Wow. This thirtydays is going to kill me. What started out with reducing the amount of garbage in my can has grown into me questioning everything I use. I probably should stay off the internet. Plastics, global warming, fires and covid has kinda pushed me over the edge. That said, I know I am just one person but I hope to make my footprint a tiny bit smaller.
Plastic is my enemy. From now on I will try to purchase things that are wrapped in paper. Like toilet paper. Instead of the giant pack that is double encased in plastic wrap I will opt for the individual rolls that are in a cardboard box. It may not be name brand but every little bit helps.
Plastic orange juice containers. I have a three pack left. I use it in my green drinks in the morning. (That’s one thirtydays I have been able to stick to). The next time I need to get some I will buy it in the cardboard containers. I will save them to use for water in the camp trailer. So they won’t be going into the trash lol.
Shred garbage. I found a few ways to reuse this. Fire starters for camping. Stuff into toilet paper rolls along with dryer lint. Easy way to start a campfire. You can also put it around plants/trees and mix it in with bark mulch.
I finally got the composter. It came in a million pieces so I had my son in law put it together. Thanks Randy! I also got a cute tiny compost can to put kitchen waste in. Right now the contents of the composter is mostly eggshells, lettuce, egg cartons, banana peels and onions. Hmmm, what does that say about my diet lol.
Only a few days left to this thirtydays but I think this one I will continue 👍🏽
Where did July go? 64 ounces of water seemed like a lot to toss back. Eight, 8oz glasses per day. Well apparently I drink a ton of water because at the end of the day I was measuring in at 90-100 ounces. I have to add that I quit drinking coffee on the weekdays so I probably traded that liquid for water but hey, my blood pressure went back to normal so, yay!
While trying to decide what my next thirtydays would be I was at the store buying groceries and as usual I didn’t bring my recycle bags in with me. It’s not that I don’t have any I just never bring them in. So this month I will be trying to reduce waste. No store bought bags because I’m too lazy to go back and get them. If the apples I’m buying are in a huge plastic container I won’t be buying them. As most of you know I do a lot of shopping at Costco which means buying in bulk. That can either be a curse or a blessing when it comes to packaging. I will also be taking that into consideration. Ultimately the end result will mean less garbage in the cans that has to be taken to the dump. I know I’m just one person but for some reason I produce a lot of trash.
For this thirtydays I will try to drink at least 64oz of water per day. I know. Boring. Lol but this is part of my plan to get healthy. I’m trying to come up with a plan on how to measure it out during the day. I guess that’s four 16oz glasses a day. That doesn’t seem like that much. Hmm. Maybe this will be an easy one. Wish me luck🤞🏽
Well, my paper list is done and I think I’m ready. I will do a last minute repack just to make sure I remembered socks and unders lol. Probably two repacks 😂
I also packed a backpack specifically for the park. I’ll be flying in late and I don’t want to have to worry about what I’m taking to the park in the morning. I checked my paper list to the contents of my suitcase one more time. I think I’m good😂 I must add that this is my first ever carry-on only trip. I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to do carry-on only but have never been able to squeeze it all in. I squished everything I will need into a tiny suitcase and a backpack. Granted I’m only going to be there for three days but you never know what you will need. I was going to have Krystal and Randy drive my suitcase down but I didn’t trust them to not get it stolen lol. So they took my pillow and my blanket instead. I will only be a little mad if they lose them lol.
I dropped the dogs off this morning. And by dogs I had a plus one lol. Sunny is going to Canine Country Club with Axel and Kohl. Axel was not a happy camper. He kept trying to leave with me. Sunny and Kohl were clueless. Totally engrossed in sniffing every inch of the floor. Well I guess I know who really loves me. 🐶 I told Kris, don’t forget Sunny when you pick them up lol.
On my way to the airport. While driving I was thinking it would totally suck if I got a flat tire. Since I dont know how to change one, lol. I would definitely miss my flight. Luckily I made it to the airport. I had to park a mile away. I hope I can remember where my car is. I drove the Cooper so parking would be easy but it’s short and it hides between cars. I took a picture of where it’s at so that might help me.
