Keeping it simple

This year I have not focussed as much as usual on simple living but keeping it simple still plays an important part in our life here.
We cook as much as possible from scratch, and this works especially well on weekdays and when the routine is in order. When the routine is out of whack, I succumb very quickly to cheap and nasty, but delicious, alternatives! This year I have managed to make lunch at home a lot of the time, so that is another way we're keeping our diet healthy and simple. I'm not so sure that it is always cheaper.
We've been growing vegies in the garden for a while now but this year the patch has not been as fruitful. In fact, we did much better last year planting out of soil that had been compacted and must have been sorely lacking in nutrients. At the moment, Mr S is picking the zucchini while they are small, otherwise they start turning bad the bigger they get. The strawberries grew well but I just didn't put in enough of them. Always learning!!!!
Our grapes were our biggest success and I can't wait until next year. It was really nice being able to share our produce with others. We shared with neighbours, family, friends and workmates. The only way we managed to do it was because Mr S covered the whole pergola in a net and we pulled down the plastic blinds around the sides. I think it also helped keep the insects out.
I consider my flower garden an important part of my simple living regimen. It keeps me grounded and puts me in touch with nature. I try not to use too much water and where possible we use water saved at the sink for the smaller plants. We hope to get a tank one day. We've also been saving the water used when washing the rice. Over summer I didn't get outside too often as it was too hot. As autumn comes I hope to get out there a little more.
The other way Mr S and I keep it simple is by not letting consumerism rule our lives. I menu plan while Mr S is very good at using up every last crumb in the cupboards. Yesterday he made up a couple of apple pies in order to use up the last few apples sitting woefully in the fruit basket. We both try to op shop and we both do fairly well at avoiding the mega-shopping experience. On Thursday we went to get a present for a friend at one such place and Mr S was turned off by the smells. He was right. I'm sure there was an overkill of what seemed to be plastic type smells which I had never noticed before.
So, there you have it. Our simple living journey will go on in 2016 even though my goals for 2016 do not reflect that.  We will continue to plant vegies and cook as much as we can at home. If the opportunity arises during the year, I would like to try my hand at sewing or soap-making. Other than that, I hope we can have a good life by organising our lives more effectively, making conscious choices about what we do and how we do it, and by being open to what naturally evolves day to day.

Living Simply on Sundays

I’ve been trying hard to do a new recipe each week since these days Mr S tends to do most of the cooking and I want to  keep my  “skills” up to scratch.  Last Monday I tried a dried fruit slice. There was far too much fruit in the slice even though I had followed the instructions.

Mr S has got a vegie garden up and running but there’s still much to do. We could only do so much. We don’t have a ute and we were not willing to pay $40+ to have sleepers delivered 4 kilometres down the road, but fortunately for us my brother is coming over today to help us out. I planted 8 broccoli plants a few weeks ago but there are only three left. Mr S is having more luck with spring onions, carrots, peas, spinach and lettuce, planted in the bed above.

In a roundabout way I’m trying “live simply” at work as I declutter my many folders. I keep hundreds of worksheets. Many are filed, some are not. I finally had some time this week to tidy my desk but I decided to approach it a little differently. In the past I would keep everything. My idea now is to keep only one copy of each file, with a view to reducing as much of the paper as possible, working towards having a copy of most files on the computer. Even though it means throwing away lots of paper, I have to admit I can’t always find things because I have way too much.

Wow! Holidays are good. We had lovely weather today so I suggested we go for a walk around Newport Lakes and visit the Native Nursery. The lakes and parkland have been reclaimed from an old quarry. It was very pleasant until Mr S saw a snake and I quickly took a detour. Later on we saw a lizard trying to blend in with its surroundings. Mr S does not like snakes either so I think it will be a while before we head back there again.

Often my weekends are taken up with housework and schoolwork. I couldn’t help thinking how nice it is to be able to get out and enjoy life. Now that spring is here I hope we can do more of this: relaxing, getting out of the house, enjoying the local area, and doing it all simply. No cost or little cost (just an icecream today). No stress (except when there’s a sign of a snake). Easy on us, easy on the environment.

 Enjoy your Sunday!

A Simple Celebration

I haven’t blogged for a while. In the last few weeks we’ve had 5.30am starts, holiday sleep-ins and now we’re looking at a possible 3.30am start each day if all goes well on the job front this week for Mr S.

My duties at school have changed again and I find myself working with a different group of young people. This also means a new timetable. Last term my schedule was “light” on Thursday mornings so I treated myself to a chai latte before work each week. At the moment I’m still trying to see where I can squeeze it into my timetable.

On top of all that I was busy preparing for a milestone birthday.  

