No.893: Plan With Me for February 2025

I’m trying something a little different for goal planning this school year.  My new motto: we are not machines, we don’t have infinite energy levels, we can only do so much!  Hopefully this new method will help me reduce my stress and prioritize the right things at the right times.

If I could describe January in one word, I would say “peaceful.”  Sure, we had frigid temperatures and snow that wouldn’t melt and illness and flooring repair delays, but there were significantly more good things to offset those frustrations.  Late last year, I started to see how my stress affected my children and I was very ashamed.  I promised myself in 2025 that I would stop stress at the start, choosing to trust that all would be well and God would provide.  One month in and that small mindset has been life-changing for me and the general atmosphere of my home.  What a blessing.

Onto the goals!  Let’s review January first:

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

1. commit to Low Spend January (This turned out to be a bust as we had farm purchases and a couple of celebrations to pay for, but intentionally looking at the budget is always a good habit to cultivate.)
2. get back to carnivore/paleo/keto (I hate labels, but I’m basically just trying to eliminate sugar and bread.  I derailed quite a bit when I was sick but am slowly getting back on track.  Considering it a win.)
3. order a new hot wire energizer for the pigs ($300 but definitely a must-have around here.)
4. brainstorm new chicken tractor construction (We had snow on the ground and frigid temperatures for most of the month and I was more focused on keeping animals warm and dry than prepping for the future.  Next month!)
5. finish the house sampler cross-stitch project (DONE!  I’m so excited.)

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

1. embrace the slow cooker/Dutch oven for easy dinners (I think I only pulled out the slow cooker once?)
2. drop off donations (So happy to have those bags and boxes out of my trunk!)
3. start making the 2025 garden plan
4. mend two dresses that have slits a little too high (An easy fix.)
5. send at least one piece of snail mail (Just one birthday card.  I need to get back into the habit.)

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

1. debt reduction: earn $100+ reselling unneeded items around the house (Final amount earned: $135.26)
2. mother academia: read Hamlet
3. home projects: declutter 30+ things to donate, sell or throw away (I ended up not using the calendar and just found random items from everywhere.  42 more items to toss, sell or donate.)
4. health: schedule bloodwork
5. farm: inventory remaining seed packets and make a list of what is needed

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On to February’s goals!

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

These tasks tend to have deadlines or really should be completed this month.

1. get the paperwork ready for taxes and complete
2. research the gums regeneration routine, buy the supplies and follow the protocol
3. put piglets out on pasture
4. start a “Christmas Club” savings line into our budget (taking the total amount I will need and dividing that number by 9 to find out how much to save – I start shopping early!)
5. set up the seed starting station

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

Examples of these tasks would be seasonal goals or things that just generally have less urgency.

1. comment on at least ten blog posts
2. complete Patsi’s (at A Working Pantry) preparedness class
3. inventory and purchase everyone’s needed socks, undies, undershirts, etc.
4. get a frame for my completed cross-stitch project
5. restart a regular listing routine for Poshmark/Pango/ebay

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

This area is for big, overwhelming goals that can be broken down into bite-sized, attainable steps.

1. debt reduction: earn $100+ reselling unneeded items around the house
2. mother academia: read Civil War Wives
3. home projects: survive the hardwood flooring replacement!
4. handmade Christmas: complete one cross-stitch ornament
5. farm: start seeds