July 28, 2020

Daily Routine, Finances, and Long Term Goals


I don't have a photo for this post, so here is one of Chick and Duck sharing the top of this little bed thing. I think the way Duck is lying on it is hilarious! They are clearly too big to share it now.

Lately, I have been feeling like I'm Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day. With the COVID quarantine, all of the days started blending together a few months ago. I literally couldn't tell if it was Wednesday or Sunday!

In a way, it was nice--the kids and I didn't have to be anywhere and we could all just spend our days doing projects and hobbies that we normally wouldn't have time for. (Even Jerry had a few weeks off because he had been exposed at work to someone who tested positive with COVID.) Things have been opening up a bit, but it's still recommended to practice social distancing and masks are mandatory in public areas.

I haven't been going to the grocery store more than once every two weeks or so, but our stock in the pantry is down to slim pickin's. For the most part, our days are the same--except I do take Eli to his fishing spots and Noah to see his small group of friends (a few of them went bike riding today).

For me, especially this past week, each day feels the same. And it's not a bad thing! I really love the routine. I feel comfortable when I have a routine rather than chaos (even if it's controlled chaos).

Since I started 75 Hard, my day typically looks like this:

  • Wake up.
  • Sit in bed and journal, read my non-fiction book for 75 Hard, and drink a quart of water.
  • Ideally, I would write a blog in this time frame, but it depends on what time I wake up.
  • Get out of bed, brush my teeth, etc., and dress for my walk.
  • Take a progress photo in the mirror for 75 Hard.
  • Go for a 45-minute walk with Joey (he's gotten used to my taking him, and I feel guilty if I try to leave him at home).
  • Come home and drink another quart of water.
  • Change into "work" clothes for the garage (my paint-spattered ones). 
  • Go out to the garage and work on whatever I'm doing out there. Today, I finished up one section of it and started moving things back to where they should be. Drink another quart of water.
  • If I don't work on the garage, then I do errands, chores around the house, etc.
  • I also blog at some point.
  • Come inside and change back into my workout clothes (yes, the same ones). Go for a 45-minute walk or bike ride. Drink a fourth quart of water.
  • Take a shower and start getting dinner ready.
  • Eat dinner with the family, maybe watch a show or something together.
  • "Me time"... play Best Fiends or read a book, usually.
  • Bed time.
  • Repeat.


I had planned on blogging earlier today, but I realized I needed to get our monthly finances done. That just means paying bills, transferring money around, etc. Today took extra long because I had to deal with two credit card companies.

We have a negative balance on the Discover card because Eli's trip to Washington D.C. was canceled, and I'd already paid for it in full. The refund went back to the Discover, which was already paid in full. So I requested a check for the balance, which will be about $1200--nice! (I let him buy a fishing rod and reel with some of the money because of his canceled trip.)

We also have a negative balance on the Delta American Express because I bought our plane tickets to San Francisco on that card (to get Delta points). Since we had to cancel that trip, I hoped to get a refund. Oddly, they refunded two of our tickets, but gave us airline vouchers for the other two. I asked to open a dispute to try to get a refund for the other two. I feel like it should be a refund for all four tickets or none at all. Anyway, I requested a check for our negative balance on that card, which is roughly $1000.

One of the nice things about the quarantine is that we've been able to save up a decent little nest egg in our savings account. It's so strange that a few years ago, we were $14,000 in debt and had NO savings. Then I started the zero sum budgeting and we managed to pay all of that off in 14 months. I never would have thought we could do that!

I've been continuing with the budget, doing it every single month, and it hasn't failed us yet. I love that we have some money in savings in case we need it. If Jerry was to lose his job for whatever reason, we have enough for cover us for a couple of months. Again, I never thought I'd be able to say that!

Noah took his driving test today to get his driver's license, and he passed (I knew he would--he's super responsible and a great driver). He also bought a car from Adam. It's an old car, but it only has 50,000 miles on it. Noah has been saving money here and there for the last year or so, but I had no expectations that he'd get a car this soon. However, Adam gave him a great deal on it and Noah was thrilled.

Speaking of Adam, we got notice from the Detroit Free Press Marathon that they aren't going to be doing the race this year (not a shocker). We were offered the option to defer it to 2021 or to get a 50% refund. Adam, Jerry, and I were planning to run it together (Adam's first ever race); but since I haven't been training, I'm kind of relieved. I chose to get the refund--it really sucks that we only get 50% of it back (the race was $100 per person) but I don't know where I'm going to be in a year as far as fitness goes, so I don't want to commit right now.

My main goal for the remainder of this year is to get my head back in the game to be my best self--mentally and physically. This 75 Hard challenge is getting me there, and I hope that I'll be able to continue to work on myself in these ways (and more) when the 75 days are over.

In a perfect world, I'd be back at my goal weight by the end of the year and feel confident in a plan to keep it off. I would also be working on adding running to my routine--even if it's just a little here and there. I find that sometimes when I'm walking, I have the urge to run.

Yesterday, I tried running from the end of my street to my driveway, and it felt SO hard. My legs felt extremely heavy. I think if I can get some weight off and get in somewhat decent shape with the walking and bike riding, the running may feel easier. And if it feels easier, I'd be much more likely to do it again.

I think that stepping down from coaching cross country was the right decision for me. The season consumes my life each year, and even though I loved it, I wasn't able to focus on anything else. I'd really like to take the time to focus on getting the best ME back. I miss the confidence I felt and the control I had over my choices. I will miss cross country, but I won't miss the stress or the toll it takes on me mentally and physically.

Even if I don't get back to running, I think I can stick with walking for 45 minutes a day. It goes by surprisingly fast and I love listening to audiobooks and podcasts. (Bike riding seems to take forever; probably because I don't use headphones to distract me.) Even when the kids go back to school, I can easily make the time to walk for 45 minutes.

Well, it's already past my bed time (today was a super busy day, otherwise I would have posted this morning). So I'm going to read my book for a few minutes and then try to get to bed!

4 comments:

  1. I simply LOVE this blog. I am going to do my own hard in August inspired by your blogging. Interestingly, at one point I was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but it turned out to be ADHD. Since my diagnosis life became a bit easier because I have better understanding how my brain works and my battle with obesity became easier. I am Polish - American living in DC area and to keep my native language, so cant invite you to my blog, but sending my BEST energy and best wishes to continue with a great journey you are sharing with us. Marta

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very random... i watched a cat video on The Dodo a few days ago, which I rarely do. Are those kittens Chick and Duck?! Two black kittens with green eyes and the lady said they got adopted together. Link is below or if you don't trust it, go to The Dodo on IG and look for the cat/kitten video from 7/25. If that's not Chick and Duck then they have an identical set of sibling twins out there!

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDC9hczFFLf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like the mom kept one of the black cats and adopted out the other one, so alas not Chick and Duck.

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  3. So glad he passed and can have a sweet ride.

    ReplyDelete

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