Tag Archives: inspiration

How to Do a Slow Declutter of Your Home and Life

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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.

How to do a slow declutter of your home and life, with tips for a more gentle way to clear your space, by removing just five things a day.

Royalty-free Image credit: manbob86 from Pixabay

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The No Spend January 2026 Challenge

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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.

How to Do a No Spend Challenge in January 2026: A fresh financial reset to start the year with clarity, intention, and control over your money
A weekly food shop from my No Spend Challenge in January 2022

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2025: A Year in Review

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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.

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Slowing Down to Move Forward

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At the beginning of the year, I made a deliberate effort to take back control of my life. I had become aware that the pace I was keeping wasn’t sustainable, so I took some fairly extensive steps to create more balance and structure. I wanted to be more intentional with my time, to focus on what genuinely mattered rather than getting caught up in the constant state of being ‘busy.’ 

For the first few months, it worked well. I felt calmer, more focused, and was far better at managing my time and energy. But gradually, without really noticing, old habits began to creep back in. One small commitment led to another, and before long, that balance that I had worked so hard to create had started to slip away.

The last time I sat down to write a blog post was back in July. As I have done so many times before, I told myself that I would get back into the habit and post more often. Then, as life became more hectic, it all became a bit overwhelming. 

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2025: Small Steps

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Happy New Year! 

I always have mixed feelings about this time of year. On the one hand, there is excitement and hope about possibilities and potential, yet on the other, an underlying fear of the unknown. This year, however, I’m feeling a lot better than usual. 

I particularly like the start of a new year because I indulge in a lot of planning and creating lists, and I get to set up my new Bullet Journal with new goals to work towards. As I’ve aged these goals have become smaller and more realistic – I still keep my ultimate bucket list of things to see and do (which include things like visiting the Grand Canyon and seeing certain musicians in concert) – but I spend most of my time focusing on the smaller, achievable targets and goals that will make the biggest impact just by using consistent small steps. This has proven to be very effective, and I have ended each year with a sense of accomplishment.

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2024: A Year in Review

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Over the last few years I have added a ‘Memories & Highlights’ double page into my Bullet Journal. This serves as a reminder at the end of the year of all the positive things that I’ve been lucky enough to experience over the last twelve months, and is extremely helpful during times when things are tough. 

Perhaps the most challenging part was at the start of the year when we moved house, and what followed was MONTHS of individual battles with various companies including SCS and So Energy (that went on for nine months until I lost my temper and started leaving negative reviews – amazing how a 1* review on Trust Pilot suddenly makes a company pay attention). We quickly realised that neither the landlord and the property management company weren’t interested in helping too, which hasn’t been great.

However, 2024 (despite all the challenges and annoyances we’ve faced this year), has in fact been pretty great for the most part. 

The Bloke and I have again been extremely lucky to watch numerous shows at the theatre. My favourites? Book of Mormon, &Juliet, Hamilton, I Should Be So Lucky, Here & Now and Dear Evan Hansen – many of which were on my bucket list. Additionally, I got the opportunity to meet STEPS at their press launch, and I don’t think I blogged about it at the time, but I met Pete Waterman TWICE. I won’t go into detail now as this post is already going to be a lengthy one, but I was so overwhelmed by meeting him that I cried when I got home. 

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I Hear Sleigh Bells

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Christmas. It may be early November, but the sleigh bells have started on the TV adverts, the stores are already heavily into their festive marketing strategy, and I’m getting messages from family asking what I would like as a gift.

For the last few years, Christmas has followed a similar pattern. I start the month of December with the concept that I want to make this year the best Christmas ever, and then I get slammed with work as everyone starts freaking out and needing ALL THE THINGS NOW NOW NOW as everyone, including myself, is taking a little bit of time off. Inevitably, by the time it gets to a few days before Christmas I’m fed up and exhausted, and I’m not in the mood.

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Comic Con, Old Friends and a Blogging Month

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A week ago I met up with two friends, Sacha and Helen, in London. Both of them are authors – Sacha is absolutely killing it in the indie author world and Helen’s book has just been released across the UK with One More Chapter, part of Harper Collins publishing – but we actually met through blogging nearly ten years ago. 

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The Universe Steps In… Again

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Isn’t it strange how, when you find yourself in a difficult situation, the universe seemingly steps in and shows you the direction in which you need to go?

I discussed recently about the challenges that The Bloke and I have faced this year, particularly with the death of various family members and my mum being ill. We’re both tired and a bit stressed, we both struggle with depression and anxiety on occasion and both of us have found ourselves getting through the day on autopilot when things have got really tough. 

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Time for a Change

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On 1st January 2023 The Bloke and I sat on an enormous couch in a suite in a nice hotel. We were surrounded by our favourite snacks and were watching a film while talking about our hopes and expectations for the coming year.

“It’s going to be amazing, I can feel it,” I remember saying, and at the time, I believed it. After the world shut down in 2020 things had plummeted, and 2021 had been tough, so had 2022. Surely 2023 couldn’t get any worse, could it?

As it turns out, yes it could. 

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