Weekly Check-in #10

I am happy with my progress this week, and I want next week to be even better.

Blog more.

I managed at least one other post this week, so that's good progress. 

Keep the food budget to $400 per month.

I didn't get a breakdown done. I am thinking of yet another approach to this, in listing the essential things we always need/buy. Maybe I can back into a smaller budget number that way. 

Start a garden.

While I didn't do much outside, I started collecting some milk jugs to make some mini greenhouses to start seeds. I hope to start them this week, once I get a couple of things from our storage unit.

Pay more attention to my health.

Still following the No S Diet, but the weight went up and back down (just normal fluctuation). I noticed that if I take better care of myself during the day (regular self-care), I have more energy and I make better/healthier meals. I also move more. I drink more water. So, I am going to try one more month of self-care and the No S Diet before I completely switch gears.

Read 50 new books this year.

I finished another book this week, bringing my total to 5. Here's the list so far:

How to Use a Planner Without Wasting Time, Mystie Winckler 

Poor Richard, James Daugherty

The Empowered Wife, Laura Doyle

Fortress of the Lost Amulet, Michael Webb

Different, Sally Clarkson

I am working on a few others, and hope to finish at least 2 more this month. I should be reading about 4 books a month to stay on target. I know during the summer I should have more reading time, as I won't be homeschooling. I will be filling my time more with home projects though. Speaking of...

Declutter our home and make it hospitable.

I made good progress this weekend. I got all the holiday decorations back into the shed, after sweeping it out. I swept off the back patio a bit, and am getting a couple of things from the storage unit to put on it. This will also help the garden some. I am keeping up with some basic cleaning routines too. The bathrooms are staying clean with a daily swish and swipe. The kitchen is staying clean as well, since I make sure to run the dishwasher nightly and wash any pots and pans. It sounds like a lot, but when the bathrooms take 2 minutes a piece and the kitchen takes 15 minutes, it's not too bad. And it's spread over the day (2 minutes in the morning, then 15 minutes after dinner, and 2 minutes again when I get a shower). These simple routines make all the special projects easier to accomplish, because I don't have to do intensive regular cleaning on the weekends. I also got some screws for another project that I was missing. My list for home projects keeps getting a little longer, as I find more small things that need to be done when I finish a project. 

Complete 12 craft projects in progress.

I am still working on my sweater, but I finished the short-row section I added to the back, and have joined the neckline (it's a top-down sweater). 

I'm not sure if using pantry items qualifies as home improvement or a craft project. I have several items I want to use up. What do you think?