La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) - on a tiny budget.

artistlifestyle

My take on Thrifty Thursdays is to buy nothing and eat out of the cupboard and fridge, so for one meal it’s a left over piece of white fish in the freezer, and a variety of veggies for me including the last leek in the fridge with a small baked potato, and beans on seeded toast for the other meal. Along with banana, kiwi and satsuma for afters or a snack. 

Throwaway Thursday needs a little more thought and a search to find something to cast out. Last week I cleared out a good st/st bin no longer used, a huge houseplant that was taking over and too irresistible to my tiny grandchild, some cushions and a few books. 

I am amazed by the houses Stacey Solomon helps sort out, and I haven’t seen this week’s episode yet. My home is positively empty compared to those, except maybe my studio 🤣, and I know we can all do with less. It’s a constant challenge. 

Helen 
I suggest you consider extending the gap between chiropractic appointments to weekly, as it gives the body more time to adapt and healing to occur. I’m a health professional and every body reacts differently, I think yours could be asking for a break, and when we’re older healing takes a bit longer. 

Good luck to those job hunting, I’m so busy and grateful for my work, and try to make enough break time for me too. 

Katiehound

hello. reading your thread I just want to contribute an idea about work skills.
I don't know if anything is relevant or interesting come to that! but the Open University has over 1000 free courses on OpenLearn

 
here's the opening page where you get to see what is available in your expertise/ experience:
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8NHxv_2Z_QIVkNnVCh0sFgSEEAAYASAAEgLaWPD_BwE

Debsnewbudget

Just having a giggle on Thrifty Thursday.
I am part of a group invited to trial clothes and do reviews on them.
Today I received a pair of dungarees. My daughter commented that she is not sure dungarees are for over 60’s😂 as they are more suited to toddlers.
I then sat having my lunch of a chopped up egg in a cup with mayo and tom ketchup and realised I had probably regressed, so expect a toddler tantrum before bed tonight😂

Dfw38

Thank you coxy and Katiehound. I did my degree with the OU and hoping to one day do another one....the first was for fun....environmental science 🤭 the next one needs to be for grown up, need a job reasons!
Thrifty Thursdays: decluttered my clothes today- few items out. Started running through the dcs clothes and there were tantrums (not unlike toddlers) so be careful debsnewbudget it might be catching 🤣
So instead of handing items down we are going to donate to the charity shop because I don't need the stress and aggro everytime someone wears the item that is handed down (by the person who gave it... not the littler person who received it 🙄) 
So to hopefully get them to appreciate what they have and are able to give, they will get less clothes this year than normal (I don't go overboard but hope they will feel the difference)
Dinner is made from what we are using from the chest freezer that needs defrosting so is a bit of a mish mash but edible. Roll on the dcs bedtime and I never feel like that but what a day!

Bluegreen143

Throwaway Thursday… I was greeted after nursery/school today by my 4yo daughter asking me why we hadn’t gone to her best friend’s softplay party 😨 (though she then wasn’t sure if it had happened) and after initially feeling hurt she wasn’t invited, I now have a nagging feeling that a card may have come in the big piles of art which she brings home each day, and I sort of remember the mum mentioning something weeks ago. 

Will find out from the mum tomorrow if I did in fact forget to go and if so apologise 😭 but it’s given me a kick up the bum that I need to sort out my system for paperwork and tasks. As papers of all kinds get balled up and shoved into corners or piles.

So today I tackled the gigantic mountain of kids’ art and only kept one bag of the nicest pieces to put away in a memory box in the cupboard. I binned about 80% of what I’d kept previously! 

Also retrieved various other papers, found an in tray in the cupboard and brought it out to start a proper system for not losing papers! I’m resolving to learn a new habit and tackle each paper (file, put in the intray to action, stick up on the wall of it’s a nice painting or bin) as we get it.

helensbiggestfan

Fab Friday. 

Good morning lovely ladies.  Just a quickie this Morning.  A busy day ahead.  

Will make an effort to dress up and show up.  Chiro later, don't fancy it much but needs must I suppose.  

Artistslifestyle.  Thanks for the advice.  After this batch of treatments I will definitely extend the time between chiro appts.  Just 3 more to go .......

bluegreen. Paperwork can really pile up and add to our stress levels. Well done on tackling it and putting systems in place.  

Dfw I think a lot of us have way too much "stuff". I think your idea of encouraging your children to donate their outgrown clothes to charity rather than risk the elder child's meltdowns is a very good way round the problem.  

I am from a very modest background and as a child I had very few clothes or possessions. Money was always tight and I often felt feelings of "lack".  I know that is why I got into the habit of overbuying and not being able to part with things. It was all about wanting security and not feeling deprived. I don't feel like that any more and I am now happy to donate and am definitely buying less these days, especially clothes.   I enjoy having a good turf out. I find it cathartic and liberating.  I still have a fair way to go and I will never be a true minimalist.It's work in progress. 

 I'm a work in progress 😂🤣

failingminimalist

Good morning everyone - I am new - to the board and to this thread! I hope it's okay if I join? I have read through the whole thread this morning whilst I couldn't sleep and it is such a lovely welcoming place to be. It felt like I a big hug!

I am on tenterhooks at the minute waiting to find out if I have secured a new home - looking to relocate, get a bit more space and a garden for me and the Schnauzer boys.  So that is exciting and anxiety inducing at the same time!

My Fab Friday has involved getting make up on and ready for work and being ready to throw myself into a busy day - to distract myself from waiting to hear - I am a terrible waiter! 

Have a wonderful day everyone

iris

Welcome @failingminimalist    Hope you have a fab Friday.

Coxy11

Morning everyone,

Fab Friday:
I'm WFH today and the sun is shining. DH is off camping for the weekend with his mates mid-afternoon, so I've invited my friend/neighbour over later for soft drinks and nibbles. I have already done a washload and it's on the airer in the spare room, now thinking I should have put it on the line hmmmm. 

Hope you hear about the new property soon @failingminimalist!

Have a fab day all,
Coxy

Wednesday2000

Hello Failingminimalist.

I just went outside to let the dog out and it feels like Spring out there, very mild and pleasant. I saw one of my neighbours has daffodils in her garden, lovely.

I got everything done on my to-list from yesterday apart from cutting my husband's hair so I will do that later.

I did go out yesterday to look for some navy or blue accessories for my second living room. It makes it sound like my house is big when it isn't, but we used to have one big living area in the old house and now we have two small rooms downstairs. I did try and make one a dining room, but we eat out a lot and my husband works shifts so we don't eat at the same time anyway so that seemed pointless. We had to switch the curtains around in the two rooms so I wanted a couple of blue items to match the curtains in one of the rooms. All I found was a blue and white box so I wanted to go out again today and look in a different charity shop. I want a navy cushion and a blue vase, ideally. 

I will clean down my washing line when I get back as I do think it is warm enough to dry outside now.