Need to create! Housework can wait!

Need to create...can't wait...don't hesitate....

I've been busy the last few months trying to focus on what needs to be done, instead of getting caught up in what I enjoy doing. I haven't done any craft for a long time but I've felt the need to create. I've been missing it. I really believe in making time for the soul but I've been  waiting for a free moment.

Something was telling me I needed to get back to it, whether I had time or not. I know my soul feels nourished after time spent doing what I love so I could justify choosing it even when there were many other things to do. I was also encouraged after reading organisingqueen.com who was challenging readers to make time to do something they love.

Last Friday night I began. My goal had been to make gift tags for some small, thank-you gifts for those who helped me out when my car wasn't working. I wanted to use up what was already in the craft box and it had to be easy to do in one sitting.

On Thursday night - in a reckless moment of time-wasting on Pinterest- I was inspired to do an Easter vignette.  It was clearly a sign that my expressive side was needing attention. Or perhaps just another indication of my wonderful procrastination skills. 

Tags or bunny? 

My main goal was to paint a bunny to frame for Easter. As I painted, there was no doubt in my mind that it was really soothing creating something beautiful from the gentle brushstrokes on the crisp, clean page. It was peaceful and therapeutic. I felt rested. There was focus as I found myself being in the moment, lost in the swirl of the soft, pastel colours. 

While the bunny silhouette dried, I decided to get on with the gift tags and leave the housework for the next day. I rummaged around for pretty paper and offcuts, and used the hanging loops I've been snipping off clothes for ribbon. I cut and glued, then threaded the ribbon through a hole at the top of the tag. The most difficult part was shaping the cardboard to look like a gift tag.

The next day I bought some eggs and two ceramic birds from the el cheapo shop. Back at home, I grabbed a few minutes of my cleaning time to arrange the Easter display in the lounge room. I didn't have any green material but came across a bright and cheery, green scarf when I was putting away my clothes (I did make time for some housework!!).

I had a wonderful time reconnecting with my creative side. A few days later I still feel good about it and I'm keen to get back home and experience some more domestic bliss, which is the opposite of how I had been feeling the weeks before. The experience has cemented even further how important I think it is to listen to your soul. I feel nourished and energised. 

I hope you have some time this week to do something you love.

Two great purchases

March has been a good month.

I am now the proud owner of a new car. I have wheels and I can go places. It's nice to be on the road in a reliable vehicle.

As well as that, I am also the happy, happy owner of a new drink bottle and I have to say I'm very proud of it.

The car was not one of my goals for this year but it had become a necessity. I was not happy initially because I was all geared up to make a decent dent in my mortgage this year. Getting a car meant I had to divert some of that money, as well as incur a new debt.  Eventually, I had to give in and be practical rather than idealistic.

On the plus side, I was able to manage it financially. That does not mean I simply took the spare change out of my purse. It just means that things I've put in place before now, made it easier to organise. I have managed to build up my emergency savings and non-planned savings over the years, chiefly by not going shopping "just for fun", spending sparingly and sticking to a budget.

I didn't tell the car sales people that one of the most important things I was looking for was a cup holder. The other most important thing was a good radio. I am tickled pink to have both!

On the negative side my friend's husband was upset. He works for a local car plant and was not impressed that I had bought a "foreign" car. Aside from the fact that I didn't have a lot of time to do research (it takes me ages to understand technical talk), my instincts knew this was the car for me. It's small and economical and I really love having it. I know buying "local" is a priority but I also know to follow my instincts.

My other great purchase was a water bottle. It looks good. It works. I still have it. 

This is my fourth bottle in about two years. I lost a good one. The next one I bought was too hard to use when I was out and about and the third one leaked. That's why I'm so happy to have one that works. It's made it so much easier to drink more water each day which means I'm looking after my body better. Being healthy is one of my main goals for this year,so I feel like I'm finally ticking some boxes on my goal list.

I do try to buy ethically. I noticed  many people buy the steel bottles but I really want to see what's in the bottle. I got plastic but I did try to buy "good" plastic!

I have had to accept that what I planned for in my budget this year had to change. It's been another reminder to embrace what is, as is. Fortunately, what started out to be an annoyance is turning into a challenge I want to conquer! I don't like debt so I am determined to look out for ways to save money and reduce that figure as much as possible. In the meantime, I hope to enjoy these two great purchases.

