As we wrap up 2020, I have seen much discussion given to the idea of “Thank goodness this year is OVER- bring on 2021”

However, I prefer to ponder on the 2020 I have had and acknowledge the things I have been most grateful for.

Firstly, is the tremendous relief that my immediate friends and family have stayed healthy throughout the year.

Lockdown, meant learning new ways to communicate for some. (Face-timing 4year olds is just plain FUN) With many people in lockdown and working from home has seen many of the Facebook groups I am in be more active and engaged, as people sought human interaction. I have formed some new online friends that will continue well beyond the new year.

Limitations on being able to go out meant that, instead of going out to eat, we would purchase quality ingredients and prepare many “restaurant worthy” meals at home (served on our “good China”). These days were a load of fun as M and I worked together to create delicious meals – Duck a l’Orange was a triumph, as was Pork Chops and Peaches.

Time at home also saw some heavy decluttering and deep cleaning done. Our apartment feels larger and lighter as a result.

I caught up on many movies, tv shows, YouTube channels and books that had been on my wishlist for ages.

YouTube channels on all kinds of exercise kept things interesting. From Yoga, to Chair Pilates and the crazy fun PE teacher Joe. Thankfully I am entering 2021 at 2kg less than the beginning of 2020.

From a finance point of view, my business is in e-commerce, and I saw a big move upwards in sales. With careful nurturing of my customers, I am looking forward to a new level with this business. M’s tradie business also saw some solid growth. I am immensely grateful that we were able to maintain our staff and even added a new staff member along the way.

All in all when I look at the current level of my life, I rate it as a pretty solid 8. Bring on the ability to travel again to visit and hug our interstate family and life will again be pretty close to 10.

Post in the comments, what are you most grateful for 2020 for?

December!!

For some people the mere thought of this time of year brings on a level of stress. The busy holiday season, extra expenses and the prospect of deciding on what the New Year might bring.

For me, December is a planning month (along with June).
For the most part, I have gift shopping sorted well before Christmas. I will only need to buy some fresh fruit, chocolates and “scratchy” tickets to go with cards.

What I do in December is to reflect on the past year.

• How have my plans worked out?
• What have I achieved
• What has brought me the most joy?
• Have I created any new (good) habits?
• Do I have more to do to reach my goals?
• What could I have done differently?

I also start to do some preliminary planning for the next year. These early plans can be refined through the month. This means that I start the New Year with a solid framework rather than a hasty, unconsidered “resolution” that stands little chance of being implemented or achieved.

December is a time to have a look over my RISE Plan and see where my current life balance is and what I feel needs to improve.  Often this makes any resolutions easy to make and prepare for.

Here are the steps I take to create my plan for the New Year.

GOALS:
Starting with the lowest scoring items from my RISE Plan, I will create a plan to bring them up to a level that will create a better balance in my life. I will do a Be-Do-Have exercise to visualise what I want this area to look like in its 10/10 ideal state and plan toward that.  This plan becomes a high priority so that area does not stay languishing in a less than perfect score

I will always try to work out how I can improve while keeping the monetary outlay as minimal as possible.  If I find that an upgrade does require actual money spent, then I need to work out how to incorporate it into the budget so the expense has as little an impact as possible.

These goals may change slightly over the year. (I am not so rigid that my January plans MUST be adhered to all year), but it creates a good launching pad for the New Year to come.

JOURNAL:
Spending some time of journalling what I see in my “new normal” life for this year helps in a number of ways.  It helps imprint your visualitions into your mind.  It has been proven that magic happens when you put pen to paper.  Also knowing what little things I have planned as upgrades helps when people invariably ask me “What do you want for ( Birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmas)”.   I will have a ready made list in my head of what I am desiring 🙂  This same list might also become saved searches in eBay, Gumtree or Facebook.  It is surprising how often the “perfect thing” comes up at a great price.

SPECIFY:
I will get specific with my goals. Vague goals such as “I am going to make self-care a priority” does not cut it.. It needs to be a SMART Goal. So my goal may be broken down to specific goals like
1: Book hairdresser every 6 weeks ongoing
2: Spend 30 minutes each morning on “me time”
3: Find a massage coupon (3-4 times for the year)

SCHEDULE:
The first thing I do in my new year diary is to book out family birthdays and occasions.  I know we get together as a family for many of these, so pencilling out those weekends as busy shows me how much spare time I have for “US”

I will then dedicate each month to a specific area from my RISE Plan.  By concentrating on the areas that need the biggest upgrades first. It is these areas that might need to have new habits over a longer time period or a separate budget to consider.  For example, I have a renovation of our Kitchen and Bathroom on the plan for 2021.  I would like this to happen mid-year, but I will schedule it early in the year, so I have plenty of time to plan, get quotes and even start purchasing items for it as I might see sale items pop up.

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:
While is great to have “Stretch Goals” if you make your goals too hard to achieve, it serves only to make you disillusioned and with feelings of failure.  Many of my goals will be two pronged – “Can certainly achieve if I stick to the plan” and “Would be nice if I really push it”

ALLOW DETOURS:
As in any journey, there is no “right way” to get from A-B, and allowing for detours to the plan is Ok as long as the direction is ultimately toward the end goal.  Sometimes it is these detours or “scenic routes” than can the most surprising results.

Your RISE Plan will help you pick up where you left off or reset some ideals of your ideal life.

Keep in mind that you are creating YOUR ideal life, and every bit of progress is a win.

What is “Sunshine Cash”?

The whole concept of “Sunshine Cash” is the total opposite to “Saving for a Rainy Day”

It is, of course, important to save an emergency fund for unforeseen events, but (in my opinion) to have money in the bank for money’s sake is just not necessary.

In no way would I EVER advocate spending more than you have, but cash is there to be spent. ALWAYS pay your bills first, then allow funds for savings and general “adulting” then allow some “Sunshine Cash” for just having fun.

My Story..

I have been on this planet for 50 something years now and have learnt a lot in that time ( as we have all) Some of the lessons I have taken to heart and have created a happy content life that is MY version of pretty damn good 😊 All while NOT “keeping up with the Jones’ (or the Kardashians)

I vividly remember as a child, the excitement of the big Saturday paper.  Mum would read the lifestyle, cooking and fashion liftouts, Dad would have the news and sport, my brother would race for the comics and I just LOVED the ad catalogues.

The  JOY of browsing each page and tenderly touching images of items that seemed only for the “rich”.  With my hands on an image, I could close my eyes and imagine exactly what it would be like to have that thing. The way I felt, the touch,  the sounds, the smell.  Ahhh bliss!!

Little did I know that I was manifesting my ideal life even as a youngster.  I always knew what my ideal life looked like.

My life is not “frugal” in the traditional sense of some ( I do not scrimp on every penny) Instead, I know what my ideal life looks and feels like and actively work toward that goal everyday.

Over the years I have been told MANY times how “Lucky” I am and my answer has always been “I worked bloody hard to be this lucky” The truth is though… I am LAZY 😊 I actually don’t like to work too hard, but I do work hard for my money and I expect my money to work hard for me.