This Is This Week

This week, I am bucking all the advice and planning for a number of October challenges.

I love the sense of accomplishment and progress that comes from completing a 30-day challenge, and I find that I learn more about myself every time I embark on a new one.

In September, I tried to minimize my grocery budget and other expenditures during the no-spend challenge that Joy, Robyn, and I all completed.

There were some fails and cheats on my end, but I genuinely enjoyed the mindfulness that came with trying to minimize and reduce my purchases. 

Since moving in to my new home in January, it has become somewhat habitual and far too easy to make a purchase or justify an expense as a “need” for the new house. This challenge increased my awareness and made me think more carefully about where and when I was spending money.

The no-spend September also ended up becoming shelf-cook September as I strove to use more items from my pantry, fridge, and freezer instead of buying additional groceries each week.

These two challenges energized me and left me excited for new possibilities in October! 

October Challenges

No-Spend “Light”

In October, I plan to continue my no-spend challenge with a slightly lighter version; I am going to maintain my mindfulness about spending and keep expenses to a minimum. 

With the holidays just around the corner, it can’t hurt to save a few extra bucks!

Speaking of holidays, though, I will give myself some allowance to pick up early holiday gifts if I find an item that is a good fit — or a great deal! 

I may need to invest in a new pair of shoes for work, too, so I will make a few exceptions if the situation warrants.

Minimal Meals Month

Another challenge I am undertaking in October is an effort to minimize my meal planning and prepping even further as I feel the busy-ness of homeschooling and working creeping in.

I already simplified our school-day breakfasts and lunches by trying to prep these items in advance and having my kids pack their own lunches for the next day during the afternoon hours.

However, I have also been struck recently by how much we take the abundance of food in our lives for granted. We have multiple options for most meals, and I’d love to teach my kids to embrace more simplicity and gratitude in this area.

Thus, I concocted this “minimal meals month” idea.

I asked each of my three children what 10 foods (meaning ingredients or individual items — not meals) they would choose if given only 10 foods to eat for an entire month. 

With a little prompting from me to remember vegetables and items that could be eaten for the various meals, we devised a list. There were some duplicate items among the kids, and I ended up added a few things to round out the possible options.

Here’s our sorted ingredient list:

• Oats
• Eggs
• Bread
• Muffins*
• Almond milk
• Apples
• Mangoes
• Bananas
• Berries
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Bell Pepper
• Cucumbers
• Mushrooms
• Leafy greens
• Broccoli
• Spaghetti
• Tomato sauce
• Rice
• Black beans
• Tofu
• Canned fruit
• Peanuts
• Artichokes**
• Seaweed
• Chocolate
• Milk**
• Ham**
• Pepperoni**
• Mozzarella**
• Steak**
• Mac and cheese*
• Meatballs*

We ended up with 34 items and I am granting spices, onions, garlic, and basics like cocoa powder or baking soda a free pass.

*These items are not technically a singular ingredient, I realize, but my three-year-old has little concept of the complexity of some food items, so I gave him a bit more flexibility; I also can make muffins with the other ingredients and meatballs can technically be “one ingredient.” Mac and cheese will be allowed as an occasional item.

**These items will be allowed in limited quantities because I tend to cook largely plant-based meals (and also, my budget does not allow for steak — or fresh artichokes for that matter — multiple times a week!)

I am going to do my best not to bend the rules during this challenge so when I say “bread,” I mean basic sandwich bread.

Allowances will be made for if we are out at a party or church event or something; the meals challenge is strictly for what we eat at home.

No Added Sugar

Minimizing our meals for the month will hopefully make this personal goal a little easier. 

I have attempted no-sugar challenges before and I have had varying levels of success. At one point, A and I did a no-sugar challenge together, and that one went pretty well!

This month, I will seek to avoid any added sugars in my food (and this one I will be trying to stick to whether at home or on the go). 

I am taking a broad definition of sugar and will be avoiding any added sweeteners – artificial, “natural” like honey or maple syrup, and hidden (like in condiments and dressings).

Walktober and Squatober

I love fitness challenges, in particular, and though I have yet to successfully complete one (that I can recall), I am always willing to try!

Previous fails have included 30 days of yoga or trying to run one mile per day for 30 days.

This month, I am looking to up my steps game by increasing my daily step count to 20,000 steps. 

I currently average somewhere between 12K-17K steps most days, so I think this goal offers a nice push without being unrealistic.

I will also be joining Robyn as we attempt Squatober again. There are many iterations of this challenge, but we will be working our way up from 50 squats on October 1st to 250 squats on October 31st.

So that is the plan! I thought about attempting to add the 30-day minimalism challenge that Robyn mentioned in her last post too, but I think that would be too much to manage and track.

I’ll try to provide weekly updates throughout the month.

Perhaps you’ll consider embarking on a 30-day challenge of your own? Let us know in the comments below!