Simple Living: Simple achievements

This year I've been living very simply, but in a different way.  I've had a run of ailments which means there have been days where I have been able to manage nothing more than staring at the TV screen. I had intended cutting down my screen time this year but in the last few weeks I've watched more than ever. 
I woke up yesterday with a very sore throat. Added to that my car has cut out completely three times in the last two days so I don't want to drive it until it gets fixed.  Because I had started getting better, Mr S and I had been looking forward to going out for a drive this weekend. Alas, it's the very, very simple life for us this weekend. Again. It looks like it will be a little longer before I can get back into my regular life.

Somehow, through all these pot-holes in the road of life, I have managed to get back to work and do  "light" things around the house. I noticed that many bloggers record their simple living achievements which appeals to the part of me that likes to make lists and tick things off. So this week I thought I'd list the very simple ways in which I have been "living simply".

• I am slowly decluttering by unsubscribing to websites I no longer use or no longer need. It feels good to be making a difference even if it is only a baby step. It's still a step forward in the right direction.

Providing nourishment but possible not a contender for the Royal Show.

Zucchini fritters.

No, I didn't eat these grapes. A two-legged creature worked its way through the netting.

• Picking vegetables from the garden and cooking with them. I'm learning! There's so much I don't know about gardening and I'm not sure that we've saved too much money but I think there will come a time in the future when this biding time  will pave the way for a flourishing and productive vegetable garden.
• I'm remembering to turn off switches. My "frugal" motto is Every little bit counts. Being frugal is a habit I want to cultivate rather than a major goal I want to throw all my energy into.
• My phone reminded me I need to check two bills and accounts this week to make sure they are paid on time. So I paid them.
• I've started tinkering with the making of  fairy garden after getting distracted from this goal last year. I've kept it simple by just using what's lying around the garden. It's a work in progress.

• I'm getting back into a routine: mid-week laundry and household "admin"  on a Friday night. "Admin" includes planning for work and home. I'm not an organiser by nature so planning helps me keep on track. Having goals and planning has helped me prioritise in the last few weeks when I have not been able to get things done so easily.
• When it was hot this week we kept the house closed  and didn't use the cooling. 
• And this one: Saving money by not going out and making do with what is in the house (trying to look at a challenge in a positive way :) ).

I wrote earlier this year about life delivering me a message:  embrace what is, as is, now!! I've got to admit it feels totally weird to be doing nothing, just sitting around, but my body seems to need it right now. I know I need to trust that all will be well. Besides, I am fortunate. I have much to be grateful for. I'm very grateful that in this hot, hot weather it is OK for me to sit around doing nothing. When I remind myself that getting sick like this has happened before, I know that it won't be long before life resumes its normal pace. I can't help thinking that life really is marvellous but it sure does have its share of potholes and the challenge is to embrace those potholes as much as the highs!

On being frugal in 2015

(My computer has gone "kaput" so no recent photos but I found some oldies. Enjoy.)

Well, my friends, 2015 is the year I incorporate frugality into my vocabulary. Don't get me wrong. I have always been relatively cautious with my spending, but the word "frugal" is one I have never wanted to adopt. 
Growing up we had little to no money for spending. Back then, it wasn't so much about being frugal. It was a matter of not spending because there was no money to spend. One had to be frugal to manage the pennies each week.

I think because I have social anxiety, asserting my needs and wants has been something I was never able to do. In many ways, I really didn't know what I wanted, let alone know how to impose that on someone else. When I was younger, there is no way I would have asked my mum for the latest pair of jeans or some cool top or a neat line of stationery. When I first started to work in a permanent position on a fixed income, I literally didn't know how to spend. I would constantly think of what might happen if I overspent and didn't have any money left. Again, social anxiety at work!
I had to learn to spend. I had to learn to enjoy my money. And eventually I did. 
But this was not about being frugal. This was about not knowing how to be with money, even though in the course of growing up and being fearful of overspending, I actually learnt many useful ways of saving money.

I think I have been averse to "frugality" because it often seems to be about putting money above people or money above the quality of a product or experience. Of course, different people have different priorities. 
For me, I want nourishing food over cheap, processed foodstuffs. I want a long-lasting garment which can be worn and enjoyed over a $3 bargain which was made by whom? where? under what conditions? and of what quality? 
For so many years I found it hard to connect with people and neither did I eat a wide range of food when younger. So as I got older, I made it a priority to accept invitations to eat with friends and colleagues, even though I might not each as much as them at a restaurant and we would be sharing the bill. A chance to (learn to) be with people was what counted.

