This year I'm making my resolutions at the start of each month, hoping that this will refocus my attention and make the year a productive one.
1. Make a start on my office blind
I need a blind for my office so that I can sit at my computer and not be dazzled by the sun. But if I had a blind I'd be sitting in the dark most days, which I don't fancy much. I dislike Venetian and vertical blinds which would allow me to let in a little more light, but, yuck.
My solution for the last few years has been to sling a blanket over the curtain pole and move it as the sun moves round, blocking out just enough sun to allow me to work without burning my retinas.
But it looks a bastard. And it isn't exactly a permanent solution, although I have been using this method for at least 4 years. Finally I came up with a solution that will not only work but will look awesome too (I hope). I'll be needing my sewing kit. Watch this space...
2. Bathroom improvements
The bathroom to-do list has been patiently waiting it's turn for some time now. There are only three tasks on the list, it shouldn't take much time at all...
3. Plan eco friendly crackers
We love a cracker but so often the metallic finish or glitter on them means they can't be recycled, so I vowed to make my own this year, thinking that I'd have plenty of time before Christmas. Then I remembered that we also have crackers at Easter...
Here's how I got on in January
1. Eat the pantry
I wasn't particularly organised with my meal planning at the beginning of the month, and this helped me clear some space on the pantry shelves, because we had numerous 'stuff teas', which consisted of a random selection of any food that could be found. Once I'd got myself organised, I used the contents of my pantry to plan meals. Why is it so satisfying to use things up?
2. Get stuff on the walls
We now have the start of a gallery wall in the dining room. It's something I'd been planning to do for ages. Now I just need to keep adding to it.
3. Declutter the cupboard under the stairs, pantry, kitchen, and possibly my wardrobe
I started with the cupboard under the stairs on the first weekend of the year when I took down the Christmas decorations. We cleared out loads of old junk - some left from the previous owners - and made enough room to actually be able to walk in, which makes using the space much easier.
The pantry and the kitchen were done in tandem. It seemed like a huge task so I broke it down into small parts, first I cleared the odds and sods drawer in the kitchen, and the odds and sods box in the pantry... once started it was easy to keep going, doing a cupboard one day and a shelf the next. It's not entirely finished but it's well on it's way.
An added bonus was that I found a number of cracker fillers that I'd kept from previous years, which will help with my eco crackers.
I was going to leave my wardrobe purge until I'd finished the other tasks, only doing it if I'd completed everything else but it actually was the first job to be tackled. I stored away anything that wasn't going to be worn this season, found a few items to go to charity, and organised my wardrobe to the point of it being unrecognisable. Damn that felt good!
A promising start, I think.
January 14th 2020, the final day of my Day Zero Project. I'm not at all surprised that I didn't do them all, but I am surprised that I didn't do some of the easier ones. Never-the-less it was fun to compile the list and slowly tick them off.
Here is a roundup of all the ones I completed. You can see the full list here.
001. Read 101 books
I read book no.101 at the end of December.
004. Decorate the kitchen
I went from a magnolia sort of colour to one called Natural Hessian, which is an equally pale shade of beige. Most people didn't noticed the change, but I prefer it, it looks fresher and really suits the kitchen.
005. Decorate the entrance hall
After lots of sanding, the removal of a door, turning murky brown walls green, and lots and lots of gloss work, the hall has been transformed. I just need a coat rack (and plans are afoot) and new doormats and I can call it finished.
006. Decorate our bedroom in a gorgeous deep bluey green
I deliberated over the exact shade of bluey green for ages, and then when I revealed the final choice to Andy he was less than enthusiastic. So we went for pink. It took me a while but I love it now it's done.
012. Kondo the cupboard under the stairs
This was only recently ticked off the list. We cleared out loads of old crap, some left by the previous owners, and now I have a cupboard I can actually walk into! The cats aren't impressed as there is a lot less to climb on and explore.
013. Sand and repaint the side entrance door
The difference this makes is amazing, we had a dark wooden door before with a tiny window, it's lighter and brighter, and just looks much more inviting.
