Simplifying Life

mary43

do it today - thanks for your positive thoughts...........I did just what you said. A knock at the door and there stood our ex foster lad who's had mental illness he's recovering from. What a tonic to see him. He laid out some decorative tiles he'd given me around our herb garden, OH came home with news from bank saying 'not to worry' and we three sat in the garden enjoying the sun.................started to rain now but I feel a lot better, though still somewhat drained. Think as I get older the 'recovery' process seems to take lonnger...................lol Don't envy you with the house sale.

cheery daff - sounds like you've got it in hand with the help of the 'fly lady' home blessing hour.........must have a look at that.Have to admit I've not looked at that thread for a bit as I've dismayed myself with lack of organisation with all things domestic ! Time I sorted myself and the house out a bit ready for family visit next week.
Can't face it today but tomorrow is another day.........I'm home all day so no excuse.:j

ceridwen

Hi

Well Mary ...I'm picking up a bit more of a positive impression from you on the dealing with the bank front - but do please keep on top of it. Dont want you coming on stating you have got major problems there you know;) So - hopefully all will be well for you there.

I think (fingers crossed very hard and click my heels together - Wizard of Oz? - style) that at long long last the worst of my hassles are dealt with at LAST! Whew! Hallelujah - or words to that effect. My father duly heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the phone when I told him things look like they are pretty sorted for me at last! He then said to me "I thought I was going to be dead before this was finished - but I wanted you to be sorted out first" - I checked that one out and he meant it. He got a very firm ceridwen response of "Its YOUR decision and YOUR decision only when you go - you go when you decide to. I know you want to make sure that mother and I will be alright - but we'll manage." The response was "I know you will - but its your mother I'm concerned about.". My response "Well - I will have to teach her how to live as a single woman - I've had years of experience of that - so I know how to.".

I guess thats simplicity - of a sort - we dont "beat about the bush" about these sort of things in my family. They are openly discussed in a practical manner. To me - thats simplicity. I know many people dont act in that way - but we have a "family view" on things generally in that respect that if there is a problem and/or nasty situation - its the simplest thing to face right up to it and deal with it.

Probably the reason right now that I am busy trying to do my little bit to think up ways we can all survive - indeed thrive - with Peak Oil now here. I honestly believe we can not just manage - but go on from there to a better and more meaningful life than we had before (I do have to stick in the quick corollary there that I am not so sure and I am concerned for those in poorer countries than this one - so this is just my feeling about the richer Western countries - that we can actually make life better for ourselves - whilst, I hope, being mindful of what we can do to help out those in other countries not so fortunately placed as we are.)

mary43

ceridwen - glad you've had some success............been a long time coming. At least your Dads mind will be more at rest now, as well as your own I'm sure. It's good that you and your family can speak so openly and freely.......so many families don't or can't do that.
Well, I've felt better as the day's gone on and am now about to make a list of things I must do tomorrow that should have been done yesterday/today before 'banks' got in the way.
I don't want to be forever appearing on here with negative vibes.........not exactly an inpiration for others is it. So, with determination in one hand and positive thinking in the other I shall go about my chores tomorrow........hoovering is a total must as is decluttering the 'hot spots' that have now spread from the kitchen table to the dresser to the coffee table (hardly dare mention my desk !) When I really look at it it'll take no time really to do leaving me some spare time to have coffee, listen to the radio and make some much needed phone calls. I'm visiting my friend on Friday...........making a point of seeing her once a week if I can as she's been so neglected by me in the past. My son bought me a teddy bear making kit at Christmas as a sort of joke and she's going to help me put it together. As she used to make teddy bears for a living before her disability she's looking forward to it. What might look tricky to me will be easy peasy to her and she'll have the satisfaction of knowing she is still able to produce an 'end product'.