Fast-froward to 2015. 
My partner is very frugal. He wants to finish off all the food in the fridge and not throw anything out. Every penny is important to him. I want to respect what is important in his life and I want to support his endeavours. So this year, 2015, I have increased the repayments of the mortgage. I've realised that if I practise some of Mr S's money-wise habits this is something we can manage, not forgetting the fact I love setting myself a challenge. 
I'm working on the philosophy of every penny counts. A lot of good money habits also resonate with my goal to live simply and make choices that are earth-friendly and people-friendly. In addition to keeping a budget, spending wisely and living simply, here are some of the ways I hope to save a little:

• think twice before grabbing a cinnamon roll or snack from the bakery
• use the wood heater for heating when winter comes, once a week, and sometimes use candles rather than electric light 
• return library books on time (which I did yesterday, knowing this was now part of the challenge - to avoid the fines which I always get)
• turn off the power switches when not in use
• turn off the TV when I'm not actually watching it (consider one TV-free day a week)
• use my phone to alert me to due dates so that bills are paid on time and no extra payments incurred.
• lunch at school gobbles up  my money....try to take food from home at least three times a week

I expect that by putting these things into practise it will actually make me think twice about all spending. So, 2015, here comes Ms Congeniality Frugality!! 

Simple Living – garden update

It’s been a wee while since I posted a blog. I finally finished reports and I can now start to unwind a little. That means I’ve also got time to blog and tell you what’s been going on in my simple- but expanding- garden.

So here's a quick garden update. I’ve been rather keen to do this. 
I’ll show you why…

My fairy garden is now a little village. Again, I didn’t see this coming. I arrived home one day and there it was. Almost everything has been upcycled from something which was lying around the garden or found in the shed. Yes, even the dog!  Santa and the roof of his house were frugal buys from the el cheapo shop.  

Meanwhile the vegies are taking off.  Once again, I find it thrilling to see plants bearing “fruit”. And, well, yes, I have been getting a helping hand from someone who spent ten years of his early adult life raising crops on his family land. I think he's naturally drawn to be out there in the garden. He works away morning and night (daylight savings), bringing a beautiful rhythm to our new routine.

 One of the biggest surprises was to see the grape vine bearing fruit.  Now we just have to stop the birds from taking a liking to it. Hmmmm…

A lot of other seeds are just starting to sprout. Hopefully they’ll grow well. Summer can have drastic effects on even the strongest plants. Mr S is keen to try and see what happens so a number of plantings are experiments.

Guess where this plant below was sourced.....
In the gutter. 
Mr S was checking a leak up on the roof when he noticed the plant growing in the actual gutter. It obviously had been getting enough nutrients.

Now that work has almost finished for the year I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine with the blogging. I'm looking forward to it.

Simple Living Sunday: Frightfully frugal organising

My Frightfully Frugal Planner

I’m away visiting friends this weekend so I thought I would leave you with a look at the way I keep track of what I'm doing. Here's my "planner"

Pad of planning sheets: $3

washi tape: $2

coloured pens: a gift for a young person that never happened : cost back then/now free on hand

 

I love fussing around, designing weekly planning formats freehand or on the computer. I always reused  A4 paper until I succumbed and bought this pad of weekly planning sheets at a $2-type shop. I actually thought it was a weekly planner but it is, in fact, a monthly planner. It cost me $3. I write up the headings each week and away I go. Headings  include: maybe, definite, meals, to buy, to do, to call, next (next week) and goals.

Maybe: what I need to do on that day, recorded ahead of time
Definite: what I aim to do on that today, recorded and updated on the day

I do use a monthly diary and I usually stick  the weekly planning sheets in there. I reuse bits of paper as shopping lists and I use the back of the sheet when I need more space.

The washi tape is a new addition to my organising palette. And I love it. Yesterday I couldn’t run because I had my nephew’s birthday. Imagine my (ever so simple) delight when I realised I could just lift the tape off Monday and move it ever so easily onto Tuesday. Along with my beautiful markers it all looks bright and colourful.

I love sitting down and planning what I’m going to do. I do have to be careful that I spend at least as much time doing, not just planning and dreaming. Somehow a well-planned week in theory helps me have a well-planned week in practice.

Simple Living Sunday: Frightfully frugal gardening tip

Don't throw away your  banana peels. Give your plants a potassium-fix!

Here is a frightfully frugal tip.

Banana peels soaking in water overnight: free potassium-rich drink for your plants the next day!! (Bananas are a rich source of potassium and  hopefully "chemical-free")

This tip comes from one of my friends who is frightfully knowledgeable about all things botanical.