Welcome to Cantober! A gorgeous collaboration with the Frugal Family. Check their site for a different version of the weekly prompts.
Firstly, we have daily tasks. They are not difficult. They are designed to be as easy as possible. We have a little star chart so you can tick them off when you have done them. If you don’t manage them that is fine, you can use the weekend to catch up or you can simply just congratulate yourself on what you did do. Let’s focus on the positives!
You can download this weekly chart to print off here.
The first weekly challenge is for the mind
Book some time for a proper rest. This could be having a cup of tea without doing something else at the same time. If you can claw out some more time you could read a book or meditate. I’m rubbish at meditating but I do like these guided visualisations and I always feel rested after listening to one of them.
Challenge 2 is for your body
Stretch or go for a walk. At the very least have a break from electronics.
Challenge 3 is to get Social
Have you ever tried a random act of kindness? It will make you feel good I promise! You can even make it a zero waste random act of kindness!
Try one of these:
- smile at someone
- give someone a compliment
- put a neighbours bin back for them
- give a book to a beggar (this has always gone down well when I have done it)
- send your old bras to Smalls for All
- hold open a door for someone
- donate something to a charity shop
- greet strangers you see regularly – I find that if you relentlessly say ‘good morning’ to even the grumpiest of people, eventually they crack and say ‘good morning’ back.
- pick up and recycle some litter
- tell someone they are doing a brilliant job
- try and learn the words for hello, goodbye, please and thank you in the language of any foreign country you visit (thank you Kazzy for this one)
Challenge 4 is about the Home
Give one thing away / Swap one thing / Sell one thing. It takes less time to give something away than it does to sell it but it can be worth popping something on Facebook marketplace in case there is a few quid in it. If you need a guided walkthrough then try the random decluttering generator.
The aim here is to just get rid of one thing, make it easy for yourself and start small.
The last challenge for the week is about the Planet.
The whole idea for CanTober started because I’ve been letting things slip. When I’m stressed out and worried about things the last thing I want to do is spend time thinking about the most sustainable way to shop. This is a good time to get back on track and you can plan in advance by looking at what is on offer online before you go to the shops. Choosing paper packaging over plastic is an easy win.