Veggie Prep paid off!

 Last weekend I decided to try something new - prepping my veggies for the week ahead. After putting the shopping away I chopped up:

• carrots
• onions
• zucchini
• pumpkin
• broccoli
• beans
• capsicum
• salad greens

all put in bags in the fridge so we could quickly prepare a salad at lunchtime and cooked veggies in the evening. The next day I cooked a tray of pumpkin, frozen cauliflower, tomato's & onions, made some salad dressings and a big pot of split pea soup (16 serves for the freezer). I'm just trying to get more organised so I have no excuse not to eat well when I go back to work.

Well the next day I ended up with a bad arthritis flare and I've been living on the lounge since only able to walk to the bathroom as my feet are quite painful. So no more spring cleaning has been done at all. 

But having done that prep work has made it so much easier to eat really well while being laid up. Lunches have been salads and soups, dinners have been steamed & stir-fried veggies, tray bake veggies and meat. Its saved so much time and its something I'm going to continue. 

Today I'm able to walk about a little more as the pain and swelling in my ankles is going down. This will certainly slow down my exercise & weight loss for a few weeks. But I'm feeling better today and plan on working on my budget and goals for 2021 while I rest up.

Pottering about the house...

 How time flies when you're having fun! I've been happily pottering about the house these last two weeks and really enjoying my time off work. 

Its nice to have all the washing done, dried, folded and put away all in the one day. To sit and enjoy a cup of tea with the cat in the sunshine, read a book and just do things without feeling rushed or too tired. The first week I napped almost every afternoon. The second week no naps and sleeping a good 7-8 hours a night. Not working agrees with me :) 

So far I've cleaned the pantry and got rid of some old pots and pans. I ordered a new set which should arrive today. Original price was $599 and I paid $199 so a good bargain. I defrosted our chest freezer. If anyone has ideas on how to organise it so food doesn't get 'lost' in the bottom I'd love to hear them. 

I've tidied up two bedrooms, sorted lots of clothes, some have gone to the op shop, others I cut up for rags. This coming week I am planning on getting the lounge room, laundry and sewing room done. I probably won't get around to painting but getting the spring cleaning done feels good, its will be nice to have the whole house clean and organised before I go back to work.

Do you enjoy just pottering about the house? Do you have any ideas to organise a chest freezer?

Holiday at Home

DH is slowly improving. He is still going to the hospital twice a day but they have decided not to go ahead with surgery and just treat with antibiotics. He has a bit more use of his hand this morning but I think it will take a while till its fully healed. So I am doubtful he's going to be able to paint or do the work around the garden we had planned for spring. I'll need to step up and do a bit more I think.

I decided yesterday that I would take a few weeks leave. I had been saving it but I think I would feel better if I can get some spring cleaning done, possibly some painting and also work on losing some more weight. So I'll be off work for the rest of the month. Here's my 'To Do' list for October:

• clean and re-organise the pantry
• finish sorting clothes 
• take donations to op shop
• organise sewing room
• paint the hallway, bathroom, toilet
• reach 88kgs weight
• general spring clean of house

I'm looking forward to getting my house back in order and having some time to myself during the day. Today I just need to do some emails this morning and then I'm ready to get started. 

Hospital trips and tax refunds

 We've spent the last few days making trips back and forth to the hospital. Last week DH had a problem with his hand that ended up with us making two trips to the ER late at night. Since then he has been admitted to 'ambulatory care' or hospital in the home, which means he goes to hospital twice a day for treatment, which sometimes takes a couple of hours, and then returns home. 

Yesterday he had more scans and discussions with the orthopaedic surgeon. Initially they planned surgery for today but last night they decided to wait another 24 hours to see if his hand improves, as they would prefer not to have to operate. So its a day by day process at the minute. 

I've taken a few days off work to drive him to and fro as my work is quiet at the moment. Hopefully it all resolves soon and surgery isn't needed. I think it will put DH out of action for a while so plans for painting and work around the yard will be slowed down. 

In other good news we submitted our tax returns yesterday. Our refund was not quite as big as I had hoped but its still a substantial amount, so there will be some extra to go off the mortgage in a few weeks. 

September Progress Report

 Its been a quiet month here. Just plodding along and making progress on the mortgage.

Mortgage

We had another good month of spending very little and making good progress on the mortgage payoff. Next payday we will reach the 60's!!

• current balance: $70,595
• down from: $76,393
• total reduction: $5,798

Savings

• me: $167,542
• DH: $340,918
• total: $508,460
• total decrease: $163

Work

Its been very quiet at work which has been nice. I'm still not seeing clients face to face and working via telehealth which will probably continue until the end of the year.

Home

No major work done at home this month. DH hurt his hand and had a trip to the ER. Its still very painful so he's unable to do much around the place. 

Other

My initial good weight loss has stalled for the last two weeks so I need to up the exercise. Fortunately my blood sugar readings continue to be in the normal range. 

September has been just a quiet month all round, with lots of time to think about changes I want to make and plans for 2021. We're still only going to work and to get the groceries even though numbers are way down. In our state we have now had 7 days with no new community cases and restrictions are slowly easing. People can now stand and drink in pubs and clubs, wedding parties can dance now and our graduating students can have end of year events. I just hope our numbers continue to stay down. We're feeling very fortunate here at the moment seeing what is happening around the world.

Stay safe xx