No.926: Plan With Me for June 2025

I’m trying something a little different for goal planning.  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.

Make It Do May was a complete blur but I’m considering it a success!  Our primary objective this month was to dig deep and pay off as much of our remaining debt as possible.  May was also an incredibly full month of celebrations, appointments and the end of the school year, so this challenge of saving/making money was tucked into the little nooks and crannies of everyday life.  A wild ride and I’m exhausted, ha!  As of this writing, we’re hovering around 20% of paid off debt and I’m looking forward to continuing into the summer.  Our big goal is to be debt free (except for the mortgage) by late fall and I really want to make that happen!  On to the plans…

Let’s review May first:

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

1. complete standardized testing and mail back (The last big task of the school year – yay for summer vacation!)
2. transplant all of the tomatoes and peppers
3. catch up on my stitch-a-day project (Not even close…I’m still really, really behind.)
4. muck the chicken coops (DONE.  My least favorite farm task.)
5. declutter at least 30 items (Final amount: 80!)

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

1. wear a dress everyday (24/31 days!  This wasn’t a “trad wife” statement or anything, I just wanted to feel a bit more put together and dresses are the easiest piece of clothing to do that.  Comfortable too!)
2. propagate hydrangeas from cuttings (I really hope this works…)
3. buy ferns for the front porch (My slightly unconventional Mother’s Day gift.  I love them.)
4. deep clean the refrigerator
5. move the playset to another spot on the property (This has been on my perpetual to-do list for TWO years!  I was thrilled.)

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

1. debt reduction: earn $200+ reselling unneeded items around the house (Sooo close!  Final amount earned: $193.76)
2. mother academia: read two Greek tragedies (I read Medea, but am only halfway through Agamemnon)
3. home: fix the front porch steps (My husband took care of this for me.  So thankful to not have any rotting boards anymore!)
4. handmade Christmas: choose a new pattern for ornament #3 and begin (I chose this free pattern.)
5. farm: tear down the old pig shelters (We ultimately decided to hold off on this for now.)

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On to June’s goals!

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

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

1. mail in our testing results and letter of intent for the next school year
2. install the new dishwasher
3. finish stripping the side hallway walls
4. figure out the water leak situation in the basement
5. launch a new summer series (the first post goes live on Thursday!)

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

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

1. start thinking about 2025-26 curriculum
2. declutter 30+ items
3. stay on top of weeding in the garden
4. make a temporary “farmer’s pool” for the kids out of a chill tank
5. bake a pie

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: finish Augustine’s Confessions
3. home: invest in new bath towels for everyone
4. handmade Christmas: finish cross-stitch ornament #3
5. farm: fertilize all of the fruit trees