Today I was stopped in my tracks when I was reading online about the health challenges of one family. I do not know them personally but it made me think about all of the people I am aware of who face enormous health challenges every single day. I am reminded of how blessed we and our extended family are to enjoy good health and be able to participate in pretty well whatever activity we choose.
A lovely quote from one of my favourite authors.
And finally, something to consider.
It is one thing to instigate changes yourself but the ones that are forced upon you (for a wide variety of reasons) can be another thing entirely.
But hang in there because the end result may be beautiful.
This morning we headed off to catch the train as we do each weekday morning. It seemed that the train was a few minutes late but we did not give it too much thought until several stations down the line. It became apparent that this train was going to stop at several stations that are normally bypassed by this express service.
Then it dawned on us that today was the first day of the new timetable due to the opening of a new branch line. I then studied the timetable online and discovered several changes which will have a slight but noticeable impact on our morning and evening travel routine.
It is easy to slip into a routine that works for you but invariably there are outside forces at work to almost constantly disrupt things.
Both GMan and I are in the process of moving at work. GMan’s entire office is moving a couple of kilometres away to an entirely new building while my department is simply moving to a different floor in our building. All of this brings challenges and one of them can be the reaction of those around you. Negativity and anxiousness can easily be transmitted within a group.
I try hard to be as flexible as possible and make a conscious effort not to be upset by things which are beyond control.
How about you? Hope do you stay afloat when you seem to be surrounded by changes?
Today I am swallowing some of my own advice.
In my last blog post I talked about not trying to meet prescriptive minimalist goals. I eschewed the extreme attitude of Bea Johnson at Zero Waste Home as being not for me quite early in my minimalism journey. There are numerous other extreme ideas such as wearing the same dress every day for a year. I applaud the people that choose to push the boundaries and carry out these ideas but it is not for me.
However, I have been somewhat seduced by things such as Project 333 and Plastic-Free July. I have discovered that the life I live does not necessarily meet the lofty ideals of these and similar sites.
I think that part of my ‘problem’ which is not really a problem at all is the fact that I am a well-rounded person (not necessarily in the physical sense). I dabble in range of strategies to live simply, reduce consumption as well as saving money and resources and have done for quite some time.
It is those ideas and strategies that I try to share with you here on the blog. The little day to day things that may not look like much but add up over time.
There are many others out there who are doing the same stuff every single day and I want to encourage you to do the same.
There are no numbers that you have to achieve, it is not a race but simply an invitation to live the best life you can.
That is enough talk from me – from tomorrow I will be back to sharing some of the practical things that are part of my routine.
In amongst all of the rubbish floating around on the internet there are some absolute gems.
I found this one the other day.
“It was relaxing and reassuring to know what I had was okay. What you are is already good enough.”
Stop and really think about it.
Here is the article. It is a guest post by Sarah Peck on the Becoming Minimalist blog.
It really all comes down to the fact that life is not a competition. I think that trying to meet prescriptive minimalist goals is as bad for you as ‘keeping up with the Jones’. Be yourself, know that what you are and what you have is enough and live an authentic life. This is the best recipe for happiness as far as I am concerned.
What do you think?
Tonight I want to share a Facebook post that popped up on my newsfeed.
“As someone with Aspergers, as well as someone who knows several other people on the Autistic Spectrum, I find it unfathomable as to how the anti-vaccination movement can find a mind like mine so appalling that they feel justified in risking their child being crippled or killed by preventable diseases like Polio and Whooping Cough…..
Not to mention the suggestion that vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorders are linked is unfounded rubbish.”
The intelligent young man who penned these words happens to have Asperger’s Syndrome and is my nephew.
Well, here we are at the end of the series of points about frugality. I feel as though they saved the best for last as this final point underpins everything for me.
7. Frugal people are content with “enough.” A lot of the concepts and mindsets that I’ve mentioned above can be summed up with the idea of “enough.” Enough is the opposite concept of “more.” More is a constant search for acquiring, and even when you meet one goal instead of being content with it, you just continue climbing, seeking more. Enough is stopping at the top of the mountain and just enjoying the view.
Question to ask yourself: Am I trying to keep up with the Joneses, or seeking more only for more’s sake? Or really, is this good right where I am? Do I have enough?
There is more to life than stuff. Do you have enough?
I am coming to the end of this short series and today’s gem is all about DIY.
While GMan and I do quite a few things ourselves, I think it is important to understand your limitations. There is no saving in attempting to do something yourself and ending up creating more of a mess that will incur a greater cost to have it fixed up.
We happily and effectively do our own gardening, sewing, cooking, landscaping, chopping firewood, cleaning solar panels, painting, tiling and some furniture restoration. Things that we do not attempt are cutting our hair, computer repairs, car maintenance or anything electrical.