017. See a ballet / opera
In May 2019 my Mum and I went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to see three short sequences - Within The Golden Hour, Medusa, and Flight Pattern. They were very different from each other and was a perfect introduction to ballet.
021. See a psychic
I had a one-to-one reading with a chap called Ryan Gooding early in 2018.
027. Visit the Forbidden Forest at Warner Brothers studios
October 2018 saw me step foot into the Forbidden Forest for the first time. It was dark, misty and I swear the floor was moving beneath my feet. Thunder and lightening accompanied us as we met Buckbeak and Aragog. To see it all close up was fascinating.
028. Go on a picnic
My sister-in-law organised a picnic for my birthday in 2018 at Framlingham Castle.
029. Grow something edible in the greenhouse
I've grown mixed lettuce leaves, lambs lettuce, 2 varieties of spring onions, garlic chives, cucamelons, and a few raspberries and strawberries. Also spinach, radish, and rainbow carrots, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and potatoes.
033. Sell something I’ve made
This happens regularly, I make things to sell at Cake & Craft sales that I help to organise at our local hospital. I was delighted to receive this photo from a lady who purchased one of my first batch of pom pom wreaths.
034. Go on a boat
A day on the Norfolk broads on one of the hottest days of 2018.
038. Read a book every month with that month in the title
I really enjoyed this challenge. My favourite book was Sunflowers in February, I wouldn't recommend March, or July's People, as I found both really hard going, but the rest are definitely worth a read.
041. Find and master a dessert recipe that will become my signature dish
I found a recipe for Malteaser cheesecake on Pinterest and made it for Andy's birthday, I got up early so it had time to set and smuggled it over to his parents house later that day. It was delicious!
I made it for a family gathering on Christmas Eve, and then again when visiting my brother and his family a few months later.
042. Make elderflower cordial and gin
I made gin one year and cordial the following year. Both were delicious. Neither lasted very long.
047. Create a bee friendly area in my garden
This will be an ongoing project as I intend to keep adding bee friendly plants and shrubs, but I have started by creating an area with a bee bath and lavender to entice the bees to a sunny spot.
048. Bake and decorate a chocolate cake for Andy's birthday
Having discovered that Andy isn't actually that keen on chocolate cake I decided to make him the Malteaser cheesecake instead, which also gave me the opportunity to tick two things off the list.
050. Find seaglass
I picked up my first bit on a beach clean in June 2018, and since then I've found a good handful.
052. Get a tattoo
I got three, all on the same day. It's not as drastic as it sounds, they're all tiny.
054. Take part in a beach clean up
I've actually done this three times now, the first of which you can read about here, and the third time here, as part of a Photo An Hour day.
058. Climb a tree
In my garden, so it's a bit of a cheat but I'll keep my eyes peeled for another good climber. The problem is a lot of low branches are cut off to stop such activity!
059. Go camping
In July 2018 I camped at Cliff House in Dunwich with a group of friends. It's a superb campsite right on the cliffs with easy access to the beach. The weather was perfect for camping, allowing us to sit on the beach until the early hours, before being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
060. Photograph the same landscape across 12 months (and make it into a calendar)
You can see all the photos here. I didn't make a calendar as I received two for Christmas.
065. Find a lampshade and curtains for the landing
Lampshade yes, albeit a really dull one, curtains no. It would look more finished with curtains but as we're not overlooked we don't really need them. It might be one of those things that never actually gets done...
068. Create a gallery wall in the dining room
It's still a work-in-progress but it has been started and has plenty of room to expand.
070. Make five more loans via Lend With Care
1. Ol Pol, Cambodia
2. Luis Enrique Morales, northern Ecuador
3. Carmen Cecilia Nero, southern Ecuador
4. Naseem Bibi, Lahore
5. Robina Kousa, Lahore
077. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
Done. The question is where do I put it so a) I'll remember it and b) I won't lose it?
078. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
I can't say my mind feels freer, but some of them did make me stop and think, my answers, if you'd like to read them, are here (at the end of the post).
081. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
I wouldn't recommend Certain Women or Queen of the Desert, and it was hard to watch Jake being such a weirdo in Nightcrawler. I loved Fantastic Beasts, La La Land and Mr Right, Passengers and Sully. In fact I think Sully was the best of them all.
083. Spend a day at the beach
In the summer of 2019, I spent a day on Aldeburgh beach, swimming, digging holes, and making sand castles with Andy's family. I haven't been swimming in the sea for years!
086. Read a book set in my hometown
A friend of mine used to live on Britannia Road, so I know the area well. It was really enjoyable to be able to picture the house and garden, and the town being described in the book.
087. Visit a lavender field
I couldn't believe my luck when I found a lavender farm in Suffolk, so I went along and it was charming.
089. Create a new family tradition
Every year I force my family to submit to a Christmas family photo, and I hope it's something we continue to do. It takes a little cajoling, and the same people moan every year but everyone likes the resulting photos, so I ignore their protests, and refuse to feed them until they submit to my will.
091. Make and decorate biscuits with my niece
We made fridge magnets instead.
Here is a roundup of all the ones I completed. You can see the full list here.
001. Read 101 books
I read book no.101 at the end of December.
004. Decorate the kitchen
I went from a magnolia sort of colour to one called Natural Hessian, which is an equally pale shade of beige. Most people didn't noticed the change, but I prefer it, it looks fresher and really suits the kitchen.
005. Decorate the entrance hall
After lots of sanding, the removal of a door, turning murky brown walls green, and lots and lots of gloss work, the hall has been transformed. I just need a coat rack (and plans are afoot) and new doormats and I can call it finished.
006. Decorate our bedroom in a gorgeous deep bluey green
I deliberated over the exact shade of bluey green for ages, and then when I revealed the final choice to Andy he was less than enthusiastic. So we went for pink. It took me a while but I love it now it's done.
012. Kondo the cupboard under the stairs
This was only recently ticked off the list. We cleared out loads of old crap, some left by the previous owners, and now I have a cupboard I can actually walk into! The cats aren't impressed as there is a lot less to climb on and explore.
013. Sand and repaint the side entrance door
The difference this makes is amazing, we had a dark wooden door before with a tiny window, it's lighter and brighter, and just looks much more inviting.
017. See a ballet / opera
In May 2019 my Mum and I went to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to see three short sequences - Within The Golden Hour, Medusa, and Flight Pattern. They were very different from each other and was a perfect introduction to ballet.
021. See a psychic
I had a one-to-one reading with a chap called Ryan Gooding early in 2018.
027. Visit the Forbidden Forest at Warner Brothers studios
October 2018 saw me step foot into the Forbidden Forest for the first time. It was dark, misty and I swear the floor was moving beneath my feet. Thunder and lightening accompanied us as we met Buckbeak and Aragog. To see it all close up was fascinating.
028. Go on a picnic
My sister-in-law organised a picnic for my birthday in 2018 at Framlingham Castle.
029. Grow something edible in the greenhouse
I've grown mixed lettuce leaves, lambs lettuce, 2 varieties of spring onions, garlic chives, cucamelons, and a few raspberries and strawberries. Also spinach, radish, and rainbow carrots, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and potatoes.
033. Sell something I’ve made
This happens regularly, I make things to sell at Cake & Craft sales that I help to organise at our local hospital. I was delighted to receive this photo from a lady who purchased one of my first batch of pom pom wreaths.
034. Go on a boat
A day on the Norfolk broads on one of the hottest days of 2018.
038. Read a book every month with that month in the title
I really enjoyed this challenge. My favourite book was Sunflowers in February, I wouldn't recommend March, or July's People, as I found both really hard going, but the rest are definitely worth a read.
041. Find and master a dessert recipe that will become my signature dish
I found a recipe for Malteaser cheesecake on Pinterest and made it for Andy's birthday, I got up early so it had time to set and smuggled it over to his parents house later that day. It was delicious!
