January Progress

It's been a very busy January for me this year. It's always a little busy, especially at the beginning, as LB's birthday falls in the first half of the month, so I'm usually preparing for that the first couple of weeks and we usually have a family night out at some point. We had the odd extra event to attend this month too, but most of my time was spent working.

As I've previously mentioned, I have been employed on a temporary contract for the last few months and didn't know if I'd be kept on beyond the end date in February, so I'd accepted extra hours when they were offered, to make the most of the time left.  It has left me a little tired at times, but I'm not complaining. To be honest, I'm always thankful for the distraction of being busy, particularly when LB goes back to Uni after Christmas, so it's mostly been welcome. Anyway, I was offered a permanent contract on the last day of this month, so that has been a positive this month. It's for slightly less hours, but that is fine as I'd prefer to work a little less as opposed to more hours.

On the financial front, I haven't been as low spend as I intended at the start of the year. I've had a few visits to charity shops and bought a few items for myself to wear/use, plus other bits and pieces. I don't regret any of them though. I think it's sometimes hard to get back to normal spending patterns after the spendiness of the festive season and it usually takes me a few weeks for my spending to settle down, especially if I'm working and have money coming in regularly.  Also, there are always sales and special offers out there at this time of year and it's easy to get tempted by them.

I have replaced a few things in the house this month, by buying things at work using my staff discount, namely some kitchen towels and a bath mat. I've still got a few more things to buy, but there is no hurry and they are not particularly expensive items. I'm waiting for products that I like and that are practical to come into the store. (I like dark, as opposed to light coloured textiles for using around the home, as I think they last longer, in the sense that they don't stain as easily, especially when in daily use, i.e. tea towels and kitchen towels)

I have utilised quite a few money off vouchers, at both Tesco, Lidl and Poundland this month, which has saved me some money and meant that I've stocked up on quite a lot of things. As a consequence, February should be a much lower spend month on food and toiletries. I also don't have any big birthdays to buy presents for in February, so that will make it a less expensive month in that regard.

I have decided to got back to putting money aside every month this year, to buy birthday and other gifts, as I have my nephew's wedding gift coming up later in the year, which will be quite a big expense. I'm going to try to put aside at least £50-£100 per month for gifts, birthdays and next Xmas, so that I don't need to get anxious about money as the festive season approaches again.

In relation to our house, OH has also made progress this month with some DIY. He started and finished work on the front bay windows, that were replaced this time last year. They are fine from the outside, but the trims inside needed to be replaced and the shutters re-hung and he has now done this work and painted it all, so the living room is now back to normal. I for one will be grateful for having shutters up again, as they do afford more privacy.

In other areas of life, I feel like I've also made progress in January. I've been to the doctor's for a blood pressure check, tracked my BP and pulse readings for a week and been told they were within normal parameters, which is good news. I've been to the dentist and paid for a check up and having my teeth cleaned. I've booked an eye test and I've continued on my weight loss journey. My weight is slowly starting to move in the right direction again, after all of my festive indulgences.

The walking challenge I set myself, to walk 1,000 miles in 2024 is going well. I need to walk approximately 135 km per month to meet the target of 1,000 miles in a year and I have walked 165 km this month, which puts me a little ahead in the challenge. This is despite not tracking steps on a couple of days, when my pedometer accidentally got switched off.

I haven't yet started doing any running at all. Not sure when this will happen, but there's still plenty of the year left to make a start on this. 

I feel happy that I've made progress in January. I'm hoping that February will be a bit less spendy, but I do possibly need to order a new pair of glasses when I have my eye test, I need to complete the much procrastinated task of applying for a new passport and I need to get my hair cut, which will all cost money. I'll keep you updated with how I get on.

How was your January?