New horizons living the dream. How?

jackieblack

Yes, thanks for the update 
I, too, have wondered how you were getting on. Lockdown has enabled a lot of people to get off the treadmill and rethink what they really want.

It sounds like the new job could be a good compromise and possibly give you the best of both worlds - just relieving yourself of your long daily commute will improve your work/life balance!
I hope it all pans out as anticipated.
🤞🏻🙂

Lifeofdreams

Dear Pollywollydoodle and Jackieblack
Thank you for responding to my post and your good wishes.  I am beset by insomnia tonight for some reason my mind is in overdrive!
I have been thinking about what I need to do to try and  balance my new job together with living a simpler and more intentional life.  Key to this I feel is becoming more organised.  So for example although I meal plan and shop accordingly this often goes to the wayside and I end up shopping about times a week.  In terms of cost re petrol, money spent on the additional shopping on things I dont really need and the time travel to and back from supermarket and shopping takes this is an area that if I changed would make like simpler and less expensive!  I will be working on this.  I went shopping yesterday and plan to stay away until Thursday.  This should enable me to have NSD as well as saving me time I could use to focus upon doing things I enjoy.  I am currently considering other areas where I can  save both time and money.
I will continue to post regularly to keep me going and as always any ideas/advice always welcome.  

jackieblack

I can totally relate to mind-in-overdrive related insomnia, it used to be something I lived with on a regular basis, sometimes I’d go for several months on 2-3 hours sleep a night. Fortunately, it’s a rare occurrence these days.
I can’t imagine shopping several times a week. But I live in a village and a journey to the supermarket is a 20 minute drive to the outskirts of the big town, so I only shop once a fortnight. (Even when I had a house full of family I only shopped once a week.)  I make good use of my freezer and store most fresh produce in the fridge to help prolong its lifespan. If I don’t have an ingredient I need for a particular dish, I make something different - I usually decide what to make based on the ingredients I’ve got.  If I run out of something I just have something different (but that doesn’t happen often as I have a well stocked freezer).  
That may sound a bit extreme for someone who shops several times a week,  but it’s actually completely fine and very do-able. It just requires a different mindset (and a big fridge freezer!).  I don’t have an opportunity to pop in anywhere on my way home from work - I walk to work, there are no shops on the way - so I know I need to get whatever I need in that one shop and I know I have to buy enough to last two weeks (minimum - I’m mindful that I may need to self isolate at any time).  I have a magnetic pad on the side of my fridge freezer and I write my shopping list as I go along so I don’t forget anything I have run out of or are running low on.

I spend approximately 2 hours a fortnight on shopping, including travelling.  

It works for me 🙂

Lifeofdreams

Hi Jackieblack

Glad to hear your insomnia is now rare.  It must be lovely not to experience that feeling under par that goes with it.  I would love to be able to get shopping down to 2 hours a fortnight maybe something I  would work towards, I like the idea of the notebook, something that I  can implement straightaway.

So today I am aiming for the following:-
first NSD day.
Tidy and clean house,, washing
Diary all this months commitments so far
Make large pan of lentil and veg soup (I have all ingredients) to freeze.
Do some reading for new job
Weed front garden
Trying to get as organised as possible in preparation for return to full time work.
Have a great day.😀

PollyWollyDoodle

I used to shop exactly like you, but Covid has changed my habits completely. Although I have a supermarket nearby, the days when I used to “just pop in” have gone. During lockdown I couldn’t get any online appointments, and going to the supermarket felt like a really big deal so I got much better at planning ahead. 

I have a blackboard on my fridge, I write up a simple meal plan for the week ahead, I keep a running shopping list of things that have run out and I also write a list of some of the things in the freezer that need using up to help with the meal planning. It’s not rigid, if I’ve had a bad day and don’t feel like cooking then I’ll get out a home-made ready meal.  I don’t really batch cook, rather I “cook once, eat twice” If you do that for a week, you’ve usually got enough for the following week assuming it is all stuff that will freeze.
I have just been reading “A Slob Comes Clean” by Dana White, after reading a thread about it on this forum. Nothing groundbreaking, all stuff that I knew already but don’t put into practice like having routines, but it’s helping me focus a bit more (housework is my nemesis)!   Something she suggests is batch cooking ingredients rather than whole dishes, so e.g. if you are cooking chicken for something cook extra and put in the freezer, then it’s ready next time you want a dish with cooked chicken in. It doesn’t really work for my style of cooking, but you might find that a useful idea. 

Lifeofdreams

Hi PollyWollyDoodle
great advice thank you.  I will also look for the book it sounds interesting.  I Liked your comment about housework being your nemesis.  I like a clean organised house but begrudge the time it takes to keep it so! 

I managed to stick to my plan yesterday with a NSD.  All apart from weeding the front garden I simply ran out of steam! So this will be carried over and hopefully completed today.  As the weather is so nice I may have a coffee out as the rest of the week is so busy and I have budgeted for this.  

I am also wondering how I can be a more frugal gardener so heading to green fingered board to see how/if I can take cuttings from my trailing geraniums.
my plan today
pre new job reading
weeding front garden
chilli in slow cooker
washing 
General surface tidy up 
Start To declutter garden shed!
coffee out!
I hope everyone has a great day.