Simplifying Life

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I am trying to simplfy my life by enjoying the cheap thrills in life, saving money for trips around the world instead of spending money on crap highsteet names! Spending more time with my family, rather than just being in the same room as them!

I want more laughter than tears around me and more good memories.

I try to remember while sitting here at my desk I work to live rather than live to work, and hell if I loose it all, is it the end of the world, nah, I can always make more money!

mary43

I think there's a lot to be said in 'the best things in life are free' saying.
We all need money in order to live but don't have to break out backs getting it if we adjust our lifestyle so it includes more 'quality time' with family and friends...............sometimes work can sort of 'take over' and the pressure is always there to do more, earn more, buy more which can make life difficult particularly for those with growing youngsters who seem to fall into the 'brand name' trap.

ceridwen

Well the pressure is certainly very much "on" to earn more. There are a lot of people these days doing an extra job - or two - on top of a full-time job. As we know - I have spent time doing this myself till recently. But - there does come a point when we have to think "darn it - I am going to reclaim my life". It is certainly something that has struck me quite forcibly over the last few years - and I think it is getting noticeably worse now - just how many people arent "available" for leisuretime activities. Reason - they are using leisuretime to earn extra money and/or working in leisuretime hours instead of work hours.

It has taken me a lot of effort to put myself in a position where I am never going to spend any of my precious leisure time again doing paid work (unless its doing something I actually like and would choose to do anyway - a prospect I personally find it very hard to envisage - as I have never yet had a job I would actually choose to do - but I live in hopes!). So - over the years - I have come to the conclusion that most people only ever go in to work because they have to and I feel that, with that being the case, then it is necessary to become very disciplined (not easy for me!) with money management to ensure that one is able to cut the dreaded w**k first down and then out totally as soon as possible. Life has to be about more - much more - than just surviving from paypacket to paypacket.

Doesnt mean to say that - right now - I'm not pondering ways to make some extra money (as I am - but ONLY if its something I actually WANT to do and will pay me reasonably) - but there has to come a time when one pointblank refuses to "sell ones soul" and do meaningless work in ones leisure time. One has to bear in mind priorities and if ones work doesnt bring joy - then cut it back to an absolute minimum consistent with managing financially.

ceridwen

..Aril ...have a good time whalewatching. Good chance to record own relaxing New Age-y meditation music perchance?;)

lilac_lady

ceridwen is correct. I could have worked on after my 60th birthday in April but I decided that I would give up paid work and reclaim some time for myself. I do a voluntary job for 4 hours a week and look after my grandchildren one day per week. The rest of my time is free and I LOVE it. If I can't sleep I get up and read for a while - none of that "must get some sleep before the alarm goes off" feeling for me now. Money is necessary to enjoy life but you don't need as much as you think to be happy if you find contentment in your lifestyle.

champys

ceridwen wrote: »

It has taken me a lot of effort to put myself in a position where I am never going to spend any of my precious leisure time again doing paid work (unless its doing something I actually like and would choose to do anyway - a prospect I personally find it very hard to envisage - as I have never yet had a job I would actually choose to do - but I live in hopes!). So - over the years - I have come to the conclusion that most people only ever go in to work because they have to and I feel that, with that being the case, then it is necessary to become very disciplined (not easy for me!) with money management to ensure that one is able to cut the dreaded w**k first down and then out totally as soon as possible. Life has to be about more - much more - than just surviving from paypacket to paypacket.

I'm so with you there, Ceridwen - knowing that there is no 'easy money' (well, maybe if you inherit lots or do something dishonest), you will have to balance the time you need earning your keep against the time you would like for yourself and adjust your spending accordingly. Indeed money management is important here, as well as enjoying or re-learning to enjoy the simple and inexpensive pleasures in life.
It also depends on how you feel about working less and doing things yourself in the time saved that you could contract out if you worked and earned more. For example, I prefer spending my own time on doing my own housework to working more office hours in order to afford a cleaner. Spending my own time on growing fresh veg and cooking fresh food instead of working more and going out for meals a lot and buying processed food. Making my own clothes as opposed to buying sweatshop products. And so on. In the end I still do not have a lot of really 'free' time because of all this DIY, but it is so much more satisfying! And most of the time the spending less is a bonus for the planet.
It works for me...... :-)!

