Challenge: Put out the Dumpster Fire December 🧯🔥🗓

[LadyDuck]

Weekly update:
Moved some boxes that were in our way to better storage places. We also put up the mosquito net on our gazebo. I’d like to finish the patio area this week, if I can convince someone to pick up an outdoor coffee table somewhere for me…

[Cannibalsox]

@Cannibalsox

• Sign up for term life insurance. (complete!)
• Check all my credit cards, find out which ones have annual fees and when they are due, and make a note of which ones I need to cancel when (I just got burned by one this month, ugh). (complete!)
• Cancel Apple TV+ before it renews, same for Duolingo + free trial. (complete)
• Give away or sell a load of clothes — I don’t have to go through everything, but at least need to get rid of a full bag and actually get it out of the house. (counts as complete!)
• Increase my HSA contribution — doesn’t have to be by a lot. (complete!)
• Make real progress on hit by a bus folder — I don’t have to finish it, but I need to make a meaningful start

Wow it’s Sunday already. Got rid of enough clothes for it to count, especially as I got Sweaty to contribute some stuff to the mutual aid group as well. Still haven’t meaningfully started the hit by bus folder. Do have time to do that this week.

I didn’t state this as a goal at the beginning of the month, but I did also revise my budget spreadsheet format, which feels like the sort of end of year reckoning thing that belongs here!

[JRA64]

Of my two goals, replacing the tablet is completed. I’m using the new computer now.

I’ve completed a run of taxes etc. I plan to call to do the IRA conversion tomorrow. I think it requires a phone call? I plan to do it over the phone. So hopefully I am close.

[romancednovels]

Week 4 check-in:

We’ve been clearing out the garage on top of the holidays. My list has gone nowhere BUT(!) I am on vacation from work and hope to get a lot of it knocked out in the next few days. Honestly, I’m feeling a little defeated but I call upon my second wind!

[anomalily]

We’ll see how this goes, update as of far

Left to do with 4 days to go:

• Forms for end of year patron mailing (30 minutes)
• HIRE AN EDITOR FOR 2021! (2 hours)- started

Paperwork

• Apply to graduate school (5.5 hours)
• Send in for birth certificate (30 minutes)
• Get enrolled in 2021 Health Insurance (1 hour)

OMD admin

• 2021 editorial calendar through March (3 hours)
• Set up 21 in 2021 challenges (1.5 hours)
• Shipping all holiday stuff

Health

• 100 minutes of cardio a week Til I got Sick
• Get labs done (1 hour)
• Get non-enbrel scrip refills
• Stretch average of 100 minutes a week Til I got sick

Content

• START 2021 report (3 hours) started
• 4 episodes of OMD (10 hours)
• 4 livestreams (6 hours)
• Post 2021 goals (1 hour)
• Post 2020 goals review (1 hour)
• Post November monthly report (1 hour)
• Move off Sonix

Moved to 2021:

• Post money diaries (1.5 hours)
• Post 2020 budget sum up (1 hour)
• convert old transcripts (3 hours)
• Mail out 20 in 2020 + November challenge stickers (2 hours)

Not happening/ extinguishing

• 1 youtube video (!!!) before December 25th (14th anniversary of channel) (7 hours) - NOPE LOL

[anomalily]

January 2021 Challenge has arrived!

Return of snackuary - there’s other challenge options if you don’t want to do food-related stuff.

Snackuary 2021: January Food Budget Challenge

It’s the first monthly budget challenge of the year-after-the-year-that-changed-everything. This month we’re working on food costs, a return of Snackuary from last year, but wow is the world different. If thinking/talking about food isn’t a good fit for you right now, please check out our 21 in 2021 Challenges or 2021 Bingo: Choose Your Own Adventure and skip this month’s challenge. If seeing food content isn’t good for you - You can click at the bottom to mute this thread you don’t see this …

[iualia]

Office / sewing space progress:

• I am working on my first big sewing project in my new space, so that’s a success!
• Blinds finally arrived
• New table is assembled
• Notions are on the pegboard and thread racks are filled with thread

Woohoo gonna go ahead and call this a success.

I have a new dumpster fire which is “get my new prescription approved by insurance” which has been a six week long battle so far, but…that one isn’t getting fixed during 2020, ugh.

[Panda]

[quote=“Panda, post:224, topic:2722, full:true”]

@Panda

@Panda

Week 1 check-in:

-Scarf knitting: making progress choo choooooo
-Use up 3 lotions: 1 of them is almooooost done
-Read 22 books: LOL. I am releasing my “read 22 books” goal into the ether, and modifying it to “read 7 books” to bring my yearly total to 60. I’ve been laid low with massive headaches for the past week, so more than that ain’t gonna happen, sigh
[/quote]

Oh yeah, check-ins! Week 2:
-Scarf: making progress. From now unto everlasting, amen.
-Use up 2 lotions: making progress. 1 is now so low it’s in the “aggressively squirt everywhere” phase lol
-Read 7 books: barely read this week, at 0/7 completed. CHAMP

In traditional late Panda fashion (is it traditional if I’m just lazy? whatevs), a summary for Week 3:
-Scarf knitting: I LITERALLY HAVE ONE INCH LEFT DO THE THING PANDA
-Use up 3 lotions: one has bit the dust! 2 left.
-Read 7 books: at 3/7. Not sharing the page count, neener neener

Week 4 check-in (on time for once!)
-Scarf knitting: DONE. ONLY TOOK 6 MONTHS LOL
-Using up 3 lotions: Still have 2 left, making progress.
-Read 7 books: at 7/7, almost done with another

[Clare-Dragonfly]

Oops, coming in a bit late for the 4th week…

• Finish sewing the patches onto my coat –
• Tackle the mending pile and mend (or alter) 3 things – PROGRESS: two things completed, maybe I can do a third this week? If one of them is as easy as I think it will be, I totally can.
• Eat down the pantry: don’t buy any pantry staples that are primarily for me – PROGRESS: I’ll call that complete and toss pizza-making into the dumpster fire.
• Stretch goal of finishing my cardigan - PROGRESS: just need to sew the buttons on–I might be able to do that before the end of the year too!

