Listen, I don't live under a rock; I realize that stuff happens and sometimes we get waylaid, we get stuck in traffic or our priorities change. I am a realist; I get this. However, being a realist, I also try not to overpromise and underdeliver. In fact, I will often say no if I am unsure if I will be able to commit, which may make me a glass half full person in the eyes of some, but I guess I would rather disappoint people in the front end than at the last minute.
All of that blather is a lead in to my main point which is that earlier this year I talked about doing some purging and since we are now one quarter into this year, I am going to be accountable by doing a quick progress check and update. My three areas I wanted to work on for the first three months of they year were paperwork and files, go bag and kitchen/fridge/freezer.
Paperwork and Files: The goal here was to throw away and/or reorganize old hard copy files and to update and organize my yearly electronic spreadsheets (address list, money pie list, account list etc.) Note that this gets less hard copy and more electronic as each year goes by, but I do still have hard copies of some of my home, car and medical related paperwork as well as some tax and financial items.
How am I doing? Good! I did all of this and even went through some of my memento boxes where I keep old holiday cards and stuff and threw a lot of those away. I had a good time reliving some memories and in some cases only shuffled things around and then ended up keeping them anyway, but I do think that each year when I go through this kind of stuff I pare it down more and more. I used to keep all thank you notes and I finally threw them away after reading them one last time and taking a quick photo of any that were really sweet. I am really trying to adhere more to the "touch once" principal where instead of moving an item somewhere just to move it somewhere else, cut out the middle man and just put it where it is going to be for good (which is often the trash can!)
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| I love this card! (I did throw it away though) |
What is next? I still have a lot of memento boxes (these are my Achilles heel), some of which are in the garage, and I need to go through them and either put them in an album or throw them away. They are not doing me any good in a box and speaking of the touch once principal, it is probably time for the final touch for some of these items. Also an extension to this category is electronic files, which I need to tidy up. For some reason before I had the cloud for photos, I saved them in several places (!) and I need to cull the duplicates. Unfortunately they do not have the same file name and so it is not as simple as just sorting and culling. I also have an ongoing task of unsubscribing and culling emails, which is something I do a few times each month.
Go Bag: The goal here is to make sure all of the items, documents and information in my go bag are current and updated.
How am I doing? Good! This go bag is twofold - one is emergency supplies like food, candles, flashlight, etc. and the other is important docs like my passport, birth certificate, deed to my house etc. I also keep a list of all of my accounts in this folder so that if I have to leave in a hurry I will have everything in one place (this also doubles as my death list, which I will talk about in a later post). Most of this stuff is also electronic, but I do like to keep a hard copy as a backup. I updated all of the food that was close to expiration and made sure all of my batteries were in good shape and updated my folder, so I am all good here. I also started up my generator and charged my Caterpillar supercharger thingy so that they are ready if I need them. I hope that I never need to use any of this stuff, but I think it is good to be prepared just in case. (P.S. I could write an entire post about the Cat charger - it is awesome.)
What is next? The generator and Cat charger need to be started and charged once per quarter, but the other stuff is pretty much good to go unless there are any major changes.
Kitchen/Fridge/Freezer: This involves throwing away expired items, and eating things in the freezer rather than buying more. One of my traits (faults? habits?) is that I do like to have a few extra cans of olives (or beans or tomatoes or...) laying around just in case I feel using them (I am not a fan of going to the store after I have run out; I would rather go before I need the item) so I have amassed a pretty good backup of certain items. I also like to purchase things when they are on sale rather than when I need them when I would have to pay a premium, but it is a delicate balance between being a smart shopper and being a hoarder. I am working on being more of the former than the latter!
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| No more room! (Also, clearly I need to use more butter) |
How am I doing? Good! In the first three months of the year, I spent approximately $575 on groceries and used up a lot of cans of olives! I cleaned out the fridge and freezer and took stock of what I have so that I can better plan my meals and grocery shopping trips. I also finally used those frozen peaches from my tree and made peach cobbler and lots of baked peach oatmeal! However, I did do one Costco run for meat (which was about a third of my grocery spending for the quarter) and caved a couple of times and bought items like tortilla chips just because they were on sale.
What is next? I will continue to do light grocery shopping and will try to use up pantry and freezer items for the next three months. I still have a lot of beans. One of my tasks for this quarter is also to go through my camping food and gear and prepare for summer trips, so I will take stock of the food I have (in a box in the garage) for that too and can probably consolidate some things.
What is your take on accountability? How much do you spend on groceries each month? How are you doing on your goals so far this year?
