The high of my week was the 49ers winning their playoff game! My brother is a diehard 49ers fan—he still has his Steve Young jersey from when he was 8! It’s been a really fun season for his team and they have been looking like a strong Super Bowl contender. You never know what can happen in the playoffs (seriously, who saw the sixth-seed Titans beating the unstoppable Ravens?!), so I was definitely nervous about the game, but they pulled off a strong win! Now I have to root against the Packers on Sunday, which will be difficult for me considering how deeply I love Aaron Rodgers. 😉
The low of my week was dealing with some personal issues. It’s hard when the low of my week is something I can’t talk about since it’s not my story to tell. But I’ve been trying to help someone through a really difficult time and it’s hard to feel so helpless. All I can do is give as much of my love and support as possible, while also protecting my own mental health. It’s a struggle.
A blog post I loved was My Evening Routine to Wind Down by Kelsey. I used to have my evening routine down pat, falling asleep between 9:00 and 9:30, but for the past few years, I find myself on the struggle bus when it comes to bedtime. A lot of nights, I find myself working on my laptop until 9 or 10 and then rushing through my evening routine to try to get to bed before 11. I’m really inspired by this post, though, and I’m going to start brainstorming how I can have more peaceful evenings like hers.
A podcast episode I enjoyed was There Will Be Bananas on Throughline. Who knew that there was such a troubled history about bananas? This episode was fascinating and definitely made me look at the banana industry a lot differently.
The best money I spent was $15 that I put into my “no-spend fund.” I heard about this idea from a blogger who has a savings account that she puts money into on the days she doesn’t spend any money. I think she puts $10 in every time. I chose $5 and I had three days this week where I didn’t spend any money, so into the savings account it goes. I’m not sure what I’m going to use this money for—maybe a Sephora or Old Navy shopping spree when the fund is over $100? Or maybe I’ll use it to save up for something I really want like a new Chromebook (mine is so old that it’s no longer updating, eeks). But, for now, I’m just going to put away tiny amounts of money and see how it adds up. It really motivates me to have spend-free days!
My plans this weekend include an eye appointment this afternoon followed by a friend date. We’re not sure what we’re doing yet, either reading by the pool, taking a trip to the beach, or doing some adventuring in a nearby city. Tomorrow, I have a hair appointment and then I’m dog-sitting for a friend. And Sunday is a writing date and watching the NFL championship games. 🙂 A busy, full, lovely weekend ahead!
Tell me the high of your week!
Way to cheer against the Viking! 😛 ha! But we went into that game assuming we would lose, honestly. The Vikings are such a heart break team and they really did not play that strongly this season so I didn’t feel like they deserved to go to the Superbowl. I mean, I would have been glad if they had, but I knew it was so unlikely. I hate the Packers, so go 9’ers!
I love how you are talking about going to the pool or beach while we are preparing for 6-10″ of snow! Ha! I am so glad we are coming to FL in February!!!!!!
The high of my week was my solo walk/run on Sunday. It was really nice to get outside and move my body. I usually only go out for walks when it’s nice enough to bring Paul in the stroller but it was too cold on Sunday for that. But it was really freeing to be on my own – although I did wish he was with me when I saw a bunch of ducks! Another high was seeing my book club gals.
Oh man, I’ve also been trying to work on the whole evening routine thing. The tough thing I find is less being up working on my laptop but more…trying to find the balance between getting adequate rest and not feeling like I am just going to work, coming home and getting ready to go to work again. Does that make sense? One thing I have been trying to do (on nights when there’s no hockey, anyway) is start putting my phone away at 9:15/9:30 or so every night. I still stay up until about 10-10:30 but I use that time to tidy the kitchen, wash my face (like, for reals. Skin care routine has also been on the to do list), have tea, write in my journal and read a bit. It’s a work in progress. Will definitely check out that post you shared!
I also love that idea of a no spend fund!
My high this week…had a little movie night with a couple girlfriends on Tuesday which was lovely. We ate popcorn and watched Newsies (which I had not seen, despite uh working in that industry for many years and studying journalism in university haha). OH! And the Jonas Brothers released their new song/video today and it’s awesome lol. Not a bad week!
I like the idea of socking away some money on days when you don’t spend any. Right now, I use the Tip Yourself app to give myself $5 each time I complete a workout; in a separate tip jar, I give myself $2 to $10 every time I DON’T spend money on something that I cam close to buying.
Ahh, you guys must be so excited the 49ers won! Woo hoo!
That is a great idea for a no-spend fund. Is it an actual separate account you made at your bank or cash you have separated out?
Highlight of my week was seeing my sister’s new home near our hometown! It’s so great to have all my siblings in one area <3
Oh, I love the idea of a no spend fun. I usually have a lot of days where I don’t spend money at all (mostly during the week – I do all my spending on the weekend) and I love Kate’s idea of a tip jar for every workout! That would build up a nice little savings cushion!
I love that you are such an NFL fan! Even if you were cheering against my current state’s team… :> (And since my comment is so late, we already know that your team won!)
The no spend fund is a great idea! I might adopt that. The challenge for me is not buying a “treat” drink at our in-building cafe.
And, I am devoted (seriously) to my evening routine. It rarely varies, although on nights when I need to change it, there are some things that I really must do to wind down… get off of phone after dinner, shower, tea, book, and snack. If I have those things, then I can sleep!