I had a few goals for September, most notably doing some decluttering and not drinking any alcohol, so here’s what happened. First of all, the booze.

Since I’m not a big drinker in the first place, it was pretty easy to give up the alcohol. What I didn’t mention at the time was that this was in the wider context of prioritising a better night’s sleep, because even the tiniest amount of booze can affect your sleeping patterns. The heatwave had messed my schedule up good and proper, and I was feeling generally groggy due to that, so it was time to reset and get some better quality rest.

I did about five weeks off the sauce in total, and although the results were fairly subtle there was a definite improvement. I found that I was sleeping about half an hour longer, waking up less in the night, and dreaming more deeply. It seems to have given me a bit of an energy boost and I’m also feeling more creative and inspired, so I’ll keep up with that during weeknights at least.

The only time I really, really wanted a drink was when I caught the cold / sore throat thing that’s been doing the rounds locally. A hot toddy would have been very welcome over the weekend, but I stuck to lemon and ginger tea with a little honey in it instead. I always sleep really badly when I have a virus anyway, so I’ll be having something medicinal later for a nightcap to take the edge off, I think. Okay, I know it isn’t really medicinal, but it makes having a bug less grim.

September was also a good month for decluttering the house. I managed to do several small tidy-ups around our home, ranging from the baking box to my jumper drawer, but there’s still a tiny bit more to do. Once I’m over this bug the plan is to get the last three things done: the home office area, the dressing table, and the garden shed. Fortunately the office space and the shed are very compact, so hopefully that won’t take too long.

A new Tenner Week & some Christmas prep

The last week of October is going to be a Tenner Week Challenge, so Sunday the 21st of October is going to be an optional Sunday Stocktake. The theme is going to be ‘Get Cosy for Winter’, and there will be something new – and free or very cheap – to try each day. To join in all you have to do is take out £10 in cash and limit your personal spending to that from Monday to Sunday inclusive. Full Tenner Week rules here, just in case you need a reminder.

I’ll also be rolling out some Christmas prep ideas, some gift trends, and a few festive food and drink trends for you to have a look at. That will be interspersed with new product reviews, bargains and treats, money saving tips and ideas, and the first Xmas decorating and gift guides.

If there’s anything special that you’d like me to include in the festive prep then just let me know and I’l see what I can do. 

Who wants to join me in a Tenner Week Challenge later this month? It’ll be nice to save some cash before the party season kicks in…