This morning we woke up to a bucket load of snow.
We had been issued weather warnings throughout this week about Storm Goretti, but I haven’t really thought much about it. In the UK, our weather is rarely extreme (although we have seen some changes over the last 15 years) and there have been plenty of occasions where a warning has been issued and everyone has panicked, only for very little to come of it. A lot of build up, a lot of advice about staying indoors and then… not much.
Since the start of the new year, I have been making a conscious effort to write on a daily basis. This little blog has become sorely neglected over the years and I have missed both the action of writing and the interaction that comes with it.
With that, I have checked my analytics to see how well the posts have performed. My view numbers are nowhere near what they were at the height of my once prolific blogging routine, but it is ticking along nicely and I’m enjoying the process.
Yesterday, I noticed something interesting.
In my twenties, I was convinced that by the time I reached my forties, I would have everything impressively figured out and be firmly in control of my life.
Instead, I generally live a daily life of small, deeply unexciting victories that only make sense if you are also a grown perimenopausal adult with a body that complains more frequently than you’re used to and some sort of vague sense of responsibility.
When the hormones are raging, some days my biggest win is remembering why I have walked into a room without having to completely retrace my steps. On others, it is putting clean washing away instead of creating yet another ‘clean but not put away’ chair situation. Yesterday, I made a meal that wasn’t completely beige, and even better, I did not burst into tears over something objectively minor. On another day, I did cry, but I correctly identified why, rather than getting upset about not being able to find my keys like last time. I woke up last week at 3am and resisted the urge to mentally rewrite my entire life. I repeatedly choose comfort over aesthetics (my sweatpants, hoodies and fluffy socks make up about 90% of my wardrobe), I can’t remember the last time I bothered to put makeup on when I left the house… and I feel zero shame about any of it. At this point, it all counts as progress.
Ever heard of The Bean Soup Theory?
The Bean Soup Theory is one of those internet moments that feels light hearted on the surface, but reveals something much deeper about how we interact online.
It began with a simple TikTok video that was created and shared by vibinggranolamom in 2023, about a vegan high-iron bean soup recipe. It’s a nice video – nothing complicated, nothing controversial, it’s literally just a recipe for a bean soup.
While the Christmas decorations were taken down and packed away before New Year’s Eve, it quickly became obvious that every single room in the house was still in a bit of a mess. Nothing was falling apart and there were no piles of old newspapers or broken coat hangers lurking in corners, but there was clutter. Lots and lots of clutter.
The Bloke and I are not hoarders in the traditional sense, but we do have a tendency to soothe ourselves with things when we are feeling low: a book here, a small Lego set there, stationery, candles… Over time, those small comforts accumulate, and suddenly drawers are full and surfaces are much busier than they should be.
Like many, today is the final day before I return to work after the holidays. There is a mixture of anticipation and excitement of the potential of the next twelve months, and an underlying feeling of unease, which makes me a little uncomfortable.
At the beginning of the holidays, it took longer than I expected to properly decompress. My mind stayed busy, running through lists even though there was nowhere I needed to be and nothing I needed to do. It was only after about a week that I truly began to relax.
Now that I have reached a place of rest, the thought of going from 0-100 overnight and switching straight back into work mode feels more than a little challenging. Time away has been a reminder of how important rest and space are and how easily work can expand if boundaries are not actively maintained.
It isn’t an entire week, but today was the first food shop of the month and the final weekend before The Bloke and I go back to work on Monday, so I am including my spend for the last three days as the first week of January as part of my No Spend January 2026 Challenge.
Points to note:
I am not including my mandatory expenses for the month (rent and bills) in my No Spend Challenge, So far already this month, I have paid off the last of the Council Tax for the year (the next annual bill will start again in April), my rent, and the TV license for January. I will put the money that I would normally spend on Council Tax into savings instead at the beginning of February and March.
The first two days of January were spent watching movies, sleeping, eating and tidying up as we were still in holiday mode, so there was nothing to tempt me to spend money on. I didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything, which isn’t representative of a normal week.
In January 2022 I made one financial goal for the year, and kicked it off in a big way by committing to a month-long No Spend Challenge.
A No Spend challenge is choosing a specific period of time to spend as little money as possible, limiting purchases to just essentials such as bills and groceries. Some people try a no spend weekend or even a year, but I chose January because it is usually a quieter month socially and a good time to reset after Christmas and the New Year.
Happy New Year!
The Bloke and I kept things very quiet, exactly how we wanted it. Snacky treats ready to go, the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (ready to do the next two today), the London fireworks on the TV, and no pressure to be anywhere or do anything more than that. It was low-key, comfortable, and a really nice way to see the year. Long gone are the days of fighting for breathing space in nightclubs, wearing eye-wateringly high-heels and spending a fortune on just a few drinks.
Over the last few years, I’ve added a Memories & Highlights double page spread to my Bullet Journal. It’s a simple way of capturing the positive moments from the past twelve months, and I’ve found it especially helpful when things feel heavy or overwhelming.
It’s not always easy to stay positive when the news and the cost of living are relentlessly bleak, and this year has been challenging in plenty of ways for most people, myself included. However, I think it matters to notice the good with gratitude, while also acknowledging the more difficult moments so you can move forward. 2025 hasn’t been perfect, but compared to recent years (like 2023, which was particularly brutal) it has actually been a year to look back on and being incredibly grateful for.
Suzie Speaks 
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