I made it for a family gathering on Christmas Eve, and then again when visiting my brother and his family a few months later.
042. Make elderflower cordial and gin
I made gin one year and cordial the following year. Both were delicious. Neither lasted very long.
047. Create a bee friendly area in my garden
This will be an ongoing project as I intend to keep adding bee friendly plants and shrubs, but I have started by creating an area with a bee bath and lavender to entice the bees to a sunny spot.
048. Bake and decorate a chocolate cake for Andy's birthday
Having discovered that Andy isn't actually that keen on chocolate cake I decided to make him the Malteaser cheesecake instead, which also gave me the opportunity to tick two things off the list.
050. Find seaglass
I picked up my first bit on a beach clean in June 2018, and since then I've found a good handful.
052. Get a tattoo
I got three, all on the same day. It's not as drastic as it sounds, they're all tiny.
054. Take part in a beach clean up
I've actually done this three times now, the first of which you can read about here, and the third time here, as part of a Photo An Hour day.
058. Climb a tree
In my garden, so it's a bit of a cheat but I'll keep my eyes peeled for another good climber. The problem is a lot of low branches are cut off to stop such activity!
059. Go camping
In July 2018 I camped at Cliff House in Dunwich with a group of friends. It's a superb campsite right on the cliffs with easy access to the beach. The weather was perfect for camping, allowing us to sit on the beach until the early hours, before being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
060. Photograph the same landscape across 12 months (and make it into a calendar)
You can see all the photos here. I didn't make a calendar as I received two for Christmas.
065. Find a lampshade and curtains for the landing
Lampshade yes, albeit a really dull one, curtains no. It would look more finished with curtains but as we're not overlooked we don't really need them. It might be one of those things that never actually gets done...
068. Create a gallery wall in the dining room
It's still a work-in-progress but it has been started and has plenty of room to expand.
070. Make five more loans via Lend With Care
1. Ol Pol, Cambodia
2. Luis Enrique Morales, northern Ecuador
3. Carmen Cecilia Nero, southern Ecuador
4. Naseem Bibi, Lahore
5. Robina Kousa, Lahore
077. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
Done. The question is where do I put it so a) I'll remember it and b) I won't lose it?
078. Answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
I can't say my mind feels freer, but some of them did make me stop and think, my answers, if you'd like to read them, are here (at the end of the post).
081. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
I wouldn't recommend Certain Women or Queen of the Desert, and it was hard to watch Jake being such a weirdo in Nightcrawler. I loved Fantastic Beasts, La La Land and Mr Right, Passengers and Sully. In fact I think Sully was the best of them all.
083. Spend a day at the beach
In the summer of 2019, I spent a day on Aldeburgh beach, swimming, digging holes, and making sand castles with Andy's family. I haven't been swimming in the sea for years!
086. Read a book set in my hometown
A friend of mine used to live on Britannia Road, so I know the area well. It was really enjoyable to be able to picture the house and garden, and the town being described in the book.
087. Visit a lavender field
I couldn't believe my luck when I found a lavender farm in Suffolk, so I went along and it was charming.
089. Create a new family tradition
Every year I force my family to submit to a Christmas family photo, and I hope it's something we continue to do. It takes a little cajoling, and the same people moan every year but everyone likes the resulting photos, so I ignore their protests, and refuse to feed them until they submit to my will.
091. Make and decorate biscuits with my niece
We made fridge magnets instead.
Here's my annual breakdown of spending on clothes and accessories for 2019.
I've been keeping track since 2012, and I've included the figures from previous years for easy comparison.
Spending total?
2012 £1,751.00
2013 £1,188.00
2014 £745.65
2015 £1,207.87
2016 £742.39
2017 £663.03
2018 £546.18
2019 £400.10
Just look at the difference between this and 2012.
How many items did I buy?
2012 138
2013 131
2014 76
2015 74
2016 63
2017 83
2018 71
2019 66
Whilst I am pleased with this number being one of the lowest, it still means that I purchased more than one item per week, and when looking at it that way, it seems rather a lot!
What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
2012 42%
2013 58%
2014 46%
2015 41%
2016 37%
2017 52%
2018 69%
2019 87%
What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
(at the end of the year they were purchased)
2012 90%
2013 65%
2014 ??
2015 75%
2016 85%
2017 85%
2018 97%
2019 86%
At first I was a little disappointed with this figure but the items that were sold or donated weren't items that I would've gone on to wear. I'm trying not to hang on to things simply because I've bought them, better to donate or sell on to someone that might actually wear them.
Total of discarded items
2012 unknown
2013 £240
2014 £91.47
2015 unknown
2016 unknown
2017 £88.14
2018 £21.17
2019 £29.72
What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
2012 33.3%
2013 13%
2014 ??
2015 5%
2016 12%
2017 19%
2018 22%
2019 3%
Just a swimsuit and a t-shirt remain unworn. The t-shirt will come out in the spring, and as we have a holiday already booked the swimsuit will definitely be worn next year.
What was the most expensive item?
2012 £105.00 (half price) Kurt Geiger shoes
2013 £35.00 each for a pair of Toms and Next ballet pumps
2014 £64.00 for my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes
2015 £85.00 on a dress worn for my Mum's wedding
2016 £95.00 for a winter coat
2017 £25.60 for my green skirt
2018 £66.15 jeans (full price £105)
2019 £32.00 ASOS jumpsuit
The jumpsuit has only been worn 4 times since I purchased it in April last year, which is much less than I'd envisioned, but I'm hoping that once I've whittled down my wardrobe further I'll be able to wear my favourite items more often.
What was most expensive pre-loved item?
2012 unknown
2013 unknown
2014 £45.00 French Connection maxi dress
2015 £34.99 Irregular choice frog shoes
2016 £18.00 ASOS floral wiggle dress
2017 £24.99 burgundy leather knee high boots (sold in 2018 on ebay for £22.00)
2018 £12.00 black knee high boots
2019 £13.00 sequin bag
I bought the sequin bag when I got caught up in festival fever but I do use it. It hangs at the front of my wardrobe so I don't forget about it. What's the point in owning something this pretty and not using it? I'm sure it'll be going back to Latitude with me this year.
What was the cheapest of both categories?
2012 unknown
2013 unknown
2014 New grey vest top £2.00. Pre-loved scarf £1.25
2015 New blue pants for my wedding day £4.00. Pre-loved cork purse 75p
2016 New I purchased several items for £4.00. Pre-loved bracelet £1.25
2017 New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay 99p
2018 New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved £1.00 each for a pink scarf, and red summer top
2019 New ASOS boots £9.50 (sale). Pre-loved heart print vest top £1.00 (sale).
The boots are a staple, not worn often but good to have for when I need black on the end of my legs. The heart print vest top was purchased in September and only worn a few times but I know it'll be a favourite when the weather warms up again.
2019 Buyer's Archive Resolutions - how did I do?
Reduce the number of clothes I buy overall. The lowest number is 63, and this year I purchased 66, so it's not my lowest number of purchases, but fewer than last year.
I have a shopping challenge for 2020, I'm going to try and buy just one item per month because I don't need any more clothes, but I do love shopping. I have so many lovely items that deserve to be worn more often, so that's what I'm going to do.
Buy more pre-loved clothes than new. I'd hoped to be somewhere above 80% for 2019, and I'm pleased to say that 87% was the final figure. I am pleased that I shop secondhand more these days, but now I need to reduce the number of items I have overall, my wardrobe is stuffed. I probably have more clothes than I can wear in a year (which sounds like another challenge!).
Stick within a £500 budget. Yes! I spent £400.10. As you can imagine I'm really pleased with this. As I plan to buy less this year I'm wondering if I can come in under £200 for 2020?
Alter / mend all items that need it. I mended some but not as many as I ignored.