mary43

ceridwen - you're so right. Too many people either have no leisure time anymore or they're too tired from working long hours to enjoy the time they have.
Our builder chap is a cheery soul and having a young child with a terminal illness can't be easy for him.As a result I think he's determined to make his sons life as enjoyable as possible and in doing so he's making his own time better. Of course he's much younger and has more energy but putting that to one side he has a positive outlook on life where so many people would easily give up. He's also one of those folk who doesn't mind giving a helping hand without a 'whats in it for me' that normally follows with such things.
Our washing machine leaked last night flooding the kitchen floor and I was just in the process of doing some washing for foster daughter as the electric still isn't sorted in the kitchen since her fire. OH's no plumber and the repair man is on holiday but our builder chappy (who seems to be handy at all things) set too and sorted it out - well I hope so, haven't tried it yet..............lol But he seems confident enough about it.
Nerves shattered a bit when he inspected the ceiling that we just thought could be 'patched up' and young builder scratched his head said it needed re-doing altogether !! But no worries says he...........he'll not charge extra !
Restores my faith in human nature when we seem to live in an age where nothing is done for nothing.............there's always an expectation of something in return.

Dads tray still sits on the settee with stencil books on top until I have some peace and quiet and the mood takes me to tackle it. Maybe, come the weekend when the builder has gone and I get a bit of time for 'me' I can concentrate.
Tomorrow I think I might take myself out for a walk into town,browse the market for a bit and clear my head, away from the debris that seems to spill over from one bit of building work to another, via the kitchen and lounge.
Just hoping all this is cleared up before my son brings baby grandson at the beginning of June.

ceridwen

Champys - its true one is still "working" in a way if doing one's own cooking, cleaning, whatever, round the house - but you are your own boss and working at your pace and without any supervision - and herein lies the satisfaction. Not like paid work for an employer - where your every little move and conversation are closely scrutinised and often criticised and your work isnt valued (maybe even isnt there and you are faced with trying to "look busy" and a peanut's worth of work has to suffice for a meal's worth of time), health hazards, bullying, sexual harrassment - many of us have run the gamut of what work can be like. So "work" in our own home doing what little we can to be as self-sufficientish as possible is a very pleasant change.

Yes mary - I know what you mean by "whats in it for me?" thinking - I have noticed various things over the last few years changing from free or minimal charge to noticeable charge. One needs to step back and try and take a "balanced" attitude to things. Mine I guess is that I have a tendency to give things and ideas away pretty freely on the one hand - but, when I do so, I do so for the benefit of Society as a whole and am having to learn to be aware of how what I give freely has sometimes been misused and try to safeguard against this as far as one can.

Lilac Lady - I certainly know what you mean by the "must get some sleep before the alarm goes off" syndrome and I will be glad when that is no longer a consideration. I have periods where ideas/ways of organising things are flooding through my mind and that tends to result in the odd sleepless night or two. I keep it under control to some extent with the old have a biro and notepad by the bed approach - so I can write down whatever idea has just come up and get it out of my mind, rather than telling myself that I must remember to "hang onto it" and still possibly losing it by morning.

mary43

Went into town this morning after long chat with my friend (think she'll end up being a stand-in for my counsellor...........lol)
Lovely sunny day which helped and I managed to get the geraniums I wanted for the garden.
Finished off at the beer garden to meet OH for a coffee and sat and watched a blackbird that has nested under the eaves there, feeding it's young. What a delight to see it really was.
I feel better for the little outing -been over a week since I went into town.
Came back and looked at the carpet badly in need of hoovering and then thought, whats the point, builder will be here tomorrow morning - no point in cleaning up when there's more mess to follow.lt just adds pressure where there needn't be.
So, spending this afternoon having some 'me' time till soc.worker comes at 4pm.

ceridwen

I seem to have done rather a lot of scooting round the Net today - one of my finds is:

http://bettertimesinfo.org/

This one is a "better put the kettle on - you'll be reading for a while" one.