Self-Discipline(SP?)

D&DD

Well I am the world's most disorganised person :rotfl: so I always need help!
I was sooo much better when I did 3 jobs and looked after everything at home and with the boys still.
I find the more time I have the worse I get

Don't beat yourself up is my advice,if it needs to be done it will get done..anything else is a bonus

Everyone is different and what works for one doesn't necessarily do for others..believe me I've tried to keep the house all shiny( :whistle: honest!) but I just can't get a routine going but I do ok on the food front..
We can't all be superwomen *as my OH has found out lol* and something usually has to give at some time or the other..
Like all things it takes time to learn new skills and then to finetune them to your families needs,you'll be fine... babysteps

beemuzed

As others have said - take it slowly. If you try to change lots of things at once you'll soon get overwhelmed and give up completely. I do sympathize about being too tired to do anything in the evenings. I've been just the same, loads of good resolutions all day, but when the evening comes it'll have been all I can do not to fall asleep in front of the box! I tried to do something (anything!) in the mornings before leaving for work. My best advice would be to menu-plan, make a list - and stick to it! As has been said, lack of money will force you to stick to it to a degree - but don't beat yourself up if you slip a little. Every day can be a fresh start. Good luck - and hope your DP's job works out.

Dobie

undercover_angel wrote: »

How do you discipline yourselves? How do you (those of you who work) find the time to do it? I guess I have the time to prepare things etc when I get home from work but I am just sooooooooooo tired as my job is so physical and emotionally draining.
I guess what I am saying is How do you make yourselves do the things you know you should be doing?

If you're too tired when you get home from work when are you NOT so tired? I 'm better in the mornings so I get up a bit earlier (5.30 during the week :eek: ) & do a job before I go to work. This is how I keep the kitchen & bathroom clean & either polish or vacuum so there's not too much to worry about at other times. I tend to do most cooking & freezing at weekends so there's always a home cooked meal in the freezer if I get home & can't be bothered to chop onions!
That & making one change at a time works best for me. I decide I'll do one thing for a month & then add another thing next month. By the time you've done something for a month it's a habit so you do it without thinking. By the end of 6 months you'll find your routine transformed.
GOOD LUCK. X

undercover_angel

Thank you very much everyone for the replies, some really useful ideas.

Another part of the problem is I work shifts and they can be anything between 7am and 7pm each day, so for the 7am start I am up at 5.30 just to get up and dressed and to work in time. And on a 7pm finish I don't get home until 8pm. It's not the times that are a problem it's that they aren't regular and change everyday. And from Monday DP will be working regular 1.30pm-9pm which if I'm honest prompted this whole OS thing, as it's obvious we are going to need to be much more orgnanised as we won't be eating together in the evenings anymore.

Anyway, sorry I know it sounds like I am making excuses but I'm not honestly, it's just the way things are. I do want to try though, I really do- like I said for health reasons too!

I'm going to do my food inventory in a mo, is it best to do this on the computer so I can update it each time I use something?

x

Zazen999

I'm just a good old fashioned tightwad.

I knew my OH was for me when I found out he prepared wraps on a sunday night that lasted him all week for lunch. Chopped onion & pepper mixed together and placed in wrap and wrapped, with tin foil to seal. He moved on to ryvita and houmus and an apple after we moved in together and he's been on that for lunch ever since. Bless. So, find something/s you like for lunch and stick to it/them

I work from home but use menu planning and always always have a list on the go so that I don't forget to buy stuff when I can. When I am out to see clients for the day it's usually a 12-14 hour round trip so I've got stuff stashed that I can take for lunch and just throw it in a bag - not much thinking involved.

Learn to cook quick meals; I can do noodles in 10 minutes [fry onion, put noodles in to soak - it's the 3 minutes ones I use @ 10p packet - add any other veg to the onion such as peppers and cook for a few mins, throw noodles in - add soy sauce, serve and pop some mayo on top - done. Spaghetti with fresh sauce takes me 15-20 mins, pasta with creamy cheesy sauce about the same. We often have these for lunches at weekends when we come back and are famished.

You can make a big pan of for example pasta sauce, and either freeze or just pop it in the fridge, most things will last a few days - and I often cook more of veg to add to the next day's meal [today we are having bubble and squeak from yesterday's leftover roast dinner veg].

I think it's a case of mixing and matching what you can realistically do in the time you have. I can't be bothered to make my own vege sausages for example, so I buy them [esp if they are on offer], but I don't beat myself up about it. Life's too short.

On the subject of an inventory; I go through the cupboards and if there's stuff there not used, it either gets chucked [if there's no way on earth I'm going to use it] or I'll note down what I'm going to use it in. Our kitchen is small and i've got no space to keep prisoners. If it's not eaten in that week, it goes. And I'll make sure I don't buy it again without good reason.

juliapenguin

Hi undercover_angel and congratulations to your OH for finding a new job.

