A Simpler Life 2018

dietdemon wrote: »

I currently work full time with 3 hour commute each day. I need to be able to free up time and lower my outgoing so I can work fewer hours.

Have already picked up some great tips on here but grateful for more. Anyone in similar situation? I have also recently moved so DH and I also renovating house.

A 3 hour commute :eek: Did you move to be closer to your DH's work?
I'm the lucky one here in that I can walk to work and DH commutes. It means that I have no car but very strong legs :rotfl:
Are you able to work remotely at all dietdemon?

RicardaRacoon wrote: »

This birthday party though... My friend told me a while ago that she was looking for a venue for the 1. Birthday of her son as her flat is too small for too many visitors. Since she can't get more than 10 people in comfortably I expected something along the line of 20 people max. Well, it was rather 40 to 45 and some of them ran under "neigbours of her parents" and "parents of a friend"
So the whole business was ways overscaled for my liking - although I have to say that I enjoyed a good natter with some friends - and the presents the little man got could keep a whole nursery going for quite a while. And soooo much plastic...

That party sounds a bit crazy Racoon, I'm glad you got to enjoy a chatter Kids do mean lots of plastic though, especially when young. Even if you specifically ask for wooden items they buy plastic ...:mad:

I'm currently on the look out for loose decaf tea, just a little amount, to try. In the past all the tea 'holders' I've tried get leaves stuck in the holes and I am at a stage where convenience trumps everything else.

DD starts school in September :j and I plan to use my two 6hr days to good use.

Lots of good advice on here still plodding on here have managed to decline 2 invitations already this month which feel very pleased with myself as before we would have ended up going then £30-£40 later saying that wasn't worth it !
Think someone else mentioned Rhona on Down to earth blog if anyone hasn't seen it before she has a very good January post about simplifying too.
Trying to sort out what we are growing this year have been discussing with DH changing our garden to make easier and put in more raised beds while we both still fit and able we had been talking about moving nearer the town currently only about 1.5 miles away so walkable and on bus route at the end of day why when we happy mortgage free at the moment think we have decided to simplify our home and garden instead preparing for retirement few years ahead.

I don't know if anyone has felt this, but I occasionally struggle between simple living and frugality. I've found one sometimes conflicts with the other. My frugal gene stops me spending money yet sometimes I need to spend money to go with the simplest and most stress-free option. Years ago I got Janet Luhrs Simple Living book and remember that being discussed in there (I also have a load of her newsletters somewhere on a disc).

My DH is going abroad for a car meet this year. He goes by the ferry and sleeps on a seat in the lounge, then has a terrible long drive up North from Portsmouth when he gets off. He looks like death warmed up when he gets back and it takes him days to bounce back. This year, mainly due to this thread, we've paid extra and booked him an overnight berth so he can sleep in a bed and will be refreshed in the morning for the long drive.

The old very frugal us would never have done this. He would have soldiered on sleeping upright on a seat to save money.

SimpleLiving wrote: »

Simple living does not automatically mean frugal, a lot of the time it does though

Yes, simple living could mean frugality or it could mean buying one quality item and it lasting longer than if you have to keep buying cheap items.:)