Lisa here. So your freezer picture kind of stressed me out. Ha! We are kind of under buyers and do not have a super well stocked fridge, freezer or cupboards! We have a sort of ‘just in time’ approach to meals which was not great during the pandemic! But usually it works out fine. I am trying to get Phil to buy more canned goods that I know we will use.
ReplyDeleteMy parents brought me some boxes of stuff last year. It was a lot of photos and moments from HS and college. I looked through it all and then threw everything away! I am definitely more of a purger and am not very sentimental about things generally. I wonder if I will regret this one day but I didn’t envision showing my kids pics from HS. Time will tell if that was the right choice!!
And I am with you on the accountability thing. And what in the world is wrong with your coworker! You don’t promise pastries and show up empty handed!!
I know!!! This coworker does that all.the.time!!! It drives me bonkers.
DeleteRe my freezer, that photo is older but I still do like to keep a good backup. I always told people during the pandemic that even without a shopping trip, I could probably live off my stores for a few months! I would be eating a lot of beans at the end though, and not much else.
Re mementos, I do attach value to them whether or not it's justified! Most other things I can do without. What about books for you? Can you give/throw them out once you're done?
Love posts like this! Paperwork is my least favourite clutter to tackle. It takes a lot of time to go through, and it's not like if I throw something like that out, I can get it back again (like if I throw out a receipt or a letter someone sent to me). I really do need to do another overhaul of paper files. There is just so much of it. Between the kids, our house, and owning a small business we just have so much paper/receipts etc.
ReplyDeleteWe spend between $700-800/month on groceries (family of 4).
My goals are going well, but I've crossed off some of the low-hanging fruit so I know that some of the other goals I have listed will take a lot longer (some of them are goals to do things monthly, so I can't cross them off until year-end anyway).
I hate paperwork too. I am always afraid that I will need it later, and if it is a memento, I feel like I will miss it. I used to save a lot of receipts in case I needed to return something, and sometimes they have come in handy but I finally decided to draw the line at some point. However, I sometimes still have an internal debate with myself about how it's not like it will hurt to save it vs maybe I have worn it/used it enough that I will not ever return it anyway. Also, to further cause confusion, I have gotten replacement items (my kitchen faucet) without any proof of purchase, but I would not really count on that happening very much! So I will probably keep saving the receipts.
DeleteI attended a productivity webinar where she talked about the low hanging vs. the other fruit, and it was interesting the way she looked at it, which was to set aside time for the larger projects every day/week/month and then fit in the low hanging fruit with the in between times, like the 5 minutes between phone calls or 10 minutes in the morning etc. I usually try to do that anyway, but it was kind of nice to have the affirmation that I am hopefully doing it in a productive manner!
I definitely need to do a better job about purging paperwork. I think we have tax forms for all fifteen years that we've been married and we do not need all that.
ReplyDeleteWe're a lot like Lisa. We go to the store once a week and buy what we need for that week and that's all we have. Our freezer basically has empty ice trays, some popsicles leftover from last summer, and some treats for the dog, and that's it. We do go to Costco once in a while and stock up on things like beans and chicken stock, but it's never more than something we'd use in a month or two. We do rigorous meal planning so we only go to the store once a week.
I have a lot of old tax docs too! Although it is pretty fascinating to see what I made at my job right out of college and it makes me wonder how the heck I afforded to do what I did (pay rent in San Francisco, travel, eat out from time to time)! I guess I have had more lifestyle creep than I realized!
DeleteI always plan my meals around the items on sale and if there are no items on sale, I always have my freezer backup. On top of that, usually I make a meal on Sunday, which I split into say 7 containers, and 5 of them become my lunches and 2 of them go into the freezer for days where I don't have time to cook, and then I just pull a meal from the freezer and I am good to go. I like thinking ahead rather than trying to figure it out week by week or day by day, especially since that is when I know I will make bad decisions, like overspending or buying snacks or just eating snacks for dinner!
I also really don't like people not doing what they say they'd do without an explanation... something that really triggers me with people I work with. in my personal life, I also value people who follow through their commitment. however, on goals, for me they are intentions, not something that I HATE to do, so I'm more flexible if one month I don't read as much as I wanted.
ReplyDeletewe spent around 1000 per month for a family of 4, focusing on real food, vegetables and fruits, with some seafood/chicken, and like 3 dozens of eggs per week. it's more than what a normal family here would spend but I prioritize the quality of our food, so Im okay with it.