Originally I had really wanted to mark the occasion by going away for the weekend. Parties are not my thing so I didn’t see why that would change now. But then a friend commented that parties can provide what are often rare opportunities for people to come together. I thought about this and decided that it would be lovely to have friends and family gathering together here in our home.

I wanted to keep things fairly simple. If you read about the invitations you’ll know that I was also looking forward to the chance to get creative. I had a loose theme of tea party vintage and hoped to bring about a warm, cosy atmosphere.

My list of guests was around 50 and my SA mind imagined unrealistically how grand it all might be – even though I wanted it all to be simple!  As the day grew closer, the guestlist dwindled to 30ish. For a brief moment I was disappointed and I found I had to remind myself why I was doing the party and what I hoped to achieve.

How I kept it simple:

·        I invited my nieces over for lunch and then we set about making some bunting. I had envisaged nicely sewn triangular bunting but then I returned to reality. It was not easy to hang our paper hearts but keeping calm meant I still worked out a way to display it.

·        We made most of the food. We made finger-sized foods such as sandwiches, sausage rolls, scones and pizza slices. We had peanut butter balls and Mum made a sponge cake for the birthday cake.

·        We had material napkins. I used what I already had and borrowed the rest from Mum.

·        The “fancy” tablecloths were from Mum. The cloth on the main table was the one my mum got from her own mum for her engagement. It was really lovely to be able to put out family heirloom pieces.

·        I was so fortunate to have daphne and camellias in bloom. A friend cut the flowers and decorated the rooms. The rooms tend to be dull brown but the pop of colour from the flowers transformed the feel of the whole area.

·        Mr S knew I liked flowers. In the morning when I got up there was a lovely arrangement in the teapot made up of flowers from our garden.

·        Even though it was a tea party I had on offer coffee and hot chocolate as well as soft drinks.

·        I did spend a little extra on paper plates that were made from recycled pulp (?). I had the wonderful idea of keeping the plates and using them in the garden to block out weeds or as compost. In any case, I was preoccupied that evening and all plates ended up in the bin.

I had fun preparing the party. The best part was the buzz throughout the night. Our life here is sweet but very quiet. Mr S said he couldn’t believe that our home could be like that. I must say my mind was going in a hundred directions as everyone arrived and I realised that I hadn’t whipped the cream and the sausage rolls were not ready. I also had my mind on a few people who didn’t know anyone and were a bit shy. Some good friends kept reminding me that it was OK and I didn’t have to worry about them…. And gradually I accepted this. It truly was a lovely evening and it delighted my heart to see our home filled with laughter and chatter.

Living Simply Out and About

I've been enjoying the term holidays. It's nice to have a change of pace with enough time to talk to friends, go for leisurely walks and simply take it easy. 
I caught up with old college friends on my friend's farm. Good, homecooked food, wonderful company, hills and mountain ranges.
We stopped off at the Great Western Seppelts Winery. Lots of sun and, though I don't drink wine, the history of the place interested me greatly. 

In the middle of nowhere, you never know what you might see!

I've spent a bit of time at a friend's house close to where Mr S works, so I get to see him every day.

Mr S's brother is over for a visit so we've been doing sightseeing. I've only ever paid short visits to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs but this time I got to spend a few days up there. So much: cottages, historic buildings, bushland, relaxation, the lake. I bought two beautiful "reused" tables for our home, drank mineral water fresh from the spring and I discovered a cafe-though expensive- which combines the heavenly ambience of a homely library and a cosy lounge. Divine. Even if it doesn't sell chai lattes.

There was also time to catch up with family and join in the annual Easter egg hunt.

We've kept living simply with the occasional treat here and there. We brought food from home that was already in the cupboard rather than eating out at restaurants. We lit warm fires at night using firewood from the property and picked pears off the tree.  Going for walks costs nothing. Long, endless talks with friends is priceless. I did lash out and buy a couple of small, beautiful tables which we needed for our lounge area. I saved up money for some home accessories last year that was never spent so I "transferred" the funds from there to finance it.

I think I'm not farm girl material but I love being close to nature: one toe in the bush and one foot in a cottage in a small town sounds like perfection to me. I love the character of country towns. I'm grateful to my friend for opening up her home. I'm already thinking about the next time I can get up there. 
We were going to do some weeding for her but her warning not to poke around woodpiles, lest we waken the snakes, has ensured we stick to the paths when walking in the bush and kept us at a safe distance from her garden!

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!! 

Christmas 2014: Simply Special

These days I keep Christmas very simple. It's a conscious choice  but I think it first came about with not having my own family and being a stay-at-home sort of person.

