CHALLENGE: 7 days - $500 - buy swap and sell can it be done?

Since getting a lot of things out with my mental health team I am finding a little more motivation (hence 2 blog posts in 2 days!), I have set myself a challenge, I have 2 days off work, I am going through EVERYTHING and tossing what we don't use, read and wear. Well not tossing (unless it is worthy of tossing!) everything will be listed on buy swap sell in an effort to raise $500 in 7 days.

I'll give you a bit of a back story as to why I want $500 in a short space of time, recently my husband and I have been working on our relationship and if you've ever followed this blog or my page you'll know it has been fragile for a while. We have talked and made some serious commitments to both change our ways, work together as a team instead of against each other.

Rewind to February just after I got back from the UK - that's another post I need to write about! Back on topic, the husband and I made our most expensive purchase yet as a couple. We bought "Flic"
 

My husband has been a truck driver since we met 11 years ago, more specifically he has been a furniture removalist ever since I met him and in that first week of meeting spoke of his dreams to own his own truck and his own removals company. Something financially we never imagined possible though. Until now.

So we had Flic and couldn't afford a trailer yet so he has been doing some haulage work while we save and we have just put our name down for a trailer! It is a bit of a scary world as we have never had finance or repayments of this kind ever but we are committed to making it work. With my business knowledge, his experience in the industry I know we can make this work.

Back to my $500, to 100% secure this trailer we need a $2000 deposit within 7 days, by the time hubby gets paid for the week we will have that but we also have a fuel bill so I am trying to relieve a little pressure.


Some of you maybe thinking right now, why are we doing this? Why put extra pressure on ourselves financially like this? Well I'll tell you! To form a successful business you have to put money, time and effort in to reap the reward, this has been my husbands goal for over 11 years, we are building a future for our children, when we are up and running we will be in a position to buy a house which we couldn't do before, my husband can be home more eventually (not in the beginning stages) so although the start is tough, the result will be more than worth it.


I'll be sure to do some updates on how the buy swap challenge goes!

Calling out Juice Plus etc reps - my mental health is NOT your invitation

Brace yourselves this is a rant post, also I do just want to say before I get going that this is NOT directed at all reps or the company themselves, I am sure there are thousands of fantastic reps and that the products are great.

So here is where my rant begins, I make my mental health no secret, I believe in ending the stigma, I believe I have nothing to hide or to be ashamed of and that those around me are more able to communicate better with me or even help me if they know what is going on and how I am feeling.


Today I had a counselling appointment that was quite confronting, talking about rape and the death of my children. I made a Facebook post that following this appointment I was feeling fragile and ordering pizza for dinner. Those that know me or even follow my blog or page know we eat healthy most of the time.


So this is where I got a message (probably a meaning well message) asking if I had thought about joining or using the products from Juice Plus, I replied saying I knew a few family members who did it but it is something I am not interested in, the response to this was about mental health and how I can reduce or eliminate my medication from using the products and that my (mostly) clean eating doesn't help my body like these products will. 

Firstly borderline personality disorder and bipolar have no cure, they can be managed yes but not cured, I also don't appreciate being a target for cold marketing because I have these conditions. It is just like approaching an overweight person and saying hey here's my weight loss products - you just shouldn't do it!

Good for you that you have a business that you want to do well but this is NOT the right approach. Bringing my mental health into it will not make me want to buy your products, in fact it will do just the opposite. Talk about the benefits sure, do not make me a target! 

Weetbix bliss balls

For the last few years I've been very health conscious about the kids lunchboxes, which can be hard with allergies but the benefits certainly come in their behaviour. 

Since joining Healthy Mummy we have been doing some experimenting to mix things up a bit, make it a bit more exciting than just carrot sticks and fruit. 

I came across a recipe for weetbix bliss balls and since we have somehow ended up with 3 boxes of weetbix why not! 

All up including clean up this took me 15 minutes and I made a double batch. 

Click here for the

recipe

 

30 Bags in 30 Days

30 bags in 30 days is a technique I found via 

Mum Plus Four

Basically in 30 days bag up 30 bags full of things from the dot pointed areas, sell it, donated it, bin it just get rid of it!

This came around at the perfect time, it's not overwhelming everything is broken down, we have too much stuff, I want to live more minimal for a while. 

Here is my list. 

 

Medicine cupboard

Make up

Bathroom cupboard

On top of fridge

Linen cupboard

Small appliances 

Pantry

Under kitchen sink

Boys toys

Girls toys

Boys clothes

Girls clothes

Books

On top of dryer 

My clothes 

Hubby's clothes 

DVDs/Xbox games

Girls wardrobe

Tupperware cupboard (eekkk!) 

