End Of August review

[sweetpumkinpye]

August....what can I say about August. I really missed the whole month. My brother passed July 14th and then my grandmother passed August 3rd. A double blow for sure and one that sent me reeling.

What worked for me this month?

CHRISTMAS/Holidays

• The focus was to get wrapping party posts organised. They are now worked out, I am trying something different this year and I hope that they are a success. Worked on plans for Christmas and holidays for the next few months, updating my planner to reflect changes and other plans.
• Continued buying ingredients for baking and for meals around Christmas/Summer. My focus here was stocking up on drinks. My spare room at the moment is the over flow until I can get the stockpile in order. Added some convenience foods to the stockpile for our week at the farm in October. Will need to check what is in the stockpile and compare it to my master list. See where I need to ramp up or if I can slow down a little. Need to start clearing the freezers and stockpile and prepare for the hotter months ahead.
• The stockings seem to be doing OK, in fact I think I could say that I am done. Have set aside a time in late September to wrap stocking fillers which will give me time to purchase more if needed.
• Gifts are doing OK too, got a few more ideas for DSIL and DD who seem to be the hardest for me to buy for.

• PERSONALLY
• This year one of my goals is to stay connected to family and friends. With people being busy I have taken to writing reminders in my diary to contact people.
• August was a hard month when it came to getting together. I did fly to Brisbane for my brother's funeral on August 22nd. Caught up with some family and friend there. Did have dinner with DD, DSIL a few times. Had lunch with a long time friend and dinner with DB another night. I am so aware of connecting with people and to make the most of the time we have with each other.
• Mum has been in Brisbane for the last month staying with my Aunty so have not done anything with her as we normally do. DD and I went to the opening of one of her favourite stores, we spent a lovely day out shopping and having a nice lunch together. It was wonderful to spend the day just her and I. She also spent some time colouring and cutting my hair which I appreciated.
• DS is still busy with work, but we caught up with him several times through the month and also chatted on the phone.
• Started the HGP in very late August early September. The weather was perfect for me to start so I did. I have a few things coming up in the next few months which may impede things so I am glad that I got a good start..
• Continued meal planning and my 5 chores a week. This is so beneficial to me. Keeps the house ticking over and means that nothing gets too out of hand. This was especially useful when I was away for a few days.
• Started the (hopefully) last stage of renovations on the house, can see a very dim light at the end of the tunnel.
• Tried to limit the electronics and get back to reading. I do enjoy reading but it is a habit that I have lost and I want to get back to it.

• Finances. Money was OK this month but with costs going up everywhere I worked hard to be as best as I could be when it came to money. I continued with my new shopping plan of what is left over after my main shop I can then use for a top up at another supermarket the following week.
• Did some extra days at work and started doing some work at home for my former boss. I am doing data entry at home to help her finalise some things from her former practice. Enjoying the work and the extra income.
• There was the extra expense of flights and accommodation and car hire for Brisbane. Luckily we have savings so this was not a hardship. Will need to top up the bank. I did do some shopping in Brisbane and here and purchased things I really did not need. Impulse buying is something that I need to think about more.
  
  
• What did not work for me?

Weight control/exercise/diet.

• This has not changed at all in August. I put on again this month, too much snacking, eating incorrectly and lack of exercise are the reasons. Got to find that "frame of mind" again. With Spring starting today I will use it as a fresh start to try and get back to where I need to be. My mental heath is not at it's best at the moment so by working on my physical health I will hopefully be helping my mental health as well. I know that this is something that I will struggle with for the rest of my life so need to keep a handle on it.
• Heating was finally fixed after 2 and a half months, just in time for the lovely Spring weather.
• Procrastination, I found that I have lost all of July and August and am very behind in what I wanted to achieve this year. I am not going to put too much stress on myself about it, it is real life and cannot be changed.
• Time/Goals now we are in the "BER months I find myself panicking a little about what I have done and still need to do. Need to revisit the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year and check that I am on track to achieve all I set out to do. I am aware of making each day the best that it can be and not wasting a minute but am also aware that we can only do our best and be kind to ourselves. These are goals, if they are reached that's great, if they are not all will be ok.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Katrina, what a couple of months you've been through. I will sit down and do an end of August review this week too.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

This seems short but I really didn't have much interaction with people other than my family and the instructor and classmates.

What worked?

• Asking for help to keep up with things around the house. Everyone pitched in to help.
• Letting go of expectations of myself. I could not do it all and do it well. I decided to do the one thing well - my course program. House work, social events, volunteer opportunities, etc. were not done to its best but I had told people before I even started the program that I’d be pulling back for a while. I showed up to social events with store bought potato salad and coleslaw. I spent no more than 2 hours visiting and then left to get homework done.
• While taking this program during the summer was tough because of all the social activities and vacations that I had to miss, I can not imagine doing the program in September when everyone else goes back to school, HHP is in full swing and the holidays are happening. I would totally resent not being able to feel like I was participating in all those events.

What didn’t work?

• The homework load was insane. A classmate said that it was worse than law school and the bar exam. I don’t think I would do an accelerated program again.
• I missed not taking time to do weekly and monthly recaps. These opportunities help me to slow down, process, and learn about myself. I really did not have time to do that because of the workload. I am glad to be doing this again.
• I usually have time over the summer to work ahead on some of the HHP activities. It just didn’t happen.

 

[Lori K]

Although I haven't done my August tally of expenditures, I know that I went over for groceries. Fuel was close, but I think entertainment (my widows and book club activities) were under. I did run to the grocery store today and just about blew my Sept. budget in one shop. But, I had to get dog food and vitamins (3 kinds), which added at least $50 to my bill.

What worked? Not doing a weekly shop, keeping a running list of what I need to stock up on, and only shopping when absolutely necessary. I also spent a lot of time at home with my canning projects, and entertained friends here a couple of times. Cooking for friends, eating in, enjoying their company and conversation can be more rewarding than going out. And, it's cheaper and oftentimes better quality than what you get at a restaurant these days.

What didn't work? Keeping my anxiety in check. We're experiencing rising numbers with Covid, and it has hit close to home at least twice this month. My chef-friend tested positive 3 days after we had dinner, and my DD's MIL tested positive earlier this week. My chef-friend doesn't know for sure where he contracted it, so I've been self-isolating this week, just in case. So far, so good. I'm a single-person household (widowed) and the isolation caused by this virus was (and in some cases, still is) difficult, and I don't want to see another surge impact our ability to be social. One side effect we are seeing is more memory loss and reduced mobility among several older friends. We're told that it is likely, at least in part, related to their reduced human interaction and less movement and exercise than in pre-pandemic times. While it may have already been in these friends' health history, the isolation and limited movement likely exacerbated the situation, especially when in came to telehealth vs. in-office visits. This both scares and saddens me.