I add my voice to all the others and say GO SLOWLY!!!! I've tried so many times to do something 100% and then burn out and do 0%. Go for 10% and build up. The best thing I EVER did was the spending diary because it stopped me wasting money - I think twice about spending £2.65 on a caffe latte in Starbucks knowing I have to write it in the book and highlight it pink (which means 'unnecessary'!) I think about how all those £2.65s add up to being able to go on holiday or go out for a lovely meal with friends or DH. But you must start small - and remember that there's a big difference between going to Starbucks (or wherever) with a special friend as a social occasion or on your own for a relaxing treat and going there because you forgot to put a bottle of water in your bag and you're really thirsty.

And do menu plans and shopping lists, and don't be a perfectionist.

Good luck!!!!! I hope 2009 is a great year for you xx

frugalswan

I wouldn't consider myself as being organised, however much people tell me I am... Weird. Spending diaries are a good idea, and I always shock myself when I work out how much I would spend if I didn't take a packed lunch to work (min £3 a day x 5 days a week, x 50 weeks a year... soon adds up), and this year I really REALLY need to give up cola. I've been trying for ages and would hardly call myself disciplined. I do meal plan to use up as many leftovers as I can, and enjoy doing so, but when you only get about five minutes to sit down a night it can be hard to fit everything in.

I used to worry about making my own chips - we don't eat them very often, and the only times we do are the times I can't be bothered to cook. So, when those rare occasions arise, we get a child's portion from the fish and chip shop for 75p. A lovely little treat.

I'd say to take it slowly, and to use the support that this forum offers. The Grocery Challenge is a good one because you can combine the meal plans with your shopping lists and find out what you really use/need.

It's amazing how creative you can become with leftovers. Meatballs for us two weeks ago were put into the freezer and used yesterday for a ragu with pasta. Today, it's a pasta salad.

x Frugalswan x

mummysaver

For me being os with food is easy, I enjoy cooking and I really enjoy eating lol! The hardest os stuff is housework I find, I know why, it's because I really really hate doing it!

So, what I do now is clear the kitchen before I go to bed, and wash up/load the dishwasher after breakfast, small things, but they make a big difference. Walking into a huge pile of pots, or stuff everywhere just makes me feel awful! I also have got into the habit of whizzing the hoover around whilst I wait for the kettle to boil, usually after the kids have left for school and before I go to bed (I work nights!), it's not always the best right to edge clean, but it does mean that I keep on top of things.

Once a week we all have a blitz together, this works fairly well as we set a time limit - usually I try to do it before we're going out, as it means that we have to get it done in a certain time, which means we don't get distracted with old books or magazines or whatever!

For the bathrooms I give them a quick whizz over whilst I wait for the bath to fill, does mean that I really value my lush bathbombs, as they override the smell of toilet cleaner lol! Yeah I know I could use something natural, but I like to use bleach on them!

All these are little things that I have slowly introduced, mainly because I was vanishing under the chaotic mess, one thing at a time is the best advice, eventually it does become a sort of habit, and knowing it makes life easier almost makes me feel motivated about it!

For making food more os, then menu planning is my best thing, though it doesn't work for everyone, and we all have different ways of doing this. Some people list every meal for a specific night, some list a weeks worth and choose on the day, I mix up the two a bit plus I usually have days where it'll be a pasta meal (could be salad, pasta bake, mac cheese, etc), a mince day (bolognese, chilli, lasagne, meatballs, burgers, etc) and then decide on the day which it'll be. I also batch bake and freeze a lot of stuff, and cook double or triple quantities of stuff like lasagne, and freeze in individual portions and family sized ones.

For lunches I work out what will be needed at the weekend for the following week. I then make sure I have enough fillings, usually I keep a block of cheese grated in the freezer, easy to grab a handful and means that the kids don't keep cutting of chunks for snacks, and I cook and slice a ham and store in the freezer, a few slices per bag. I usually make muffins and tray bakes and freeze these in portions. Fruit will last the week and I make yoghurt and bread (I like doing this, but then I enjoy cooking as I said). Lots of people make up their sandwiches or wraps at the weekend and freeze them ready to just grab for the following week (Weezl has a whole list of these on her thread), often taking some salad stuff to shove in at work when the sarnie's defrosted. Things like pasta salad are nice and easy to make and keep in the fridge for a few days and can be taken in a pot to work, and home made soup is great to take in a flask in this weather.

Good luck with your challenge, perhaps choosing one thing that you like doing and one that you don't each fortnight and trying to bring them into your routine would be a good way to go?

undercover_angel

Thanks again folks, some really good advice, as you can see from my signature I have joined the GC, hopefully that will keep me motivated. I am doing well so far today although have now sat down to watch mighty ducks (sad I know!) I have done an inventory of my freezer, storecupboard and vegetable trolley, and will now plan a weeks worth of meals. I have also done some hoovering, cleaned the kitchen (with stardrops) and got a load of washing in. But you see, I'm off work today the real challenge will begin on Monday I guess.

Thanks again, you are all very friendly and welcoming. x

mummysaver

Come and join the daily thread as well, some people on there are superwomen and men and the rest of us just try and do what we can! Seriously, everyone is lovely on there, the support is fabulous, and they always help keep me motivated, just seeing what someone else has done is often enough to make me think oh I could quickly throw a load in the washing machine before I grab a cuppa a reply!