My October Bucket List….

I’m feeling really content with life at the minute and, as someone who is definitely an Autumn person, I’m really excited to see what October brings. It’s going to be a busy month because there’s quite a lot going on, including a couple of pretty big decisions that I need to make but actually in a weird way, that just makes me more excited for it.

There’s lots I want to get done this month but I also really want to make sure I enjoy the month because October is one of my absolute favourite times of the year and I don’t want to get to the end of it and realise I’ve spent the whole month rushing around doing jobs.

So, I’ve made myself a little October bucket list with a bit of everything on there really — some house stuff, some nice Autumn things and some things that are just for me.

Make some proper thinking time

I’ve got a couple of pretty big decisions to make this month and there’s a lot going through my head at the minute, although it’s all quite exciting rather than anything bad. I think I just need to give myself the time and space to properly think everything through without feeling like I need to have all the answers straight away.

There are a few different possibilities for what the next chapter could look like and I want to make sure that whatever I decide is because it feels right rather than because it’s the easiest or most obvious choice.

I have a feeling October could end up being quite an important month for me whatever I decide. 

Finish the ensuite bathroom

Our ensuite bathroom is getting finished this month no matter what it takes. 😂

It’s one of those jobs that feels like it’s been nearly finished for ages but there are still a few things stopping us from actually calling it done but they’re all quite easy jobs that we can do if we spend just a day in there. 

There’s some electrical work that needs sorting and then it needs a good paint, which should hopefully get us most of the way there. I’m also considering a very fancy and possibly ridiculously over-the-top splashback panel that would go from the sink right up to the ceiling and I absolutely do not need it, but I think it would look amazing so we’ll see.

Sort out the Harry Potter cupboard

We have a giant cupboard under the stairs that we call the Harry Potter cupboard and when I say giant, it’s actually been used as an office in the past so it’s a pretty decent size. At the minute though, it’s basically a dumping ground for anything that doesn’t have a proper home anywhere else.

It’s got our filing cabinet in there, loads of shoes and then just random bits that have been shoved in because we didn’t know where else to put them. The plan this month is to completely empty it, have a proper sort through everything and then give the whole thing a really good scrub.

I’d quite like to paint it too while it’s empty because realistically if we don’t do it then, we’re never going to do it. Then hopefully everything that goes back in will actually have a place rather than us just opening the door and throwing things in.

Fill the house with pumpkins and Autumn-ness

Last year when we were waiting to move into this house, we talked about how we wanted it to be quite a seasonal house. Not in a ridiculous decorate-every-inch kind of way, but we wanted to change little bits around depending on the time of year and make the house feel different with the seasons.

This is actually the first season since we moved in where I feel settled enough to start doing that properly, so pumpkins are the name of the game this October. I’ve already started adding a few little Autumn bits here and there but I definitely want more pumpkins.

I want cosy, warm and Autumn-y without it looking like an actual pumpkin patch has exploded in the living room, although ask me again at the end of October because there’s every chance that’s exactly what will have happened. 😂

Make my own candles

This one has been on my mind for a while because there’s nothing I love more when the nights start getting darker than closing the curtains and lighting a few candles. The problem is that the last few candles I’ve bought have barely smelled of anything once they’re lit, so I decided I’m going to have a go at making my own.

I’ve bought some soy wax flakes and I found a website that sells little tester bottles of fragrance oils for about £1 to £1.50 each, which means I’ve been able to order a few different scents without spending loads. I’ve also been picking up little containers from charity shops that I think would make nice candles.

I’m quite excited about this one and, if they turn out well, I’m already thinking about making a Christmas batch too because I think homemade candles would be lovely for that time of year.

Keep up our Autumn walks and bike rides

We’ve got into a really nice habit of going for a walk after tea on a night and I really don’t want us to let that disappear now the nights are getting colder and darker. Obviously it’s a healthy habit to have but that’s not really why I want to keep it going because we genuinely really enjoy it.

It gets us out of the house, we have a good chat and it’s just become a really nice way to end the day. I want to keep those walks going as much as we can through October and hopefully get out on the bikes a few times too because Autumn is probably one of the nicest times of year to be outside anyway.

Try one new meal every week

I’m very much in my domestic era right now and I’m really enjoying it, and meal planning is one of those things that just makes life easier because I like knowing what we’re having and having everything in ready to make it.

What I do want to do this month though is shake it up a bit and try at least one new meal every week. We definitely have our favourites and I don’t want to stop making those, but I think it would be nice to add a few new things into the mix rather than always falling back on the same meals.

So the plan for October is four new meals and hopefully at least one of them will be good enough to earn a regular place on the meal plan.

Have an Autumn day out somewhere pretty

I definitely want at least one proper Autumn day out this month, nothing massively planned or expensive, just somewhere with loads of trees and crunchy leaves where we can have a good wander around and then stop somewhere for a coffee or hot chocolate afterwards.

I love those kinds of days anyway but there’s something about them in Autumn when you’re wrapped up warm and everything looks pretty that makes them even better. I want at least one day like that before the month is over.

Have a charity shop afternoon on my own

This might be one of the things on the list that I’m most looking forward to because I really fancy just taking myself off for an afternoon and having a proper wander around the charity shops with no rush and nowhere else I need to be.

I’m on the lookout for a little project although I have absolutely no idea what that project is yet. I’m thinking maybe a bedside cabinet or a little set of drawers, but it’ll be one of those things where I’ll know it when I see it.

I used to love finding something that looked a bit unloved and bringing it home to give it a makeover, so hopefully I’ll find something that gives me an idea as soon as I see it.

Learn to make something new

I’m already learning Spanish on Duolingo at the minute, although I’m convinced I’ve somehow ended up with a different version to everyone else because I keep having video calls with some Spanish teddy bear. 😂 But I want to learn something crafty too and I have no idea what yet, which probably isn’t very helpful for a bucket list.

I used to always be making something or learning how to do something new and I’ve really got out of that habit, so I’d quite like to get some of that back. Sometime in October I’m going to find something crafty that I fancy trying and just give it a go.

It doesn’t need to turn into a new hobby or be anything amazing, I just want to get back to that feeling of sitting down and making something because I fancy it.

And that’s my October. There’s quite a bit on there when I look at it all together, but I’m actually really looking forward to working my way through it because it feels like a nice mix of getting a few things sorted, doing some things just for me and properly making the most of one of my favourite months of the year.

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