[kenner]

I’ve finished a wall, so yay for that item. And the plan for this week involves more skiing (apparently it’s a new week…on vacation right now so time has no meaning) so I might shove the rest of it into next year. Wanted to look at doing a bingo card anyway.

[JRA64]

My 2nd of 2 goals: I totally forgot to do my Roth Conversion yesterday. OK I didn’t totally forget, I decided to grocery shop first before it started snowing. Then I forgot.

While waiting on hold this morning, I figured out how to do it online.
And noticed that there were funds in two of my settlement accounts. Maybe leftover fromm the IRA rollover that I did as part of a challenge last year? I had no idea not everything that been invested. I submitted orders to get those funds invested while I was at it.

I need to check in either this evening or tomorrow morning and make sure the conversion went through. If it does, I suspect the funds will end up in the settlement account and I can choose how to invest them then.

Two days before the end of the year… I am cutting this closer than I would like. I also waited until the last minute to figure out my health insurance this year. Maybe I should work on my procrastination in 2021? Hmm, let’s not rush into anything…

[Meowkins]

Lmao. Week 4… I achieved none of my goals. Hahahaha.

Okay, I signed up for Steezys free trial. I don’t wanna dance today but looks like I’m gonna.

I also have read more of my book. But I’m not gonna finish. I’m gonna go watch more zombie movies.

[meerkat]

• Call gutter guy to actually get the work done (contingent on how quick we finish painting the house) - no progress. Might punt this one to late January/February and that’s okay.
• Figure out photos for photo year book thing (I don’t need to order it, just at least get it planned) - 2015 and 2016 done. Hopefully I can get through 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 but that feels like a lot right now. And really 2015/2016 are just first drafts where I picked what I liked, I don’t actually have an idea on how many pictures or pages of pictures I’m shooting for in the end product.

[Crow]

Week 4 check-in: Everything on the main list is done!

• cancel credit card to avoid annual fee - Week 1: fee hasn’t posted so I haven’t done this. Hmm…maybe they just aren’t charging a fee this year? UPDATE: fee posted in week 2. Week 3: Done!
• cancel streaming service before the monthly rate increases - done in week 1
• update income/spending tracker for November - done in week 1. Love that new NW number!
• round out charitable giving for the year (Hey, it’s Giving Tuesday today! I should do this first.) - Week 1: Gave a lot on Giving Tuesday: more than last year, but not yet at my goal for the year. Still need to decide how much to give to a few new-to-me places. Week 3: Done!
• list at least 5 things on Buy Nothing - Week 1: one listing (all gifted). Week 2: 3 more listings (two gifted). Week 4: 2 more listings (total of 6, but one was my parents’. None gifted. DONE!
• write annual letter - this is a week 3 goal. Week 3 update: draft written; still need to proof and print. Week 4: completed, printed, and mailed! DONE
• research and write paper for school - Week 2: done!
• finish spice cabinet project - Week 2: made significant progress here. I’m almost ready to call it done. This is my big week 4 goal, which will free up a lot of counter space. Week 4: DONE! Spices are now all in a drawer with visibility and easy access.

Bonus items (want to get one of the following done):

• purchase and install new garbage disposal
• clean out pantry - Week 4: In a weird twist, I spent a day cleaning out and organizing my parents’ pantry. That’s not the one I’d envisioned when I wrote this task, but technically I did what it says …
• organize craft/storage room (imagine TrisPrior’s closet, but a whole room)

[Clare-Dragonfly]

Hand sewing during my craft group virtual meetup yesterday allowed me to finish my list!

• Finish sewing the patches onto my coat –
• Tackle the mending pile and mend (or alter) 3 things – Final tally is 4 items mended!
• Eat down the pantry: don’t buy any pantry staples that are primarily for me – Not going grocery shopping today or tomorrow so I’ll call that complete!
• Stretch goal of finishing my cardigan - Buttons sewn on yesterday!

[flan]

I went through my inbox and unsubscribed / decreased the frequency of emails from various lists. Hopefully this means less mental clutter in the new year!

[darlingpants]

My curtains are done (even though my sister did the vast majority of the work). I declare myself done.

[Candygirl]

@Candygirl

• Finish the shredding I started and glance at occasionally - this includes purging the filing cabinets more
• Donation/ dump run I keep thinking about
• Organize, sort and drop off all ticket stubs for framing project

The large shredding bag went to recycling.
Donation/dump run - we went into lockdown and I was unable to complete (I did drop off 1 of 3 stops)
I did not sort ticket stubs for drop off (lockdown). Can be done in the new year when things get ready to open up again.

But I did start and complete other projects around the house.

[anon51297825]

Week 4 check in
Credit card: called, not a goal anymore
craft room: put in 4 hours of cleaning. It looks better now. That averages 1 a week.
cans: done
Donation box: finally done

So I think I met the goals.

[JRA64]

As near as I can tell the IRA conversion went through. I’m 2/2 on stated goals and probably 0/4 on timely reporting, but whatever.