Simplifying Life

Aril

Thanks for that Topher...perfectionist tendencies are a complete pain aren't they [I should know!!] I read somewhere once [can't vouch for the accuracy of the following] but the word perfect is actually derived from the Latin for finished and the only perfect thing there is a snowflake.
I am working very hard to stick to my simpler goals of not bringing in more stuff to read and add to my load and to finish what I've started. My main area I am having to look at is working up to 40hpw and continuing my old style ways but realistically. I always think I can/should do it all [work/run the home etc etc] Following from my last post I have done some more thinking and I have asked for some more help on the domestic front which OH has been very happy to take on. I sometimes expect those around me to be able to mind read sometimes!! I've got my 5 blessings on my fridge and I'm focused on what's important. Mind you still looking forward to indulging my Steptoe side wickedly at the jumble sale tomorrow:D ....someone spell it out to me in syllables of one word that I will then need to sort out and declutter the same "treasures" in 6 months time:rotfl: By the way la la la I'm not listening:rotfl: :rotfl:
Having taken a step back this week and realised just what a great family and friends I have I've found the following to leave you with and I think it links back with the random acts of kindness rather well:
If you want to lift up yourself, lift up someone else.
Booker T Washington.
Aril

Jolaaled

RE: Affluenza

Found this video clip which shows Oliver James talking about his research (and book) on the links between afflenza and mental health in the uK. It's quite long...55 minutes..but interesting listening.

http://www.selfishcapitalist.com/affluenza_multimedia.html

mary43

originally posted by Aril
If you want to lift up yourself, lift up someone else.

Thanks for that Aril..............its of so true and one of my resolutions this year was to do a random act of kindness for someone.
Good luck with the jumble sale. Next week there's an 'indoor boot fair/table top sale' at our local church and I'll be there for sure............can't resist it but hopefully I can manage to restrain myself a bit and just by stuff for christmas and birthday pressies................if not, well I have made a ruling (and OH will insist I stick to it!) that if I buy something for either me or the house then I have to get rid of two things...............lol I'm ok with that one. It can help me re-appraise the stuff I've got.............there's often things that have been in the house/wardrobe for ages and doing this makes me realise as I look around to find a home for a new purchase that I'm actually quite bored with some of them and its no effort then to get rid.

Todays simplyfying so far has consisted in me messing about with the kids paints my son bought me for a joke for my birthday last year.........painted a card, got to wait for it to dry, add 'puffer paint', let it dry then whiz the hair dryer over it so it (hopefully) puffs up....................lol Not housework or de-cluttering but he bought me this last October so think its time I showed him his pressie wasn't wasted.......................lol
Rest of the day is going to be a 'take it easy' day again. Our lad came home last night having made up with girlfriend so she had spare bed for the night. Now they've gone out and all seems peaceful...............bout time...........been such a week !! OH is at the pub playing cards with his mates -got the house to myself, radio on, bliss........................:T

Janeryan

Heres another idea to ponder-how about creating a non-shopping list-in other words all those things that you know you already have plenty of but still tend to buy. For me that would be handbags and books!Plus more obvious and everyday things like tights/tolietries etc.

Once you really do need them(eg down to your last few pairs of tights) then put them back on the shopping list

hope this helps someone

Fozz

Love the idea of a non-shopping list!
I have set myself a challenge of not buying clothes for a year (challenge ends at the end of August), I tried to do the same with books, but can't resist them I'm afraid. The clothes challenge is going well, am dying a pair of faded jeans and a top later rather than buying replacements, it's quite interesting seeing how they come out! Did the same to a pair of my daughters' jeans and they came out a treat.
On my list will definitely be CDs, I have bought three in the last couple of months but listened to them a couple of times and put them on e-bay. They were just impulse buys, luckily they all sold so got some money back.
I am getting better regarding impulse buys, I try to go out of the shop when the urge comes over me. In fact I restrict my trips to town now to only when I really need something. No more aimlessly wandering around the shops for something to do, such a waste of time!

mary43

I'm a charity shop hunter and it used to be most unusual for me to go in and not come out with a jumper or something to wear. So far this year (I know it's early yet ) I've been in and what I've bought -except for couple of books - have been stuff for christmas/birthday pressies. Determined to have a recycled pressie year....................lol And stop buying stuff for me !!
I'm trying to only go out once a week unless I go to a specific shop for veg or something and I'm keeping weekly list of what I've spent so far and writing it down does make me less liable to buy for the sake of it............don;t need it, don''t buy it. Do hope I can stick to it but forgive me if I fall down now and then................lol

Discount_diva_5

Regarding the books thing. I absolutely love books and reading is my second favourite thing in the world... However, I no longer buy them and have offloaded all of mine except for cookery books and one about weight training which I need to get back into (another story, that one..).

What I do now is this: when I want to read a book, I order it from the library, having first looked up the isbn number on amazon. It costs about 60p to get a book this way and this helps library funds which, in my mind, is a good thing. When I've read it, I write the title and author down on my "booklist" (some pages of my filofax) and give it my own personal star rating. If I think that I'd love to read that book again, I go to the library again and take it out or order it again. This means I have no books to clutter up the house. When you think about it, that's all they do unless they are actively, at that moment being read.

Re cds: I am in the process of copying mine onto my ipod (a present from lovely OH) and then they will be ebayed or carbooted- even less clutter!

I'm trying to teach this method to my hoarding daughter who thinks that if you like something it must be possessed. She's doing ok on the cd front but will insist on buying dvds.

As for dvds, well, whatever it is, it'll be on the telly some time won't it??

mary43

Best not to mention CD's or old albums...................lol OH loves all his and won't part with any of them yet he can't possibly ever play them all............lol
As for books, they're normally from the charity shop and there's often some I want to keep (poetry, art, history etc) and OH is the same thought there are a lot of paperbacks that he's read and re-read .........they could either go to someone on freecycle or back to the charity shop.
I tend to by books on impulse when I see them. Never have a fixed idea in my head it's just whatever takes my fancy.
I'm going down to see my Mum next week and I know she's got books there that she's not likely to read again. She's to poorly and some are duplicates -I've bought them and taken them down for her not realising she's got them so I just might retrieve those and bring them home. If they're in good condition (Mum was always careful with books) then I can pass them on to MIL for part of her birthday hamper. She's housebound, can;t get to the library unless someone takes her and she does love a good book, has the same taste as my Mum which is handy)
Oh lor...........just glanced at the bookcase and can see three books on flower arranging !! Dont need three do I ? Trouble is, one of them was one of Mums and I'm reluctant to part with it for that reason though the others are much better..........decisions, decisions...............

Charis

Discount_diva wrote: »

Re cds: I am in the process of copying mine onto my ipod (a present from lovely OH) and then they will be ebayed or carbooted- even less clutter!

I have been copying mine to the hard drive but wonder, if I get rid of the originals, whether I then technically have non-legitimate copies on my computer, since I will no longer have proof that I ever had the originals. Not that I think the copyright police will be at my door or anything but these days you never know what you might be fined for if they have a clamp down Also, if you have dispatched the originals and your hard drive fails or your iPod lands up in a puddle, you might be glad if you have some kind of backup.

Charis

JaySL

Hello everyone !

I was lurking on this thread earlier on, couldnt quite finish reading it and have bookmarked it to catch up on all the pages at some point. Today, I looked at it again and it is now p39!

There are some great ideas here to help simplify life and I hope I can put some of them into practice. I would love to simplify, so thanks Ceridwen for starting this thread.:T

But first, i had better start getting on with the reading!

JaySL