I agree regarding most goals, like these purging ones for example; they really are just things that I would like to get done and it will definitely not be the end of the world, nor will I flagellate myself if they are not completed. However, I don't really want to just let life come to me, I do want to have intentions, so I will keep making a list and working at it the best I can. However, some goals, or even intentions, are more serious for me. For example, if I sign up for a marathon, there is no way, unless I get seriously injured, that I am not going to complete it. I will walk, crawl or run in the rain and snow until I drag myself over the finish line. Or if I am trying to get a promotion at work, I will flagellate myself if I say I am going to put in the request and then don't, because I feel that is a case of fear or laziness or procrastination and I am stronger than that. So I guess it depends on the goal/intention. Oh and PS, some of my goals I may hate a little bit, like fixing the roof of the house, which needs to get done but is definitely less fun than running a marathon!
DeleteJust out of curiosity, are the prices of fresh food really expensive there? Maybe I am jaded by living in a state with fresh fruit and veggies abound. What is the price of a few normal items for you - like bananas, broccoli or a pound of chicken for example? Here I would say depending on quality you can probably get the non-organic versions for .50/lb., 1.99/lb. and 0.99-3.99/lb. depending on the cut (whole being the cheapest, boneless breast is probably most expensive).
interesting question. let's see banana is 1 dollar per kilo, broccoli 2 maybe, chicken 2 dollars per kilo. price in jakarta is much cheaper than manila where we were before, but overall we spend around 1000 dollars per month on groceries for a family of 4, as we eat mostly at home.
DeleteWell, you're encouraging me to do some purging of my own! I've gotten much better about not keeping too many things, but they still somehow accumulate if you're not careful. The thing that cured me of hoarding, was after my parents passed away my sister and I had to clean out their condo. LUCKILY they had already gotten rid of a lot of stuff when they sold their house and moved into the condo, but... we discovered that my mom had kept every single letter or card anyone had EVER SENT HER. We had to get rid of all of it, and now when I'm tempted to save something I'll think, "Someone is going to have to throw this away someday." It definitely puts things in perspective!
ReplyDeleteTotally! Someone is going to have to throw it away! I have a grandmother who has a lot of stuff and it is not going to be fun going through it all when she is gone. I try to at least organize it so people can look at it and see that it is "hair accessories" and they can throw that whole box away without having to sort it. Or something like that. I also think about this when I go on vacation, like if I die while I am away, what will someone think when they come in my house. I always clean before I leave, partly due to that and partly because I like coming home to a clean house, but they are both in the back of my mind!
Delete"it is a delicate balance between being a smart shopper and being a hoarder." YES. I feel this. Like you, I like to have a backup of things before I need them, plus I like to buy staples on sale. We have PLENTY of beans right now, that's for sure! A few weeks ago, I was really intentional about eating what was in the fridge/freezer because we were going out of town and I didn't want to waste anything. But the stockpile has crept back up again. I need to EAT what we have.
ReplyDeleteI feel you on this. If I go to the store for veggie for example, and ground beef is on sale and it's an unbeatable price, you bet your bottom dollar I am going to buy it. Why wouldn't I do it when it's a good price instead of overpaying later when I am in a bind. But yes, it is hard to find a balance sometimes.
DeleteI budget about $300 a month for groceries and usually come right around that. Buuut... I also budget $300 a month for restaurants/takeout, lol. I spend a lot on food and I'm okay with that!
ReplyDeleteI usually try to do a purge of old files/documents every year - I used to have a lot more files like paycheck stubs and bank statements but now that everything is online, that process is a lot easier! I also keep a basket in my closet where I put any documents that need to be filed away, and I go through that basket every 6 months or so (I honestly don't get a ton of documents that I need to keep these days).
Good job this quarter!
I do the same thing! I have a basket where I keep stuff and then I go through it every few (or six) months as well. I also do not have too many paper documents anymore, but there still are enough things that I keep just in case (mostly home or finance related).
DeleteThe first few months of this year have been crazy for me and involved a lot more travel than usual, so I feel like I am constantly "catching up on things"... thankfully, I didn't set any "Q1 goals" that I need to account for this minute. I think you're doing great though. I am hoping to do some spring cleaning/purging myself.
ReplyDeleteWe spent a lot of money on groceries (more like $800) but at least I can say that we eat all of what we buy... so no regrets there. We also stock up on certain items when they're on sale (which makes sense), but I could get better about using things from my cupboard more often (even if the expiration is months away).
Yes it seems like you have been getting out and about a lot this year! That is a good thing, although I am sure that it has thrown off your schedule a little bit. I think as long as you do not waste food it is okay to splurge a little on good quality items or fun things. It is definitely still cheaper than eating out and is also more healthy generally.
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