Don't know too much about Peak Oil but your mention of other countries made me think........ watching the news last night and mention of food shortages and high prices I felt sure that there should be some sort of global 'body' that could regulate not only the production of basic foods but also the price to ordinary folk.
It's ludicrous that in this day and age we can send people up to the moon, send spaceships to Mars and yet half the world is starving either due to lack of production or price.
Or is it all to do with profit making ?

Now I'm all set for a relaxing evening with OH.........(he who hates banks but bless him, today came up trumps). Our lad has gone out after announcing that he's giving us a couple of extra days holiday by going to his brothers tomorrow as he knows how stressed how we've been - remarkable that even someone as troubled as he is can still recognise the needs of others.

mary43

Well, today, in more positive mode I counted out the small change I've been chucking in our whisky bottle...........took all morning ! Grand total - £27 ! Hardly a fortune but better than nothing and might help when we go off to Liverpool for a bit of 'culture'.

Wine bottles been collected from freecycler so thats a bit more space and I actually got around to clearing the 'hot spot' of a kitchen table, coffee table and dresser top !:j
Sadly, didn't get around to my desk.........bit too daunting at the moment.
Currently in tiny flap about needing duvet for spare bed when son and girlfriend and baby visit next week...........market chap not there this week, rang catalogue and delivery is 2 weeks :mad: ........think I'll have to borrow a spare one from somewhere unless someone is selling one at our Street Sale on Saturday. Trying to talk OH into having a table outside the house full of our 'throwouts'...............one day he's all for it, next day he's not so sure, so think I'll start chucking some stuff in a box..........if I start maybe he'll follow suit.
Visiting my friend tomorrow and she's going to help me sew together the teddy my younger son bought me as a joke for Christmas..........after this week it'll be good to spend some quality time with someone who's very special to me. I look forward to that..........should be at home doing ''stuff'' but what the heck..........we all need some 'space' sometime.

Cheery_Daff

Sounds like life isn't very simple for any of you at the minute! Hugs to you all anyway, because you all sound like you're doing lots of things for others and might need them

I'm doing NOTHING on the simplifying front at the minute, other than popping in here as I'd promised myself for a bit of inspiration.

I've been on the first day of a 4 day course today, and had to pay £150 rather than £100, so that leaves me £90 to live on for the next fortnight. And my van conked out today - a fairly regular occurrence - but I should probably be grateful since it'll make me stop using it for the next few days while it has a rest (there's nothing wrong with it, according to the garage the last few times we've asked...). Also means I can delay filling the tank up for a few days

My mum is coming on Saturday morning - i might be able to persuade her to go to the tip in her car if my van is still bust. We're clearing the garden to put the veg that's in pots in the house outside - does that count as simplifying??

So it doesn't feel very simple, but I guess that's life. Mr Daffs is poorly (an ongoing issue, with no decent diagnosis as yet, but is going to the docs tomorrow) - so that doesn't help things.

Anyway, sorry for waffling on I just think that if I pop in here every day and see what you're all getting up to and drone on for a bit this simplifying thing might actually sink in sooner or later...



Daffs
xx

Ellidee

I got an old copy of 'Supernature' by Lyall Watson for 50p from a Charity shop the other day. This is on the first page and I thought I had to share :-

'The activities of life are governed by the second law of thermodynamics. This says that the natural state of matter is chaos and that all things run down and become random and disordered. Living systems consist of highly organized matter; they create order out of disorder, but it is a constant battle against the process of disruption. Order is maintained by bringing in energy from outside to keep the system going. So biochemical systems exchange matter with their surroundings all the time, they are open, thermodynamic processes, as opposed to the closed, thermostatic structure of ordinary chemical reactions.
This is the secret of life. It means that there is continous communication not only between living things and their environment, but among all things living in that environment. An intricate web of interaction connects all life into one vast, self maintaining system. Each part is related to every other part and we are all part of the whole, part of Supernature.'

