Making it simple #3

Everlasting peas, in my garden

For a long time all my spare time, energy and money was going into planning our wedding. Now the wedding and honeymoon are over, normal life has resumed, and I find myself thinking, what kind of life would I like to have? Which brings me back to my desire for a simpler life.

Life is too complicated. I wrote a shopping list last week, ordered it all to be delivered, thought I had done really well and then spent another £20 the following day on things I had forgotten or not realised we were out of. And still I forgot the dog food and potatoes. Several times a month I find myself checking our bank accounts to see how much we have left for the month, subtracting from the balance any bills that are due. I have far too much stuff and far too little storage. Combining two homes into one tiny one two years ago didn't help. This year, for only the second time in the eight years I have lived here, I have not got around to planting any pots and baskets with flowers. I will really miss those this summer.

These are just a few of the things I would like to change. Life seems to consist of a to do list that says buy this, do that, cook this, find that, go here, go there, don't forget the other thing. I notice it far more now that I have limited energy. I have a ongoing list of errands I need to run and at the moment, the list for this weekend has around 20 items on it. Not to mention the list of a squillion things that need doing in the house. There is no way all that will get done, but it all needs doing. Last Christmas, there was so much shopping and preparation I had a setback with CFS that I didn't recover from until February. I think I need a more organised approach.

I like spending time with friends and family, gardening, writing, making things, taking photos - and don't do nearly as much as I could as I always feel there are other things I should be doing, there is always a mess somewhere to be sorted out, or housework to be done. Realistically, I often can't do much anyway, with my energy problems, but I think I could do more if there was some level of organisation in place. As it is, I don't want to be using up all the energy I do have on the everyday stuff and having nothing left for doing the things I enjoy. I want more time and energy, and quite possibly money for the good stuff.

There are many aspects to this. I would like to simplify finances, housework, meal planning, shopping and preparation, gift giving. I long for a more simpler organised life. I would like to travel more, grow some veggies, go for more walks (having driven somewhere nicer to look at first. Yes, I would also like to move), read more books (yes! even more), eat healthier food and less takeaways (ie find meals that are healthy but easy for me to make on no-energy days).

This is the reason I chose simplify as my word for this year.

There are only a couple of days left this week, but I think small goals are the way to go anyway. This week, bearing in mind today is Thursday, I would like to:

• Sort out all three of my bookcases. They need tidying, and there are bound to be a few books I can give away/sell. We did really well selling books on Amazon earlier in the year.
• Finally get our wedding thank yous written. The Prof will help.
• Plant our rambling rose bush 'Wedding Day' next to the front door
• Work on clearing up the garden. It's a jungle out there!

That's all I am committing to for now. Hopefully I might get some of those errands run too. 

Making it Simple: 2

I am still working on my simplifying project.

We have sold quite a number of our books on Amazon. So far we have made £105, less the postage charges, which were probably about £30. As we don't really notice the postage costs, coming as they do in small amounts here and there, we decided to put the full £105 away in our 'weekend away fund'. After the wedding, I plan to sell some stuff on ebay and do a boot sale or two, and then my lovely Prof and I will be well on our way to a few days away together later in the year.

About forty of my books, mainly novels, were already being sold on Amazon for £0.01. I didn't think it was worth selling them at that price, so I listed them as a job lot on our local Freegle and a very grateful lady came and picked them up. She said they would keep her and her partner busy for months! Although I didn't earn any money from this, I was very pleased to be able to pass the books on to someone else who would enjoy them, and make some room on my bookshelves at the same time.

We had an email today from the charity shop we donated lots of our unwanted stuff to in January - our donations raised £139.43 for the Richard House Children's Hospice. I am so pleased that we were able to help the hospice and raise so much!

I have had to seriously declutter my emails twice this year, and am now trying to keep both my accounts up to day and clutter free. It's working so far...

I have spent hours this week devising a financial plan for the Prof and I. We have always muddled along okay, but this is more organised and involves much piggybanking. It should make things much easier to keep track of.

Considering all the wedding stuffs going on around here, I am really pleased with what I have managed to achieve.

During March I am planning to declutter my clothes and shoes, and persuade the Prof and the Young Philosopher to do the same. The YP's room also needs major reorganisation, and I have promised to help. After that I don't expect I will get much done until May, when we are back from our honeymoon (yay! honeymoon!).

Making it Simple: 1

Image from here

One of my aims this year is to simplify as much as possible. Since the Prof and I combined our two homes into my tiny one, there is far too much stuff around here. To be honest, there was far too much stuff before he moved in. I probably have five times more stuff than he does. I also want to simplify food - menu planning, easy and quick meals, routines for grocery shopping. We also need routines for household chores. Our current system, or lack of one, doesn't really work. It involves me doing as much as I can as my health permits, which often isn't very much, The Prof does what he can in between working, doing artwork and studying and then he, or both of us have a blitz occasionally when the Environmental Health are threatening to come round. I am only slightly joking.

Progress so far this year:

• We gave my brother a huge coffee table that we loved but was far too big in our living room and always ended up covered in papers and stuff anyway
• Sorted out some books that can go (this is always an ongoing project).
• Simplified the front of the fridge! Fridge magnets be gone! (well, some of them...)
• Decluttered bathrooms - all products we won't use gone, and everything else organised
• My email accounts are completely decluttered and organised. I have unsubscribed from some newsletters and will be doing so from others. If yours is one of them, please don't be insulted! I just can't cope with all the reading right now, especially with the wedding fast approaching.
• I made a menu plan for this week. It started today and I have already changed my mind about dinner. Not my fault, the chicken didn't defrost in time! A list of meals that can be shifted to whichever day is convenient is probably best for us. I am experimenting with it anyway.

The plan is that by the end of the year the house, garden, shed and loft will be decluttered and organised and various aspects of our life generally will be much simpler. Can't wait!