Sell or donate all the things that don't fit or I no longer wear. I sold numerous items on ebay in the summer, so many that I almost became a permanent fixture in my local post office. I donated some items too, but there is still a pile of things to list on ebay. I have a feeling it'll be a pile that I never get to the bottom of, I add to it more often than I remove something from it.
2020 Buyer's Archive Resolutions
My goal this year is simple. To buy, spend, and discard less.
Links to previous years - 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018
I've been here before, at the start of another year, studiously making lots of resolutions, only to forget about them by the middle of February.
This year I want to make my resolutions at the start of each month, it can be anything, e.g. always have fresh flowers in the house, or focus on working my way through my never ending TBR pile, or get as many little DIY jobs ticked off the list as humanly possible.
The important thing is to decide at the beginning of each month what my focus will be, because having a limited attention span means I forget all about my good intentions after a few weeks, and things fall by the wayside, and another year passes and I still haven't painted those bloody radiator pipes in the hallway.
An added bonus is that I can make them seasonal, and relevant to what else is happening in my life at the time. There's no point deciding now that I'll go all out in the garden and start a huge landscaping project in June when I could find myself inundated with freelance work. It's more flexible, and will keep bringing my attention back to the changes I want to make.
By the end of 2020 I want to look back and see progress, I want to be able to point to things and say 'I changed / improved / implemented that in 2020'.
The first installment of my Monthly Resolutions is all about getting organised and doing things I've had on my to-do list for ages.
Eat the pantry.
Instead of ignoring the tins of food that have been in there for months, and constantly adding to the freezer stocks, I want to use up what we have. I know we have some items that I don't usually cook with, so I might discover some new recipes in the process.
Get stuff on the walls.
I've been planning a gallery wall in the dining room for ages, I have a small collection of photos to get me started, and what nicer way to start the year than with some new smiley photos to brighten up the place once the Christmas decorations come down?
Declutter
Starting with the cupboard under the stairs (good timing as this is where the Christmas decorations are stored), I'll then turn my attention too the pantry (see no.1), and then the kitchen.
If all this gets done, I'll turn my attention to my wardrobe.
What are your plans for 2020?
At the beginning of the last decade Andy and I had been together for 7 months. I was working in a job I didn't particularly enjoy. I was renting a house, living alone except for two young cats - my first pets as an adult - Socks and Tinker.
It's been a period of change and growth, but the last few years of the decade have been tough. We've suffered loss, and I've struggled with the aftermath. But I'm healing and among the crappy memories, the memory of giggling with Andy in our darkest moments is one that still makes me smile, because we survived and we're stronger for it.
In the intervening years we moved in to our forever home and started on a long list of improvements, we got engaged and said our vows 99 days later.
I'm working freelance and don't miss the office politics one little bit. And I'm happy to say my two cats are still with me, waking me up far earlier than I'd like.
This blog was started in September 2010, and has been a place to reflect, share my thoughts and ideas, and I've made some wonderful friends because of it.
I visited Nairobi and fed giraffes, I flew to Zanzibar to watch my best friend get married.
We honeymooned in Zurich and Paris, and I slept under the stars in the Sahara.
I've gone to two college reunions.
I was part of a fundraising group who helped to raise £4.3M for a new cancer unit at our local hospital. And my fundraising continues on a smaller scale.
I was one of a small group of people who organised two world record attempts locally. We didn't become record breakers, but it really didn't matter in the end.
I tried, and failed, many times to get into running, but I have developed a love for yoga that I think will last a lifetime.
After years of drinking tea, strong but with a lot of milk, and no sugar, I've switched almost exclusively to green tea, but still consume several cups a day.
I've started a process of reducing plastic consumption as much as possible, and have changed my spending habits drastically.
I gave up on western medicine and dealt with my allergies using natural methods, ending a struggle with sinusitis that had plagued me for decades.
I discovered a haven in the form of my greenhouse, but have so far been unsuccessful in growing forget-me-nots. Spinach, chives, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce leaves are recurring produce.
And I've finally realised the importance of self care.
I'm hoping that the next decade will be one of growth, excitement and adventures.
Happy New Year everyone!
