Stairs: 2. Me: Zero.

“I fell down a flight of stairs, I wish I could say for the first time.” I joked to the emergency room staff.

Turns out Self Care September turned into Stairs Win Again September. I did so poorly taking care of myself this month, I ended up with six stitches in my hand. BUT no broken bones this time, so that’s a win!

The fall down the steps did a few things:

Scared a lot of people, myself included. It could have been so much worse though.
Left a big mess. A huge apology to my in-laws, and the wine glass I shattered.
Allowed me to hit the bottom (literally and figuratively) so I could start picking myself back up.

Me with the unfortunate casualty of the event: the wine glass of Blueberry Fruitscato...damn you delicous fruit wine!!

I was (and still am) so embarrassed by my behavior that I decided it was time to make a change.

It wasn’t just the fall that had me scared.

My impulse spending was still causing disruptions in our budget
My depression was causing stress and rifts in my relationships
I really wasn’t taking care of myself at all. Just full blown survival mode to make sure our babies were fed and taken care of.

But changing our behavior is HARD.

If you are unfamiliar with the six stages of change, or just want a refresher, here is a recap of the steps that one usually goes through. Kendra Cherry wrote a lovely recap at Verywellmind.com:

Precontemplation, where they are often ignoring or denying the problem
Contemplation, where they weigh the pros and cons of making a change
Preparation, where they decide what they'll do to make the change
Action, where they take steps toward the goal
Maintenance, where they stick with it for the long term
Relapse, where mistakes and setbacks happen, and people must decide whether to keep going

I have been on step 1 MULTIPLE times. It’s just so easy to stick with what we know, what is comfortable.

Similarly with our finances, changing our behavior when it comes to money can be very difficult.

Since I wasn’t taking action to change my behavior, the stairs provided some action STEPS for me…do you see what I did there?

Luckily got the blood stains out of this amazing thrifted skirt! :)

Unfortunately, thanks to my own actions, I couldn’t use my right hand. Which meant, no writing, no crafting, no sewing, even texting hurt.

Now that I can mostly use my right hand again, I’m excited to get back to doing things I love. Unfortunately I have lost some mobility in my right thumb, and cannot use it the same way. Texting, taking photos (I found an easier way for ootd), opening scrunchies, using lighters, and even bending the top of my right thumb is challenging.

My favorite necktie belt matched my outfit and Mila's when we went to Avalon Exchange to sell some clothes to consignment

Some actionable steps I can take this month :

Write out my money calendar: So I can repair the damage and prepare for what is coming
Complete my September money tracker: So I can see where our money went and how off budget we were
Craft some more. I have so many projects. I just need to finish them…and list them.

One of my listings is this men's dress shirt skirt. For sale here.

I basically followed this tutorial. However I do sew mine, at least on one side to ensure it doesn't open unintentionally!

Money Win: Thanks to my mother in-law Tamra I scored some AMAZING deals at Kohl’s for the family (and even some Christmas presents)

Money Win: I had my first custom belt order

Money Goals and ACTION STEPS I can take to make it happen:

STOP BUYING UNNECESSARY SHIT. It’s now been a full year since I started this blog, my impulse spending has not changed, and it needs to.
- ACTION STEPS:
  - limit temptation
  - talk about goals with partner/loved ones to hold accountable
  - replace behavior with crafting/listing something
List 10 belt ties
- ACTION STEPS: sew belts, take pictures, list on site
Make $50 in clothing sales for the month of October.
- ACTION STEPS: finish taking pictures and measurements, list on sites

BIG WIN: My youngest sister Melanie (who recently moved back to Tampa) survived both hurricane Helene AND Milton. Luckily her area had much less damage than expected!

However, many were impacted by these storms and lost everything.

If you are looking for ways to help those impacted, here are a few places to get started: