Hello and welcome to our last #FreeforallFriday blog post for 2023. Today I want to look back at another busy year and remember the events that have shaped my life.

Join me on this lifestyle review of the year and tell me about your big memories, your experiences, and what you might expect from 2024.

Looking back at 2023

This year has been mostly about work for me and my husband. It has been a long, busy, tiring year but we end it feeling closer in our relationship and more settled in our practical situation. The cost-of-living crisis in the UK has affected our family and I felt the need to take on a third part-time job that would bring regular income to pay for groceries, clothes and treats for me and my children. It’s a minimum wage retail job in my hometown, nothing fancy, but it is regular work, it gives me the money that I need and still leaves time for me to work on writing, book sales, blog work and freelancing.

Our children are progressing well at school and are happy and healthy. My younger daughter is in her final year at primary school so the next six months will be emotional as we bring to an end a chapter of our shared lives. She is excited to attend high school and we as a family are ready for change and moving on. Our elder daughter is in her second year at high school and still enjoying it (apart from the teachers that she doesn’t like).

There was a brief issue with bullying but I’m happy to report that the school staff were quick to intervene, and I didn’t have to get involved. I have some very unpleasant memories from my high school years, and I am relieved to see my daughter is so far having a much better experience. She is confident and self-assured, and those are qualities that I want to nurture as she grows. Her thirteenth birthday is fast approaching, so that will kick off 2024 with a bang!

Back to school for me

Early in 2023 I was able to return to education and joined the class for a marketing skills degree. The lessons were done remotely which was still quite a novelty for me as the old lockdown zoom meetings had faded away previously. It was nice to meet new people from different parts of the UK, our tutor was supportive and knowledgeable, and I looked forward to our daily lessons. The marketing skills course filled in gaps in my knowledge and helped me to see where I needed to make improvements in my business. Have you noticed the subtle changes on my blog this year? What do you think of them?

Looking forward to 2024

And so, we look forward to 2024. I intend to make it a year for fun as much as possible, and my additional income should help support that. We already have a family holiday booked for the October half-term and will take our children on an aeroplane for the first time. I have not left the UK since 2009 so it will be a strange experience for me and my husband. Exciting!

I also intend to focus on my books (again). I feel that I have wandered away from my author calling for a few years as I tried to improve my personal finances, but the books have not given up on me. The world needs to know about the Redcliffe novels! The marketing skills degree course did show me that all I am missing is targeted advertising, which needs finance. So, I will start looking at funding options, make some plans, and take it from there.

Who knows where we will go with it? That’s the fun of starting a new year. It could be more of the same, it could be something completely different, it could be a bit of both.

See you next year, folks!

Did you enjoy this article? Browse the latest exclusive special offers and discount codes from my affiliate partners. Click here.

Note: This article contains affiliate links, meaning that if you shop using the links I share, I receive a small income at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting SpookyMrsGreen!