Thoughts at the end of December.
1) Christy Harrison’s Rethinking Wellness green juice/serpent graphic is SO GOOD.
2) I took the big girls to Starbucks to think about what we were grateful for from 2023 and what we are looking forward to/want to do in 2024. I was inspired by Susie Davis. They had zero interest in my journaling/drawing assignment lol, but we did 1) stencil for over an hour, 2) decide that Starbucks’ hot chocolate is not good, but the cake pops are, and 3) I at least reflected on these questions. My priority for 2024 is more enjoyment, so I made an “enjoyable things” list. On it: read Champagne for the Soul, spend more time on the hiking trail by the lake, find a cozy-vibes neighborhood restaurant to become regulars at…
3) I have tried every childcare set-up under the sun…and I’m about to change it up again with Leah. With her being our last kid I want more time at home with her and to make sure she is getting everything I gave the two big girls. So, I’m shifting back to working 3 days a week, which is the set-up I had pre-Covid and was a good fit (without Covid, maybe that’s what I’d still be doing?). Grateful for a job that allows me to shift as I want/need to.
4) We are trying to get our grocery budget down in 2024. The goal is $1000/month. I think it’s doable…but I’m not sure how. I like high-quality food (give me all the $14 chunks of parmesan) and there’s 5 of us! Maybe I’ll do a post on this if I can figure out how to be successful with it and not be so overwhelmingly bored of the food we’re eating. I downloaded the Spendee app to track and we’re going to start buying bulk items and frequently purchased stuff – oats, meat, toilet paper, pasta, pasta sauce, eggs – at Costco. Wish me luck. Adhering to a budget is not my strong suit.
5) I’m branching out and making this cinnamon roll recipe for Christmas morning instead of my normal go-to. We shall see.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
My husband and I recently had the discovery of Starbucks hot chocolate not being good at all. I’m glad to hear someone agrees. He said it tasted like it was made with organic dark cocoa and that is not what he is wanting in hot chocolate. I agree lol.
Please post about your Costco adventure. I am very curious. I’m 20 weeks pregnant and I do the grocery shopping so I’m curious how adding a little one to the family is going to change things with the food budget. I have heard that Costco is the boujee version of sams when it comes to food so let me know what your thoughts are!
Also I am transitioning to a 3 day week of seeing clients from a 5 day per week seeing clients. I’m thinking this will be a much better fit post baby too!
Merry Christmas!!!
I’ve heard Costco formula is cheaper and likely the exact same formula going into other brands. So there’s that. Will report back on how the budget goes! I hope your pregnancy is going well :)
Very interested to hear how the food budget goes! I’m always trying to navigate both buying the more ‘exciting’ items I want with less fun items I need while still feeling like I was not limiting myself.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday!