January 2026 Sending and Swans

Food Groceries $719.45

Food out $202.77

Pets $77.07
Household consumables/ Toiletries $103.40

Vitamins $42.94
Clothing $0
Stuff $0

Total 2026 Spending: $1145.63

Number of THINGS purchased: 0

NO Spend days: SEVENTEEN

Average daily spending for 2026: $36.96

Divided by four: $9.24 a day per person

_______________________

Spice: swans 

I drive past some gorgeous wetland areas on my way to work each morning. One particular spot is a nesting area for tons of enormous white swans. Seeing the swans each morning brings me such joy. They are magnificent birds. I love spying them sitting on their nests, floating along with their cygnets, ducking their heads under water for food, or just regally floating.

By observation I found out this year that the swans don’t fly south. I’d been observing the large population of swans floating in an ever shrinking spot of open water wondering why they weren’t leaving. The open water kept getting smaller and smaller. The swans huddled closer and closer together. Until one day during this mini ice age the open water closed shut and the swans were suddenly gone. I mean it was inevitable but I wondered at their winter plight.

I realize that nature with its intense awe inspiring beauty is also harsh and unforgiving. The lion eats the gazelle. There are moths that emerge from their cocoons with no mouth or ability to eat; they flutter through nature solely able to lay eggs. Some insects mate and then get devoured by their mate. The list goes on. None the less I’ve been saddened by the disappearance of the swans knowing that they’re out there somewhere, lack of open water, in this frigid awful weather. I have actually been worried about them.

Well yesterday, day two of glorious sunshine I spied not only open water by so many big fluffy gorgeous swans. It was such a joy seeing them well, seeing them floating and sunning themselves, regardless of the bitter cold. My joy was full because of the swans.

And funny enough my daughter’s storybook Bible reading yesterday was about how God cares for the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field. So we need not worry ourselves about tomorrow.

Week four spending recap

Food Groceries $221.15

Food out $34.92

Household consumables/ Toiletries $35.96

Pets $17.49

Total Spending week four: $309.52

Number of THINGS purchased: 0

NO Spend days this month: SEVENTEEN

Average daily spending this week: $44.22

________________________

And just like that January is behind us.

28, 29, 30, 31

Jan 28: $69.75 food groceries

$16.58 shampoo and conditioner

$3.99 dish soap

$17.49 Dentastix for the dogs

Jan 29: No Spend Day 16

Jan 30: $33.39 food groceries

$4.55 crafting paint (for valentines projects at work)

$2.85 tape

$34.92 Jimmy Johns for dinner

Jan 31: No Spend Day 17

_____________________

Today’s (Fri) little joy was seeing glorious sunshine all day!!! It was still really cold but the sky put on its most brilliant blue, a color I don’t feel that I’ve seen in weeks. The heavy, angry, depressing grey that’s been lying across our world forever finally lifted. Every time I looked out the windows in my class room I met the glorious sunshine and was privileged to witness the brilliant blue; it was as if the sky put on its most elaborate apparel and was beaming with pride at the show.

The beautiful pure white crystals of snow blanketing every branch, every twig, every last evergreen, lay thick upon all the world outside my window and looked all the more splendid and gorgeous under the brilliant bright blue covering.

I truly received sparks of joy each and every time I glanced out the window today. And I noticed myself stopping several times while holding on my hip one of the three babies I spent the bulk of my day with, the both of us would just gaze at the almost unreal scene of winter forest, brilliant crystals of white, and radiant glorious blue. That was my most notable joy today. 

January 25, 26, 27

25: $118.01 food groceries

$7.99 toilet paper

26: No Spend Day 14

27: No Spend Day 15

_________________

I’m so cold. This little ice age is in all honesty making it very difficult to notice lovely moments. I mean the winter wonderland is outrageously lovely but its also ferociously fierce and assaulting. Ferocious beauty!

Today’s moment that oddly brought me a tremendous amount of joy is really really simple. I wash all our dishes by hand. Constantly. Thanks to my husband who spent years complaining about my “gross” dish rags I use a blue sponge that I get from the dollar tree (because sponges are so much less gross; cough cough)

For the past four days my dollar tree blue sponge has been disintegrating, rapidly. It was in bad shape! BUT the thought of making a trip out in this ferocious beauty just to buy a new dish sponge was more than I could bear. So I’ve been washing dishes. Watching it crumble. Dreading the extra trip out. And avoiding the inevitable.

Except that today I opened the cupboard under the sink and what do you suppose was staring me in the face? Yep, a pristine, gorgeously blue, cushy new dollar tree dish sponge. No, don’t go imagining that someone went out and got me one. I had simply thought I had been using the last one up (REALLY using it up) and I was wrong.

And so the most notable moment of joy for me today was being wrong. It was glorious!

Week three spending recap

Food Groceries $216.22

Food out $40.72

Household consumables/ Toiletries $4.09

Pets $59.58

Total Spending: $320.61

Number of THINGS purchased: 0

NO Spend days: THIRTEEN

Average daily spending this week: $45.80

21, 22, 23, 24

Jan 21: $114.74 food groceries

$38.74 burgers and fries at our favorite local hamburger joint (SO good!)

Jan 22: No Spend Day #11

Jan 23: No Spend Day #12

Jan 24: No Spend Day #13

______________________

This week has been a bit of an icy blur. Home stuff is always a ton of non stop go go go but add to that me trying to complete my 40 hour training for certification at work plus I’ve been doing a bunch of extra for my class at work trying to get ready for February. Its fun extra but still adds to the to-dos and extra long mental list.

AND its SOOOO cold here!!! Its making my body ache so much extra. Last night it got to -10F/ -23C outside. That’s crazy!

Thus, all my spices this week were: stovetop hot cocoa with fresh whipped cream and sprinkles, piping hot coffee, really thick wool socks, and things like that. I’m just too cold and sore to remember anything lovely that wasn’t warm.

Our favorite circle time book this week:

18, 19, 20

Jan 18: $101.48 food groceries

$4.09 for sandwich bags, toilet bowl cleaner and tissues

$59.58 dog food

Jan 19: No Spend Day #10

Jan 20: $1.98 using up the remainder of the Starbucks gift card

______________________

Spice: snow!

We’re in the midst of an awesome winter blizzard. The schools have been closed all week so far. The roads are treacherous. The snow just keeps coming down and its fabulous! I know I’m nuts. But I love driving in it when its really bad. Its such a fun challenge, almost entirely unlike normal driving. I love the way the snow brightens up the world. I love the frozen lakes and ponds covered in blankets of fluffy white magic. I am NOT a fan of cold. But if it has to be cold a few fabulous winter blizzards are a blessing in my life.

 

Week two spending recap

First Friday and Saturday were as follows:

Jan 16: $62.32 for all of us to eat at a brand new sandwich shop/ deli that just opened three blocks feom our house. Hubby knows the owners from high school days and was so excited to go check it out. It was good. Very pricy!

Jan 17: $15.08 The kids and I had Little Caesars for dinner. Because pizza is such a comfort food for me My spending for the second week of January is as follows:

Food Groceries $105.92

Food out $77.40 Yikes!

Household consumables/ Toiletries $34.18

I also bought Vitamins: $42.94

Total Spending: $260.44

Number of THINGS purchased: 0

NO Spend days: NINE

Average daily spending this week: $37.21

January 15

 No Spend Day #9

______________

I’m sitting here at the laundromat feeling too tired to remember anything lovely today. But there are always bright spots. Even after a night of very poor sleep (truly, no specific reason), an early work shift, and my family hounding me for this and that and every other thing the minute I walked in the door. There are always bright spots.

I just started a new book with Abe. I’ve been reading chapter books to him since he was probably three. Nightly. But recently, since he’s “older” I feel like I’m always reading a book to Wren at night time and he’s not been listening in lately.

Well today we started a new read aloud for school and I read to him for an hour while he laid there and listened. I realized that its been a long time since I read to him. And it was great stopping at the end of a chapter and hearing him say, “Hey! You can’t stop there!” So of course I smiled and said, “okay, I’ll read one more chapter.”

That was my bright spot today.

January 14

Food groceries: $65.37

Ziplock bags: $7.20

Toiletries: $16.99

___________________

I have two spices for today. 

Our dear friend from the blog Trundling Through Life suggested I try granny squares. I had to google what exactly that was but I’ve now tried a sunflower pattern and she was spot on! It was really fun. I loved the new challenge today and I’m excited about memorizing the pattern (my memory has been rotten for the past few years; it’ll be nice to challenge it in this new way). 

Second spice: Starbucks soy mocha. When I was a merchandizer at ten different stores, about six of them containing Starbucks, it was the easiest thing to buy Starbucks coffee all the time (and such a waste of money). Those days are far behind me. Now I pretty much only buy Starbucks when I have a gift card. Which just so happened to be today.

I had a Christmas gift card from a family at the daycare and I truly believe that fancy coffee tastes SOOO much more delicious when it’s a generous gift on rare occasion. It was lovely.

January 13

 No Spend Day #8

_______________

Today’s lovely moment was reading a book and drinking lady grey tea while on break at work. My shift got extended. My break was much later than usual. Often times I do planning for my room during break or I drive to McDonalds for a coffee.

It was very nice just sitting in the couch area of the church, in silence, reading, and drinking very hot delicious tea.

January 11 & 12

Sunday: Food groceries: $40.55

Household consumables: $9.99

Laundry detergent

Dish soap

Kleenex

Vitamins: $42.94

Monday: No Spend Day #7

_____________________

Today’s spice: Sunshine. Yep. Its SO overcast during our almost six month long winters. Today every time I looked outside it was so goldeny sunny. Winter sun is really friendly. Including right this very moment the lazy, friendly winter sunshine beaming through the windows is making me happy.

Week One Spending Recap

The first week, first ten days in-fact, of 2026 is in the past. Its only a ten day buffer between the wretched 2025 and the present but I am happy to have it there. Hip hip hooray for a new year!

During these first ten days I accomplished my goal of not buying anyTHING. I really only struggled once. The guys went away for two days on an amusement park trip (something they now do several times a year) while Wren and I stayed home and highly enjoyed the peace and calm. She decided she NEEDED a special toy since big brother was getting an entire vacation. I had already resolved to not buy anyTHING this month but I wavered, debating whether or not I should let her have a tiny shopping trip surely culminating in a squishy toy or a tin of putty.

I’m happy to announce that I found a work around. I explained to her that she’d just gotten loads of new stuff for Christmas (SO MUCH STUFF!!!), that I would not be adding anything new to this house before Valentines day, and then I gave her the ability to earn cash by doing odd jobs. Needless to say she was annoyed at me.

Afterwards we went to the store and she looked in her favorite toy area at present: slime, putty, and squishy toys. She found several things in the $7 range that she wanted. Then we returned home (not having purchased any of them) with a $7 goal in mind. She then earned $4 from doing odd jobs and the matter has not been discussed further. That would have been six days ago now.

That’s a win!

My spending for the first week of January is as follows:

Food Groceries $176.16

Food out $49.73 : from a small McDonals breakfast and one family dinner of subs from Jimmy Johns

Household consumables/ Toiletries $29.17 : I purchased bleach, two rolls of paper towel, and spent $10 on the dryers at the laundromat.

Total 2026 Spending: $255.06

Number of THINGS purchased: 0

NO Spend days: SIX

Average daily spending for 2026: $25.50

When I started $12 a day fifteen years ago we were a household of two with two small dogs and a cat, prior to the massive inflation of the last decade.

We’re now a household of four, with dogs double the size, two crested geckos, and a young red footed tortoise, post massive inflation. For my own mental gymnastics and arguments sake I think $12 a day would be a very reasonable budget for just me, or more practically a quarter of our household spending.

Thus $25.50 a day divided by four is a $6.36 a day spending average for the first ten days of the new year.

January 10

 No Spend Day #6

_________________

Today’s spice: This morning I was struggling through a crochet project gifted to me by my dear dear husband who decided that I need a hobby… bwah haha HA!!! This is the third kit he’s given me but by far the most difficult.

I was attempting to crochet the tiniest little yellow dinosaur, struggling to count my stitches, not understanding parts of the pattern (I winged the face crown of horns thing it has because I refused to take the effort to figure that part out), and oh my its SO small! 

While struggling to figure it out my children (who generally do not play well together) were playing a game of hide and seek. To be honest the 30 minute episode was quite tense with the activity, noise, and struggle I was having. But the highlight of the day was amongst that tense 30 minutes as my little yellow dino (it is not finished) started to take shape and my daughter kept finding really great hiding spots, which she normally struggles to do. It was sheer joy listening to her brother attempt to find her. She kept completely quiet all the while. I loved sitting there listening to their wild game knowing how proud she was of herself at finally excelling at a game her brother has always bested her at. 

Victory is a very sweet spice.

January 9

 No Spend Day #5

_______________

Today’s spice was chocolate! It was someone at work’s birthday so there were birthday treats in the kitchen. Someone made cupcake brownies with a peanut-butter cup center. They were so good!

January Goal

 Married 23 years. Lived in our house 21 years. Raising a 13 year old and a 7 year old. I am overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we’ve managed to pack into this house. SO! MUCH! STUFF!

I’ve read the books. I know how to declutter. I know how to organize. But alas here I am, overwhelmed by stuff (for the record I’d be a happy minimalist owning almost nothing but I live with other people 😂).

My one January goal is simply not to buy anyTHING. 

Nothing that needs a permanent home. Nothing that can’t be eaten or used up quickly. Yeah, I’ll keep fighting the good fight, throwing stuff away, donating things, maybe I’ll even 1 in 2 out for anything my husband and kids acquire but for myself I’m hoping not to buy stuff this month.

Spending today: 

Food groceries: $72.58

Jimmy Johns for dinner: $36.20

__________________________

Today’s spice is premature. Tonight at bedtime I’m finishing book two in a three book series with Wren. Last month we read Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George. This month we quickly read through Dragon Flight, which we’re finishing tonight. That’s my spice today. They’ve been really fun to read, we’re excited to finish book two AND we’re excited to start the next book. Premature spice: finishing Dragon Flight and diving into Dragon Spear.

January 7, 2026

I had a $10 gift card to a local bakery from one of the parents at the daycare where I work. On my lunch break today I stopped there and picked up four pretzels, one for each of my family members. They cost $3 each. So I ended up spending $2 out of pocket.

Todays spending $2 for pretzels

Today’s love bit: My classroom at the daycare is four infants and me. There are loads of rewarding aspects about my job but it is a very challenging job regardless. On Wednesday (generally my day off) we only have two or three babies that come. I worked a rare Wednesday shift today with just two baby boys. Being able to spend the extra time, that is not usually available because of twice as many bottles, and twice as many diapers, and so on, instead looking at books, going for a fun stroller ride, and squeezing in extra giggles was truly the highlight of my day.   

January 6, 2026

I had to look back to see, I started this blog 15 years and two days ago. Wow! 15 years and two days ago  my husband and I were only 8 years into our now 23 year marriage. We had our two Miniature schnauzers and our cat. Sweet, sweet fur babies. Having children and becoming a mom was only a dream. 

It seems that 15 years ago I was just starting to learn about life, or shall I clarify, adult life. I spent so many years essentially journaling out those life lessons here. Over those years I benefited greatly from the simple act of journaling my thoughts, challenges, and trials, and (bonus) met some incredible people along the way.

I think I’m back

No Spend day #4

______________________

Today’s lovely bit: Right this moment actually. Our dogs follow me all over the house, but not in an annoyingly noticeable way. Just that whenever I’m settled somewhere if I glance around, Daisy is lying on the ground near me and Party is laying as close to me as he thinks I’ll allow. They’re not in the bedroom with my husband, or upstairs with Abe, or watching Bluey in the livingroom with Wren. Nope. They’re surrounding me as I read. Its kind of special. Its lovely.

Okay, also, Out My Window’s comment was really sweet too and kind of also made my day! 🥰

January 5, 2026

 No Spend Day #3

——————-

Today’s spice: For the past few days my daughter has been requesting pancakes for breakfast. We got eggs and syrup with our groceries yesterday so today was the day. Honestly, watching her gather and dump the ingredients, mix up the batter, and clumsily dump it into the hot pan could be today’s spice. I forced myself to slow down, step aside and let her take the wheel this morning (something I really struggle with). 

But today’s high point, or the spark that really stood out to me was after she’d taken the egg out of the new carton. She set it into the half cup measure and turned back to the carton starting to adjust EVERY egg. She’s potentially the most exploratory child I know (and that’s saying ALOT) and regularly it drives me nuts! BUT today I purposefully let her touch every egg because SHE was making the pancakes. She turns and says to me, “I need to flip the eggs first because every time we get them they’re always on their tops.”

I could have rushed her along. I normally would have told her to stop touching all the eggs and get back to the pancakes but today I forced myself to pause and I learned something about eggs. I never noticed that they ALWAYS come on their tops. And I hadn’t realized they should be righted. Also, I had the pleasure of witnessing Wren’s curiously beautiful mind at work.

AND we built a snowman!

January 4, 2026

 McDonalds breakfast $11.53

Food groceries $69.77

Paper towels $2.49

Total: $83.79

_______________________

Today’s spice: Peace and calm. I love my husband and son dearly but Wren and I had the house all to ourselves today and it was so peaceful. We didn’t do a single “special” thing in their absence but we enjoyed being together, just the girls, very very much.