the school I'd been in for a few years and starting over but I completely underestimated how challenging it would be.  My new colleagues are nice enough but not as friendly and supportive as the ones I'd left behind.  I have more children in this class and the parental support isn't great. These things I cannot change.  But it's a permanent post.  I have financial security.  So I'm going to focus on that positive and work smarter at managing the time I spend on work stuff.

This was a tough one.  It's true what they say about finding out who your real friends are when the shit hits the fan.  I hadn't realised over the period of my marriage that 'my' friends were actually joint friends we'd made over the years mostly connected with running and ultra running circles. I had a circle of close friends who I had supported through some really tough shit over the years. How many of them keep in touch now?  None.  I've tried to meet up with a few over the last couple of years and every single time they've stalled/cancelled/ghosted me.  What hurts is that I know they're still socialising etc with my ex.  So yeah, I'm keeping that circle really small! And I'll make more effort to see my real ones.

Stuff! Oh yeah, there's a lot of stuff in my wee house.  I keep telling myself if I could just get it organised then it'll be ok.  I've worked out that I have 2 areas of major clutter.  And by that I mean a whole room you can't actually walk round and several cupboards that are so full you need to wear a crash helmet when opening them.  One area is the boxes and furniture that hasn't been used/moved from moving house THREE years ago. The other is my teaching stuff from my old school.  My new classroom has little storage.  Solutions?

Sort/donate/toss the furniture and boxes from my old house.  If I haven't needed them in 3 years then I don't need them.  That's a simple one.

The other one is a bit trickier. First I'm planning to ask my headteacher if I can get rid of the washing machine, cooker and fridge from my classroom (it used to be the nursery).  Then I can use that space creatively to store my teaching materials. Of course the easiest answer is to stop buying school supplies with my own money (and I'm going to try!) but frankly what the school provides is very basic and most teachers buy stuff to give their kids better experiences for learning.  I hope I can get this one resolved soon.

I've also cleaned out my storecupboard.  I was ruthless with opened packets and out of date dried goods.  I'll happily eat things past their date but some of it was 3 and 4 years past it!!  It's not a great photo but everything is now in glass storage jars so I can see what I've got.  Like most people I'm trying live/eat more healthily and now I can see what's in there.

I still go to the gym 3 times a week with OH (ok he drags me reluctantly!) but I've also signed up for a beginner's course in yoga.  That starts tonight and I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm hoping it will help me to relax and switch off from work.

So there you have it.  My sort of plan for this year.  I'm going to declutter my house.  I'm going to work smarter at school and focus on the positive.  I'm going to plan to eat and exercise better.  I'm making more time for myself to switch off from work.  It's not rocket science but I really must put some extra effort into it this year.