I usually do some special treats for the kids in my class. I always have one or two or several students who don't have parents or who don't have much, so it's a pleasure to do something nice for them. We usually put up a Christmas tree which the kids love. I catch them taking photos when no one is looking!!

Working closely with young people who may not have family and who may not have much money makes it easy for me to look past all the glitz and glamour of the Christmas season. I don't have to look far to see that just because it is Christmas time and just because there are wonderful gifts to be bought, does not in any way equate to what these young people are missing in their lives - no matter what the advertising gurus and big businesses try to tell us.

I have to admit that I have had a number of years when I have felt terribly sad about having to celebrate another Christmas on my own. In fact, it is probably the cynic in me which got me started on a very simple Christmas.  (Said at some point in the past, with bitter overtones: Well, it's not like anyone's gonna see anything I set up; I could do a fantastic job and no one would ever know.") One year I put up the bare minimum out of spite. Now I choose to keep it simple because I find it is more practical, more eco-friendly and just as beautiful.

I have a small Christmas tree which I use each year at school. Mr S is here with me this year so I have decided to put it up here at home. Most of the decorations on the tree have been gifts while a few are souvenirs of faraway lands. I add some tinsel here and there around the house - without removing what's already in place.

Then I set up the nativity scene. I bought it at a local market about twelve years ago. Even though it's "cute", I've come to love it dearly. There's something very calming and serene about it.

Christmas 2014 is very special because this is the first year I will be able to share it with someone who is a very special part of my life. Social anxiety, for me and many others, means that relationships are neither easy to come by nor easy to hold on to. Relationships are something which many people take for granted but with SA they can be a constant source of angst. So I'm really very grateful that this opportunity has come my way and that Christmas 2014 is pretty simple and pretty special.

My Simple Life

This is a post I prepared a while ago when I moved into my new home. I don't seem to find the space these days to think about life as I did back then ...which is why I want to get back to blogging. Spring is upon us and it is my hope to once again be inspired by the beauty and richness which surround me, and through my blogging, to find the time to savour this.

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I've just moved into my new home. It's charming, sweet, comfortable and cosy. It's better than I had imagined. I decided to move for practical reasons. I desperately needed more space and I wanted a garage. The charm and character of this cottage-styled home, as well as the lovely setting, were extras I had never counted on. It's still hard to believe it's mine.

This house has solar panels and a wood heater. It's relatively small and sits on a small piece of land. It's situated in a prefabricated suburb, one which I had previously refused to look at, but as such it comes with lovely lakes and gardens. I ride my bike regularly and enjoy getting out  and about.

Simple living?

Well, not totally. However I feel like I've landed the perfect place for me and, at the same time, I can look forward to taking all my experience and knowledge of simple living and see how it might work in with my new life here.

OK, I'm not committed to green living the way some enthusiasts are, but I do want it to be a part of my lifestyle and my intention of living well along the pot-holed road to happiness; a life where people are more important than things, where there is respect for the natural environment, where quality is more important than quantity...

So far there have been many opportunities where I've been able to uphold my ideals:

• eating home-cooked meals
• riding my bike around for exercise and enjoyment
• saying hello to the neighbours
• in the big clean-up, sending useful pieces and clothing to Vinnies, recycling all that used paper which was kept in boxes over the years and never referred to
• de-cluttering, de-cluttering and de-cluttering
• using cardboard boxes wherever possible- we went to the supermarket and waited as they unpacked goods onto the shelves then  reused the boxes again in the sorting process
• I haven't needed to buy anything new for this house which has been a blessing, all of my old furniture has fitted in well here
• I now subscribe to solar energy

It's encouraging to see that habits learnt in my previous life carry over into my new life almost automatically.

With immense gratitude I sit back and appreciate all that I have and all that my life offers me. The sun shines through the window as I write. I am warm and comfortable on this icy, cold day. I have a lovely home and an opportunity to live life well. Amongst the clutter, the empty boxes, the filled-to-the-brim boxes and the emerging tranquility, I am rich today.

Back to blogging

I’m back.

Back to blogging.

I like writing. My life feels as if it has greater purpose when I reflect and write.

I like keeping track of my pot-holed journey along the road to happiness, living simply and making the most of what each day brings.

 

But most of all, I want to be a voice for those who know SAd. Or perhaps, more to the point, I want to be a voice for those who don’t know SAd. I think the most difficult thing facing those with SAd is not knowing they have it and all the while trying desperately to advance their life to little or no avail.

Come and join me as I share a little more of my simple, happy, SAd life.



Enjoying the local neighbourhood.




My tiny apple tree.

Along the garden path.