6. Frugal people embrace the idea of “do it yourself.” If something needs doing frugal people first consider whether they can do it themselves. No need to pay someone for convenience if you could do it yourself with just a bit of sweat equity. And those that are more content in their frugality actually enjoy that process. They like learning new things, and feeling self-sufficient without having to rely on someone else to do it for them.
Question to ask yourself: Why am I paying for that service or product? Could I get good enough results myself by learning something new, or spending a bit more time on the task?
What do you do yourself? Or not?
This post has been half written for a few days as life has a tendency to get in the way.
Here is the next instalment.
5. Frugal people use items until they break, and then fix them. Marketers are always coming out with the biggest and the best thing, and urging you to upgrade now. But frugal people don’t worry about that. Instead, they’ll continue to use the perfectly good, whatever (you fill in the blank) until they just can’t get it to work anymore. No need to buy something new when what they have works perfectly well!
Question to ask yourself: Do I really need a new ________ (fill in the blank)? Or does what I have already do what I really need it to already?
This just commonsense as far as I am concerned. Whilst it may be tempting to buy something in the latest colour/style or bigger and better there really is no need.
We are all seduced from time to time by shiny new things but if you can limit your purchases of things that will replace ones you already have you will be well on the way to making some substantial savings.
Try thinking of the oldest item you have in regular use and share it in the comments.
Mine would be the mixing bowl that belonged to my grandmother followed by the woollen blankets on the single beds – they are almost as old as me. The blankets on the guest bed were a wedding gift as were much of the crockery, glassware and kitchen paraphenalia that I use regularly.
Number 4 in the frugal series appears to be at odds with frugality until you think it through. It is all about quality and this is something I regularly take into account. I find that in many instances, paying a bit more for a quality item does reap rewards in the long-term. This applies to appliances, equipment, clothing and a range of other things.
4. Frugal people are not afraid to spend more on big expenses if it saves them money in the long run. This one may seem counterintuitive to the point I just made above, about how frugal people are known as penny pinchers. But truly frugal people, as opposed to just tightwads, know when it is the time to pinch your pennies and the time you need to pull out your wallet and spend a bit more upfront to save money in the long run. An example of this is choosing a more reliable, slightly more expensive brand of lawn equipment. Ultimately this machinery will, statistically speaking, last longer and cost less in repair costs, making it better to plunk down a few extra dollars up front to reap the savings long-term.
Question to ask yourself: Don’t just ask yourself, when making a purchase, how much does this cost me now? Instead, also have follow up questions which include how long do I want or need this to last, and how much can I afford in repairs or maintenance?
It is all about quality and this is something I regularly take into account. I find that in many instances, paying a bit more for a quality item does reap rewards in the long-term. This applies to appliances, equipment, clothing and a range of other things.
Here is an example: This Canterbury rugby top was bought in 1999 and has been worn every year since. It is a favourite and gets plenty of wear. I noticed today that the collar is beginning to show signs of wear so I will either turn the collar or replace it. The colour has faded somewhat and the is a small area which I mended many years ago just below the logo. None of that stops me wearing this top which has lasted much longer (and will continue for years yet) than cheaper ones.
I am also aware of the environmental cost of constantly replacing cheap items and would prefer to buy something that is going to have a longer useful life and consequently a smaller environmental footprint.
Today I will address the second point in the article which you can read in full here.
2. Frugal people know where their money goes, down to the penny. If you get to the end of the month and wonder where your money went, you are not tracking it as well as you could. While it may seem like a hassle to keep track of where your money is going frugal people know that this information is vital to keeping money in your pocket and from being frittered away on things that aren’t important, in the grand scheme of things.
To keep track frugal people use the dreaded “B” word — Budget. A frugal person’s budget has two parts — it has a plan for how they’ll spend their money for the time period of the budget (see mindset #1 above), but it also has another part, to track what actually happened to the money. They want to know, were they able to follow their plan?
Question to ask yourself: How well am I following the plans I’ve made for my money?
We all know life happens, and sometimes we can’t follow our plans completely, but when you know what the plan is, and make mindful corrections and deviations when life throws you a curveball, you’ll be much better off.
For many years I kept a fairly close eye on our spending but did not track every cent. It was always a bit of a revelation at tax time to see what our net income was, deduct the total we had paid on the mortgage and shake our heads as to where the rest of the money had gone. It is a sobering thought.
However, over the past 18 months we have kept track of everything we have spent in a spreadsheet which we complete every couple of days. I am not sure that it has changed our spending greatly but we do know exactly where it has gone. It will be interesting to compare things like groceries year on year. Because I have it set up in categories we can easily identify costs that will disappear when we retire – transport is the big one as we spend several thousand dollars each year in train fares to get to work.
I would definitely recommend tracking your spending to really understand where the money goes.
Tomorrow we will delve into the little purchases that can sabotage your savings.
organised castle 