System

I am in the process of simplifying my finances. 18 months ago i had a decent amount of savings behind me, my husband earned more, we spent more etc and our finances where in a far better state than they are today. We have been using a credit card (with cashback) for most of our purchases but when i received my clubcard vouchers through the post a couple of weeks ago, i noticed that am getting less and less cashback every quarter because we are spending less. Hubby has just had a period of unemployment and although he didnt use the credit card, i am afraid i did. Everything he couldnt afford for the house/family i paid for on my credit card. Now although i have just enough savings to clear the credit card now, i am realizing that the card has just got to go. its too much hastle juggling from one account to another, and waiting for hubby to cough up for his diesel. Then theres the temptation to buy knowing that ive got a month to pay it off!

It used to be well worth the hastle but it just aint worth it any more and it will make my life so much simpler if i got rid of it.

ceridwen

Mary - well, the simplifying is obviously helping so far - the visible proof being you have time for that friendship that went "on hold" - gotta be good.

Cheery Daff - sorry to hear that the course is dearer than planned. Good job you've got the O.S. Board here to help in planning to manage on those reduced finances! Still - the course is all investment for the future anyways. Clearing the garden definitely counts as simplifying.

Ellidee - yep, it does feel at times like a constant battle against disruption. Not a cheering thought to think in terms of maybe chaos is the natural state of being. But onwards - we will get on top of it - shoving the mountain aside so to say. It helps a lot in my case that I have left those various part-time jobs that I had on top of the full-time one. I am totally fixed in my determination never ever to do any paid work in leisure time ever again no matter what - unless its something I actually WANT to do, pays me a reasonable rate of pay (how would I define that? Probably in terms of thousands of £s for a one-off project - ie a world of difference to my well below £10 per hour in my full-time job and below £15 per hour in the part-time work I did) and I would do it anyway by choice (difficult to envisage that sort of opportunity - but I live in hopes!). I am quite clear that a full-time job (even a poorly-paid one like I have) SHOULD provide enough to live on if one is clear of mortgage and debt as I (finally!) am. I now place a very high value on my leisure time. I think that one of the things that most provokes the Envy Monster to me is coming across people who have paid jobs they enjoy - hence all the unpaid work I have put in over the years, so I have had some chance to do work I enjoy - as thats something that has never been available to me on a paid basis...but I do keep hoping. I think many of us ARE basically hardworking people - but want it to be doing something constructive with a purpose behind it and that we can enjoy.

Judi - ah!:eek: - credit cards. Cross fingers and get the garlic out time! I have precisely the one and its kept for the sort of once in a year purchase that literally cant be done other than with a card sort of event and the money to cover it promptly stuck straight into my bank the next available day. Hate them! I try to operate in cash as far as possible - unfortunately complicated by the fact that I have to get the cash in cashback when purchasing items (hence using a debit card for that) - as the queue in my bank to get cash over the counter is just too long by far to contemplate joining in a lunchbreak (so my simplifying there is a resigned cashback purchase once or twice a week of some of my food and keep a notebook in my handbag at all times to instantly note down how much has just come out of my bank account.)

champys

Judi wrote: »

I am in the process of simplifying my finances. Now although i have just enough savings to clear the credit card now, i am realizing that the card has just got to go.
It used to be well worth the hastle but it just aint worth it any more and it will make my life so much simpler if i got rid of it.

Judi you are very right. My OH and I both gave up our credit cards about 6 years ago and it really simplifies and improves life. First of all you don't start the month with a dent in your wages from paying off last month's balance, and secondly it stops you impulse buying. If you have to wait with buying something till later in the month or end of the month, you often find that the urge to buy it has gone! Buying less is better for the planet, it means less de-cluttering in the longer run and it helps you build up some savings - which gives peace of mind. And all that by getting rid of a little square of plastic!

kbarty

really enjoying this thread. Am slowliy working my way through from the start! I got rid of 3 bags of old kids clothes yesterday on freecycle. A job well overdue. Also gave next door neighbour a pair of crocs for her little girl that mine had grown out of and I was going to ebay. Figured it would be simpler to give away and I'd feel good even if I'd got no money.

Not sure what I'll get done today but we'll see.