An Unexpected Arrival

Thursday, was a bit of a day of mixed happenings for me, mainly because of an unexpected item of mail which threw me completely.  I can't say much about it here, suffice to say it has definitely thrown me a curved ball.

Recovering from the shock, I headed out to run a couple of errands.  It was nice to get out and about actually, as I have been staying pretty close to home for most of October thus far, to try to prevent me being tempted to spend any money.  You'll understand why as this post progresses.

The first errand was a trip to the charity shop, to drop off a huge bag of items I'd sorted and decided to part with a couple of weeks ago.  I always hang onto the bag for a few weeks, just in case I change my mind about anything I've put in, but as it was sat on the landing and we were virtually having to climb over it to get past, it needed to go.  Besides, by the time I took it, I had virtually forgotten what I'd put in it, which is always a sure sign that I no longer need the contents.

That task completed, I headed off to take my Food Bank donation, which I was running a bit late with.  I take a box every two months now, as it is a 10 mile drive to drop it off, so this was the box for September/October which I finally finished filling this week.  I still spend the same amount each month, but just combine deliveries to cut down on the journeys.

These  two tasks, combined with it being rubbish/recycling collection day today, made a nice contribution to clearing the decks, so the worktop in the kitchen, and the upstairs landing, are now lovely and clear and these small things make the house seem much less cluttered.

Returning to the subject of my unexpected mail, it will almost inevitably result in my having to be a little more organised in the lead up to Christmas this year and as a consequence, I also ended up doing a small amount of Christmas shopping yesterday afternoon whilst I was out, on my credit card.  It was a minor lapse in my Stoptober challenge, but didn't make too much of a dent as I was pretty considered in what I bought.