Check in was fast. I flew through TSA. Well that is until they scanned my bag. Note to self. If you are bringing a bunch of quarters and pennies for the penny squishing machines, make them easier to find. The TSA agent was digging all through my suitcase. Lol. He asked me if I knew where they were. Uh no. He finally found them in my other backpack. By that time my perfectly organized bag was a disaster. Thanks lol.
Oh and I look like a dork. I didnt want to wear shoes I had to tie so I opted for my birkenstocks. I also don’t like walking barefoot through the TSA checkpoint soooo I have socks on. With camo shorts. And a cat shirt.😂😂🤣🤣😂😂 I’m quite the fashionista lol.
Finally boarding. I boarded through the back door. Lol. They took my suitcase at the gate because they said it wouldn’t fit in the overhead compartment lol. The airplane is so small. Total 76 seats. I’m in seat 17b next to the window and the engine. There are only 19 rows total. The windows don’t have shades 🌞😎 It is so awesome. We are flying over the clouds. They look like snow. I’m kinda glad I have to wear a mask. Smells like a cross between a lawnmower and a room full of sweaty people. It really makes me appreciate first class and big airplanes 😂
Our flight has a complementary beer or red wine drink. Umm I’ll pass on that. Maybe a cute little box of water and a Kind bar. Really don’t want to get airsick.
Super short layover in Seattle and then on to Los Angeles. Of course I got lost trying to find the next gate. I blame the signage.
The next airplane was bigger and I was sitting in row 7. Closer to the front.
I was so lucky and got to sit next to two obnoxious people, a mom and college age son and a screaming baby behind me. The mom read a book made out of paper the entire flight so she had her light on the whole time. I fell asleep and I woke to a spotlight glaring down on me. She had turned my light on too🙄. The son kept complaining about the screaming baby and that he would never have kids. Good. The obnoxious gene will stop there😂
Randy picked me up. Got to the hotel at 1 a.m. So tired but need a shower to get rid of airplane germs. Getting up early to beat the crowds😁
Well last day of no snooze and so far I haven’t used it for all of my work days. It has been slightly annoying. I’ve been waking up a half hour before the alarm is supposed to go off. So then I contemplate getting up or not. Lol. Not going back to sleep. That would be torture.
What will my next thirtydays be? It’s hard to say. I can’t believe I only have six more. Where has this year gone?
Recap of the first six.
1. no online shopping
2. No candy/chocolate
3. Shop small business
4. The Purge
5. Drink a green drink every day
6. No snooze
The hardest one so far was number one. No online shopping. I haven’t really quit doing that. I think that the thirtydays just made me more aware of what I was buying online and to think about number three. Shop small. I try to be more aware of small businesses now.
The easiest one by far was number five. I’m still drinking a green drink every weekday morning before work. It’s been even easier since I’ve been getting up earlier lol.
Number four, the purge, will probably last all year. I have way too much stuff for one person.
Number two, no candy or chocolate was tough and I may need to revisit this one as well. Sugar makes me a little crazy sometimes.
I think, for the most part, thirtydays has helped me organize parts of my life. Not completely but a little at a time.
Okay, so this is a bit off topic for my thirtydays blog but it has relevance to that and to Foxpartyofone.
Krystal : Let’s go to Disneyland California Adventure. The Avengers Campus is open and Camden would love it.
Me: Okay, when.
Krystal : Two weeks from now.
Me: 😲😲😲😳 are you crazy? That’s not enough time to plan and pack. I need at least 3 months.
Krystal : Be spontaneous.
Me: Impossible. No way. I can’t. I am a calculated travel planner. I need time to think about the logistics of everything.
Compromise. One month. Eek!
1. Dogs. Tracy, my dogsitter is not available….so dogs will need to be boarded at Canine Country Club. That’s not an issue. The fact that they need the kennel cough vaccine is. So, now I’m at the Vet and there is a, “several” hour wait time because Axel needs an exam to get that vaccination. 🙄 It is so long that they say I can leave and come back. So I did. I went to the gym and back to the house lol. Went back and checked in. The called me and made an appointment for later in the month with the assurance that it would be enough time prior to boarding them. I just hate waiting till the last second to get stuff done.
2. Tickets. Randy got the park passes and made our reservations to enter the park. They are limiting the amount of people in per day, masks are still required but they will be opening it up to guests outside of California on June 15th. So the rush is on. Not just for us but all of America lol.
3. Flights. I booked my flight to depart out of Eugene. I think that will be the easiest to get to. The only one available for a late departure was through Alaska Airlines and there is a layover in Seattle. I won’t fly in until midnight but I won’t have to worry about driving around Los Angeles. Randy will be picking me up. The flight back is a straight shot with United.
4. Packing. I’m doing carry-on plus a backpack. I think I’ll be fine for space. I will only be there three days. This is going to be a very quick trip.
Getting my paper list started. Wish me luck. I’m going to need it😂
In the past, I was setting my alarm for 6 a.m. Pushing the snooze until 7 a.m. Sometimes not getting out of bed until 7:15 a.m. Mind you I need to leave the house by 7:50 a.m. at the latest. So thirty-five minutes to let the dogs out, feed them, make a green drink, take a shower, get dressed, make up my face and let the dogs out again. This schedule makes for a slightly stressful morning lol. So, Tuesday, June 1st, I changed my routine. I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m., unchecked the snooze feature on my phone and crossed my fingers. I also sleep with a noise app on my phone. I set it to fade out at 5:00 a.m.
Did it work? Yes! I actually woke up at 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. It gave me time to lay in bed and plan my day.
I know that’s only two days but I am semi confident lol.
Wow, this thirtydays has to be THE most boring of them all lol. I have been drinking a green drink every morning before work but none on the weekends. I did add some to the Ingredient list. Ground hemp seeds, ground flax and ground chia seeds. I tried to add a banana but that was terrible. So was adding blueberries. I guess I’m not a fruit smoothie drinker. The major task has been getting up with enough time to make one. That means less snoozing and more getting out of bed lol. With that, I have my next thirtydays. No snooze. So far, this morning I was up on the first buzz. I will still continue to purge the unwanted stuff in my house. I took two more bags to Salvation Army. That is such a liberating feeling. With every bag that leaves the house I feel a little bit more organized and now with fire season in effect, there will be more donations less burning stuff lol. Not that I burn everything. Just the garbage.
Day fifteen already! I have gotten rid of six bags of clothing and miscellaneous. All taken to Salvation Army. Drop off with them is super simple. I pull up, put the bags in a shopping cart and they take them away. Almost magic. Not so easy at Goodwill. They make you sort you stuff into bins. So that means tearing open the bags and sorting it out. Any small stuff at the bottom gets dumped in and potentially lost.
I have only tackled one room and my closet. While looking through all the stuff I have accumulated I come to realize that its’ worth is not in the price that I paid for it but the space it’s actually taking up. Realistically I could sell it on eBay or Mercari but I would actually have to do it. There is a ton of stuff that I could sell but I need to be honest with myself. Would I or will I store it for another 20 years and make my kids deal with it lol.
That’s one of my nightmares. Dying unexpectedly and leaving a giant house full of stuff. I don’t worry about dying. Just the stuff I leave behind.
Well, let’s move on from that morbid piece of information.
Well I’m almost finished with my third thirtydays. Shopping small. I guess I should define what that means to me. Shopping small for me is shopping local. While in Maui I did go to Costco to get some of the food staples but that puts the locals to work. The rest of the shopping was at the small shops. I loved walking along the boardwalk in the historic district of Lahaina and down the street from our Airbnb in Kihei. I know some might consider these tourist traps but well I was a tourist lol. Some of those stores you could get lost in. Not because of their size but the amount of merchandise there was to see and touch….oops sorry Krystal lol. Good thing they all had hand sanitizer going in and out. My favorite find was the quilt blocks that were hand cut from Aloha shirts. Awesome! They did all the hard work for me.
I also consider shave ice a shopping item. Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice was the best. Ice cream in the center with shave ice on top. Then you choose your flavor toppings and then add the fresh mochi and haupia cream. Yum!
I love how this table has holes for the shave ice cup!
I went to a few craft/farmers markets. This is what lead to the problem of packing it all home. Hahaha. Every. Single. Trip. Oh well.
Which brings me to my next thirtydays. Spring has sprung and I am in need of a little spring cleaning. So my goal for April is to get the house cleaned out, room by room. No, I’m not going all Marie Kondo and touching everything while asking myself if the item brings me joy. 🤣 I will be looking at it, determining when I last touched it and tossing it if applicable. I’m thinking that will be much less time consuming.
foxpartyofone 