Update 1 - Charging Station

I thought I’d try to put this together, but I couldn’t get the base back on.  It still looks good, though!

I Knew It Wouldn’t Last The Month

I have to laugh at myself.  No spend January?  With everything I need to get done in January?  Really?

Yeah, I spent today.  LOL.

The closing probate papers came in the mail last night, so I went this morning to the credit union so that my signatures would be notarized.  I had already prepared them, plus the annual payment for my life insurance policy, to be mailed, I just didn’t seal the envelope with the papers inside.  Once I went to the credit union (I went the Phoenix branch just up the road from the main post office), I went to the post office and sent everything off.

Then I drove to Deseret Industries and dropped off a bag of donations.  I’ve already started on the next bag.

Afterwards I went to Costco and got the cat food and groceries I needed without having to set foot in Walmart.

I went home and put things away.

Then I loaded part of the recycling in the car, took it over and then went to IKEA.  The original goal was to get one of those sets of drawer dividing boxes, but once there, I saw they had a bunch of stuff on clearance.  By the time I got out of there, I had a bag full of stuff (which I know I will be able to use at some point) totalling $35.00. Not bad.  I won’t go into how much I spent at Costco, given the new vacuum cost over $100.

Some of the stuff I’ve ordered in December is also starting to come in as well!  I still have to go pick up my order at Best Buy that I ordered last month and had it shipped to the store.

I’ve also emailed the HVAC people to re-schedule my appointment for next Wednesday to the week after.

I still have not done the socks today for the 31 days of organization, I need to feed the cats and myself first, then I’ll get to work.

Pictures:

Costco Haul:

In an effort to be more eco-friendly, I now plan to use stainless steel straws.

Yes, I have this on ebook, but I wanted a hard copy to highlight and mark up.  Also, if you haven’t see the movie I ordered along with it, you haven’t lived.  :-)

IKEA Haul:

Setting Up A Budget

YouTube Purge

This morning I did something I’ve been meaning to do for a while:  I unsubscribed from YouTube channels I don’t watch or have issues with their content.

I do like ones that give me ideas for home decorating, organization, finance, some that teach about different subjects.  I also like a few of the people who travel and live out of their vehicle.  A few, because they take you to new places and actually show some of the fun places to go within the area.

What I’ve noticed, however, is a growing trend in people who have discovered that since you can make some money on YouTube, then all they have to do is throw up a video of their current personal drama, open a Patreon account and people will pay to support this person.  There is no value to the content, unless you enjoy soap operas.  I’m not one of them, sorry.

I must have removed at least 10 channels from my list of subscribed channels and, to be honest, I doubt I will miss them.

Days 3 & 4 - 31 Days To Get Organized

Yesterday I did go through some magazines here at home and tossed them into the recycling box.  Today I went through 2 office boxes of papers and tossed the majority of it, clearing out 2 office boxes.  One of them is being put to good use - it's the backup for the paper recycling box.

I only got through the desktop of my nightstand in my bedroom, the one I use next to my bed is actually a tv tray that only houses keys, glasses and the telephone.

On the end table I removed the air purifier, mostly because it doesn't work right any more and hasn't been used in years.  That has been added to the box for the next household hazardous waste day.  Instead, I moved my charging area to that nightstand, mostly because it has more space for it, but also to de-clutter the area in front of the television set in my living room.

The bottom section of the nightstand is where my journals reside - nothing to clean up there - and I did get a few things put away from the table top and the top drawer.  It's not fully there yet, but it's a start!

Curb Impulse Spending

The biggest way that I curb impulse spending is to have a spending plan and the sinking funds to pay for what I do want to spend money on.  It tricks your brain into thinking you have less money than you really do if the money is divided between different savings/sinking fund accounts.

January 3, 2018 - Busy Day!

I was up early this morning to get an early start on some housework before the HVAC/ Plumbing guy came.  Unfortuately, my vacuum decided it didn’t want to work, I guess the cat hair finally got to it.  On my list for tomorrow:  get a vacuum designed for pet hair.

The guy came and it turns out he’s LDS.  LOL.  It was great, like having another home teacher come by, take a look at the hot water heater and the HVAC system.  Both will be replaced, the hot water heater is starting to look like it’s getting critical.  I’m getting it replaced just in time.  That will be next Tuesday morning, I’ll have to let my boss know when we get back on Monday next week.  I’m supposed to get the HVAC system (an all day project) next Wednesday, but I forgot that I will be needed next week to cover the phones.  I’ll need to call tomorrow to re-schedule the HVAC to the following week.  On my list for tomorrow.

After he left, I drove over to the Heard Museum to meet up with a dear friend for lunch and a tour.  I went through the self guided tour through the Indian School area.  I had read Zane Grey’s book The Vanishing American, that covers sexual assault on the Native American reservations, in high school.  I also remembered the stories from my Dad’s side of the family (Cherokee).  Lunch was fantastic, the Heard Museum has a small restaurant on the property that we went to.  The food was great, as was the service.  I stopped off after we parted ways and went into the Books & More shop to pick up something I can use, but would also remind me of my trip there.

On my way home, I stopped by the credit union I go to and got a new credit card.  There was an issue with a charge on mine and I called and had the credit union cancel the card.  It turns out the charge was valid, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.  It meant I went through the entire weekend without being able to use the credit card, so tomorrow will mean going through my different vendors to update the information.  I will also need to contact the mortuary, life insurance and Medical Air Transport service for the funeral preparations I have started making for myself.  On my list for tomorrow.

Now that I’m home, I’m working on dishes, laundry and continued cleaning, as well as catching up on news and videos from today.

PS:  President Monson passed away yesterday, so very sad, but happy that he is now with God, Jesus and his beloved Frances Monson.

To Do’s for Tomorrow:

Take empty boxes to Robin’s storage room to empty out the stuff that will be going to mine.  Load the car as much as possible and take the stuff to my storage unit.  This was stuff that was supposed to go to me, but ended up getting placed into Robin’s unit instead.  Once I’ve emptied it out, I can then close the unit out.

Stop off at Costco or Walmart to get a pet vacuum.

Call the HVAC people to reschedule the HVAC work.

Call the people involved in my funeral arrangements regarding payment changes.  Just a note, I’m not terminally ill, I have no plans on dying soon.  The problem is that the majority of my family is deceased.  I’m making the arrangements now so that when the inevitable eventually happens (hopefully not for another 40-50 years), the choices that need to be made concerning arrangements for my funeral and burial will have been taken care of and no one will be left guessing what kind of casket to use for my resting place.  It’s not pleasant, it’s not fluffy, but then again, not a lot of my life has been pleasant or fluffy.  Sorry.

Update vendors with new payment changes.

Take recycling to recycling center.

Take donations to Deseret Industries.

Continue cleaning, laundry and dishes.

Quite the list for one day.