2022 was definitely an eventful year for the a Life on a Dime household. In today’s post, I’m recapping year and sharing my word of the year for 2023.
JANUARY 2022 IN REVIEW
In January I shared my 2022 Word of the Year from Dayspring.com. You can take the short quiz to find your Word of the Year as well!
Last year, my word was Fulfilled. I can honestly say I feel like I experienced a lot of fulfillment this year. From new purpose, new plans, and new goals, I think I did pretty well, especially compared to 2021.
I also updated my somewhat annual Bucket List of Books. While I did well reading, finishing just over 30 novels, I somehow got distracted from my original list and hit about half of them. But I did make sure to go back and complete or revise my 2020 list so there were no stragglers from then.
It is one week til Christmas as I type this post and I have The Mister Rogers Effect checked out on hoopla. So that’s still a work in progress.
FEBRUARY
A Life on a Dime participated in its third annual No-Spend February challenge, with a few tweaks. I like to alter the challenge each year based on our financial situation and goals. For instance, last year we didn’t eat out Monday – Friday, but allowed for dining our twice throughout the course of the month on the weekend.
In actuality, we ended up spending MORE money in February than usual, as well as adjusting to a single-income family. February marked the month my husband quit his weekend job. And it’s been so much better for the family.
I started the application process to be a substitute teacher in our kids’ school district. The goal was to try it out a few times over the spring semester to see if I wanted to do it 3 or 4 times a week once our youngest started kindergarten.
It wasn’t necessarily a successful no-spend challenge, but it was definitely an eventful month.
MARCH, APRIL, & MAY 2022 IN REVIEW
March kicked off the third annual Minimalism in March challenge. We did a whole house declutter and encouraged our Frugal Friends to donate or resell what they could before tossing it in the trash.
The first round of decluttering led to 33 items (items could be one article of clothing or one entire toy set) being donated to a local charity shop. Round two resulted in over 50 individual items plus 76 children’s books in good condition finding new homes. I was rather pleased with the results.
In March I also took on the role of Volunteer Treasurer at our church, leaning into my accounting background once more.
April was more of the same, with additional decluttering and organizing around the house since I was “on a roll.”
In May we found more places to explore and enjoy with the kids in our area. The Let’s Go for a Walk series on the blog started as a result.
We also set new money goals, adjusting our savings to reflect our new income, starting the garage build process, and opening a new money market account once we established our three-month emergency fund.
After several phone calls to various licensure offices, I was finally approved to substitute teach… the last week of the 2021-2022 school year. So, instead of trying it out during the spring semester, I secured the position for the 2022-2023 school year.
On the frugal and non-toxic front, I shared a post on a Day in the Oily Life, going through my routine and how essential oils and other non-toxic products have changed it.
JUNE & JULY
June 2022 saw the continuation of Let’s Go for a Walk. I also shared a few not-so-frugal purchases I’ve made over the years and do not regret.
My husband’s family said goodbye to “Grammy,” his maternal grandmother at the age of 92. We miss her greatly, but rejoice that she is no longer suffering. And we have the comfort of knowing that this isn’t goodbye.
June is also the month that includes both kids’ birthdays. This was the first year since starting the blog I did not do the two birthdays in one month type post. In lieu of the normal post, I instead shared 7 Things Not to Buy My Kids as Gifts in July.
July also saw a post on Why I don’t have a capsule wardrobe despite being a minimalist, as well as potential problems with the concept.
There was also a round-up post on Frugal and Healthy-ish Breakfast Ideas. Round-up posts are always so fun – especially when it entails scrolling through new recipes!
AUGUST 2022 IN REVIEW
In August our baby started kindergarten and I went back to work. I now work part-time Monday – Thursday in the church office as the Administrative Assistant. The new position absorbed my volunteer duties, so now I perform the day-to-day accounting duties as well as maintain the church calendar, update the website, answer the phones, and make the weekly food pantry order.
This worked out really well since I have two hours between the time I get off work and the time the kids get off the bus. Most Fridays you can find me substitute teaching somewhere in the district. You won’t find me in a 9th-grade classroom if I can help it. Let’s just say that day did not go well at all compared to my time with other grades.
I also sold a few items online in the month of August and shared my tips. Be sure to check out my 8 Tips to Help Sell Your Stuff Online before you post that next ad on an online marketplace.
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, & NOVEMBER
In September we took a train ride, and I shared our experience in a Let’s Go for a Ride post. It’s definitely something I encourage you to do at least once in your life. We had two free complimentary passes from having our son’s fifth birthday party at the train station.
The following week we made the most of a three-day weekend and took the kids to the Hot Springs area. We rented a cabin at Lake Catherine and explored the state parks in the area as well as the historic district.
October saw more substitute teaching (that job now funds this hobby since I no longer offer budget coaching services). Our kindergartener brought home the stomach bug, which went through almost the entire house before the week was over.
In November we celebrated Thanksgiving with our families, caught a respiratory bug just in time to share over the holiday meal, and
DECEMBER
December kicked off with our oldest child participating in the town Christmas parade with the church children’s choir. That was a cold, but adorable experience.
Our daughter was also in the children’s Christmas program, and all the kids did a great job. Our son opted out of being onstage at all. Oh well, there’s always next year.
As I type this, we have all our Christmas shopping done, my holiday grocery list is also complete, and we’re in full swing listening to all the Christmas music. I’m still not able to sing along without either losing my voice or devolving into a coughing fit, but it’s still nice to listen.
All in all it’s been a pretty good year on a Life on a Dime. With December and all of 2022 coming to a close, that leads us to…
MY 2023 WORD OF THE YEAR
For next year my word is confidence. I’ll be honest, this scares me a little! As a friend pointed out when I shared I’ve been working on my confidence for a while. Now I’m kinda worried it’ll be tested. Guess we’ll find out next year.
I’m looking forward to the new year and have great ideas for new posts and recipes to share with you. Make sure you don’t miss a thing and sign up as a Frugal Friend today! It’ll give you access to an exclusive resource library as well as a free weekly meal plan and newsletter. No spam, just good info.