Garage

Back shed

Car

Dining room drawers 

Sock basket

Craft things

Lounge room drawers

My wardrobe 

Teddies

Back yard 

Outdoor toys 

Since I left my ex 11 years ago I've become a bit of a hoarder, gaining control back of my life I've taken on these possessions and clung to them because he could no longer take them BUT it has come at a cost to my mental health. I can't deal with the clutter anymore. 

Everyday I'll document how I went. I'll most likely do weekly blog posts on it because I don't think I'll get much of a blog post from my medicine cabinet haha! 

The things that I list for sale will have 7-10 days (I'm undecided at the minute) to sell and if it doesn't then it will be donated. 

I'm feeling really good about this and going to start right now!! 

Nachos YUM!

Normally you think of nachos you think corn chips loaded with salsa from a jar and oodles of cheese, this isn't the nachos we have, the ones we have are filled with healthier alternatives.
Since joining Healthy Mummy we have been creating lots of our naughty favourites with a healthy twist and they not only taste so much better they make you feel a lot better.

Here are the Healthy mummy nachos I haven't stuck to these 100% but they make a fantastic base.
You can load these up with so much, usually we do avocado, capsicum, sour cream (trying to find a dairy free alternative), tomato, the meat in the above recipe link and some lemon pepper. Each time we make them though they're a little bit different and each time they taste so good and everyone has empty plates within 10 mins!

2017 Goals - new year, new beginnings

You've already thought it with the title right? So cliché .... I know! BUT this year I mean it, 2016 has been a whirlwind of a year (to be honest the last 5 years have)
Something needs to change or this family will collapse, whilst I hold this family together by being the main care provider especially while my husband works 1800km away, I am also one of the reasons it is falling apart, one of the main reasons to be completely truthful.

My goals:

Get stable with my mental health

My mental health has sucked this year and I haven't really had any supports in place, this would be the number one goal as I feel most other aspects that I am struggling with stem from this.

Look after my body more

It's no secret that when you eat like crap you look and feel like crap. Hopefully combining goal #1 and goal #2 will have me feeling better (both inside and out), looking better, losing so weight and having lots more energy and motivation to tackle my day.
I'll be signing up for a new round of The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Challenge - I find having that supportive community and guidance a real motivator.

Boost my businesses

With my mental health (see how I said most issues stemmed from this!) I can't go out and get a regular job (YET!) so I work from home.
A Rainbow Doula is my main business where I am focusing on postpartum care (I can't really do births at the moment with my husband being away) and placenta encapsulation.
Kaszazz a hobby that pays! I love to scrapbook and make cards as well as off the page projects, with Kaszazz I get discount products and starting to build a customer base.
Younique is amazing! Great quality make up at great prices. I have built up amazing confidence when it comes to make up now and most of the time I can lift a down in the dumps day with a bit of lippy and mascara
Love The Crafty Butterfly as I mentioned I love to craft, its a great therapy for me but I cannot possibly keep everything I create!

Spend less, live moreHaving fun isn't always about money. I need to start saving to buy land. I'm a compulsive spender and going to work really hard on this.

Smashed my goal!

Totally smashed the goal today! Today had good points and bad. Motivation was found, tears were shed (in the changing rooms at Target!) and I set some goals.

I had to go to Target to buy a new bra, one that fit and one that gave support, unlike the one I had on which was the most unflattering bra the world has ever seen, zero support in fact made my boobs look saggier than wet sand in a sock, I'm not ready for that look at 29. Anyway moving past the illusion of saggy boobs from my unflattering bra .... I found a really nice bra and took it to the fitting room. Put it on and what the hell did I see? Back fat!! Overhang from the top of the bra band, what??!!! Where did this come from? I've never had to get a size 14 bra ever, why was a 12 doing this even on the last hook! I was mortified.
How I fit comfortably into a size 10 top yet bulge in a size 12 bra still has me bewildered, maybe the sizing works a little differently? This gave me the kick I need though, I don't want over hang, its not sexy at all! I still bought the bra, as a goal, it will fit by my birthday (in January)

Now the good side of the day, the girls were at school, the twinadoes were at kinder so just me and the animals. I took one of the dogs for a walk as the other is still learning to walk on a lead and goes for short walks, I wanted something longer so took the older of the two. We walked for 3.61km which took 42 minutes. I aim to get faster at this but I do need Dex to cooperate with that as he stops to sniff everything and pee on every tree.
I smashed my daily goal of 10,000 steps YAY. First full day of having my Fit Bit and I smashed it so I am feeling really good about that and I am coming 3rd already in a weekly steps challenge that I joined yesterday with the Healthy Mummy group.

All in all a good day!