Simplifying Life

Mrs_Bones

Thank you for the replies and I think you are all right. I just need to do small bits at a time, decided I'm going to try and do one wardrobe this weekend. with not working at them moment I'v got lots of clothes I don't wear so figured if I could empty one wardrobe I could turn that in to a closet for my crafting supplies.

mary43

Good luck Mrs.Bones - I cleared out two drawers in my computer room/den, condensed what I'd got into one and that left one drawer for all my card making stuff. Dont know about you but I do tend to accumulate a lot of 'crafty' bits and end up running out of space for them. Just had another clear out of my card making drawer so I can see what I've got. The little girl next door likes messing about making cards so she may well like them.........there's enough for someone to make good use of but I've got enough............for the time being anyway..........lol Been really organised and made all my birthday cards for the year...............next step is Christmas cards.......target being to have christmas done by the end of August..........I hope ............lol

Hell_Dans_Un_Handcart

Great thread!

This sounds very corny, but having my daughter has helped me and my husband to really simplify things because we want quality family time, a healthy lifestyle, and to lead by example.

Husband is changing careers to do something he's always wanted to do - joining the army :eek: Am a bit worried but also looking forward to having an interesting and varied lifestyle - it will be good for our daughter to see some of the world. It's also probably a job that will be safe in the dodgy economy we have at the moment.

We watch what we eat a lot more, and although I've always cooked, I now make everything from scratch, including our bread.

We watch less television, go out for walks/to play more. I have a lot more appreciation for simple things; good food, good books, conversation, fresh air

mary43

HellDans - not corny at all and I wish more parents felt like that instead. Quality time is something children don't forget.
As for the army..........well at least its a secure income and as you say it will be good for your daughter to see places she otherwise might not have the chance to.
My nephew joined the RAF and has never looked back. He's travelled to places other people would have had to pay for and loves every minute of it as does his son and he's learnt new skills too ready for when he eventually leaves.
Good luck to you........sounds like you';ve got your 'simlifying' sorted.

Hell_Dans_Un_Handcart

Ahh thank you, Mary! It's nice to know that your nephew is enjoying himself!

ceridwen

My thoughts for the week on simplifying:

- Well, it is a bit of a hassle having various bits of paper in various different places with notes I've made of recipes for cosmetics, cleaning products,food. Also ideas for projects I want/need to do. Etc. Etc. So I've realised its possible to set up a "blog" that one restricts access to to named people or even just oneself. So - I've set another one up (but this time purely for my own "notes to self" stuff - done as a private one, so that only I can see it and therefore dont have to worry myself about copyright issues on the one hand or the possibility of "losing" the info on it if my computer goes down again - as its stored in cyberspace and not on my personal computer). Not sure how useful I'll find it yet - I'll see.

- My other thought being I'm a great one for lists and I thought that I must divide both the "to do" and "to spend" lists into "when" categories. So - they're both in 4 "time" categories as to when I am going to do them.

The time categories are basically:
- today
- this week
- as soon as I can
- on retirement

So - for my "to do" lists. They are:
TODAY - eg wash dishes once or twice, do meals for today
THIS WEEK - eg clean bathroom, clean kitchen, hoover, etc
AS SOON AS I CAN (ie bank holidays, holidays, any weekends I've nothing much to do:cool: :rotfl: ) - right now for instance I have things like regrouting of kitchen and bathroom, sorting out top of a chest of drawers, repainting kitchen and bathroom on that one
AFTER RETIREMENT - eg retrofitting the house, replacing the kitchen (not to "update" it - I dont do "updating" - but you should see the state of it - aagh!), having a room replastered (ie the sort of things that are just going to be too much hassle to fit in on top of a full-time job, but do need doing).

For my "to spend" lists. They are:
NEXT TIME I'M IN TOWN - eg food shopping
PRONTO - (ie this month) - eg right now that is potato barrels (grow my own spuds time), waterbutt, wind-up light
NOW - (ie other money I am waiting to spend pronto, but my salary is too low to have it yet) - eg replacing that incredibly uncomfortable sofa of mine, stocking up with ingredients for making my own cosmetics and cleaning materials, getting a basic level of savings (the "enough to live on for 3 months" thing we need).
FROM LUMP SUM MONEY (ie after retirement in effect - as I need my pension lump sum to cover the cost - as my salary is too low for it) - eg retrofitting the house, replacing the kitchen, having that room replastered, getting the rest of my savings.

Looking at things in this light - it stops me worrying so much that I havent done and/or bought whatever-it-is yet. I just think "I cant help that - theres not enough time and/or money available for it yet - its on the retirement/from lump sum money list. There is nothing I can do about it yet. Not my fault - the time/money isnt available."

It's stupid of me I know to feel "guilty" that I havent done and/or got something yet - when there IS only so much time and money available. So - if my own mind or some other person is "going on at me" saying "WHY havent you done whatever-it-is yet?" - the answer is "Because I cant yet - it will be done - its on the 3rd or 4th list - not the now one" IYSWIM.

ceridwen

Just a little one - specially for Aril.

I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering if you were celebrating the Summer Solstice - but in case you werent - then my trundling through the blogosphere today came up with yesterdays post (ie 21 July) - "Happy Solstice" on Beansprout's blog (a YouTube clip). Her blog is:

www.bean-sprouts.blogspot.com/

mary43

ceridwen - you do sound organised. Like the idea of lists set into different categories...........I think thats where I get a bit muddled sometimes.
I've got a little notebook with Christmas/Birthday expenses -what I've bought, how much and who for (helps as it means I don't get the same thing again next year)
Gardening Journal I was given at Christmas is a boon for keeping check on what we planted, how much paid, how well its done, when plants flower and also I make notes of what the weathers like. That way I can check the following year when we sit and moan about it being too cold for May/June etc. we can look back and see what it was like last year, how plants were affected etc.
The only other book is a 'stuff to do' book.............bit of a jumble of things that need doing now, some net week/month.........could do with organising that a bit better. I always told myself I'd do a timetable with sections in it for de-cluttering one afternoon, card making another and so on (not forgetting the odd bit of housework.............lol) Still, it'll come. I'm only just getting to grips with trying to be organised..............lol

Well, been into town today for the 1960's themes craft fair..........lovely it was. Plenty of entertainment (free), all the shops open -I looked but resisted the urge to spend - Beatles type band playing on the market square, morris dancing, elvis impersonator, at the other end of the town........all the pubs and cafes had tables and chairs outside and the atmosphere was brilliant.
I'm so pleased the sun shone (though the winds were a bit on the 'high' side). Such a lot of work goes into these events its such a shame if they get rained off.
So............so far my day had been a lot more positive.....still worrying about lack of money and wondering what best to do, where we can cut corners etc. but there are people far worse off than us and 'sitting in the rocking chair' solves not a thing does it. So I won't............determined not to though its hard at times.

ceridwen

I see we're both thinking of Aril then mary...."sitting in the rocking chair" being a phrase she added to both our vocabulary;)

Still working on being organised Mary...work in progress time...bit by bit I'm getting there too. Left to myself I could easily sink into an inert bundle sometimes ....now I know you dont believe that one!;)

mary43

ceridwen - I do believe it.............often feel like doing that myself......in fact, I suppose I do in as much as I switch myself off to what needs doing a lot of the time - hence there are times when not a lot gets done.....then there's the guilt factor that creeps in when I realise the time I've wasted.
Still, at least I'm aware of it and there's only me that can change it.
I write lists upon lists a lot of the time and sometimes I think the time I spend thinking about what to put on the list next I could have worked through a lot of it.....................:rotfl: