Empty Pockets (Part 3)

Upon close analysis of money spent by my husband and myself (okay, it was really more like scrolling through our online statement while muttering and scratching my head), we had to face the ugly, horrifying truth. We spend entirely too much money on eating at restaurants. We can be a rather lazy lot, and tend to do a lot of dining out instead of cooking. Our ongoing love affair with absolutely health-destroying food has not helped. No more! We have made a solemn vow to only dine out two days per week. This may seem like still quite a lot to some people, but for us, it is a monumental step. To aid in sticking to this goal, we've picked two days of the week for dining out. If we don't go out on those days, we just miss out. Just tonight we opted to skip dining out. We had leftovers and we were quite snuggy at home, so we ditched the plan to go out. That doesn't mean we'll make up for it tomorrow. Nope. No more going out until Tuesday. That's just the way we roll now. I sense the waves of confusion flooding my way about our choice of Tuesdays for dining out, but we actually had reasons. Good ones! Many restaurants have specials (kids eat free, two tacos for the price of one, etc.) on Tuesdays and dining establishments tend to not be packed on Tuesday nights. See? We thought this through. ;)

So, what are we hoping to achieve here? Well, obviously spending considerably less money on food, but we're hoping for other fringe benefits - things like eating healthier foods, cooking together, and actually using and enjoying that kitchen that I spent so long cleaning and simplifying.

Two Birds

With the time to return to work for the new school year fast approaching, I've been pondering the further simplification of my wardrobe. I've read in several places that life becomes easier if you have a sort of "uniform" for yourself, and I think this is the route I'm going to take. I've recently learned to sew (a very useful thing, that), so I'm planning to pick up some fabrics I like and make several versions of a skirt that I'm fond of. I already have a nice supply of shirts that are work-appropriate - mostly plain black, cotton shirts that make me happy. I've also already reduced my wardrobe to black, white, and grey - this way everything always matches and I don't feel the need for lots of shoes and purses. Voila! A work uniform has been created. Throw in some tights and a coat, and I'm good through the winter months, too! No more stressing about what to wear to work.

So, how is this killing two birds with one stone (or feeding two birds with one seed for you non-violent types)? By making my own skirts, I don't have to go through the icky drudgery of shopping for things that fit. :)

Let's Talk About Underpants, Shall We?

Yep, today's simplicity project was a panty raid of sorts. I tackled the underwear drawer with thoughts of what I actually use and need in there. Turns out that "not much" is the response to that. Since I have vowed to be honest in this telling of simplicity, I will admit that I got rid of fourteen bras. Fourteen! Who needs that??? Never fear, I kept some. ;) Needless to say, I got rid of an equally insane amount of underpants. Apparently I need to join Lingerie Buyers Anonymous or something. Geez.

I've also decided to make the bold move of getting rid of any clothes that require "special" undergarments. No more Spanx or adhesive bras for me! Another admission: I did keep the strapless bra because of two dresses I'm not ready to part with. I'll get there, I'll get there.

In other simplification news, we made huge progress in my step-daughter's bedroom today. You can see the entire floor in there! Tomorrow's mission? Clean up the bedside shelves and closet. We have an agreement....if she keeps the room sane through Thanksgiving, she gets new furniture from Ikea. :D

Empty Pockets (Part 2)

So, when last we discussed my empty pockets, I told you that I was going to restrict errand running to one day per week. I also promised that I would answer the question of what I'm going to do when "something" comes up. Well, that's actually pretty easy. "Something" doesn't really pop up out of nowhere very often. People have their birthdays around the same time every year. Holidays are pretty well scheduled. Family traditions tend to stay the same - that's what makes them traditions. So, the fabulously simple answer to "something" coming up is to check a calendar and plan ahead. Tada! Now, of course, things will come up that can't be planned for...cars break down, people get sick, and so on. When those things happen, I'll take care of them. This once a week thing is a guideline - the "powers that be" haven't drawn up any laws about it yet. (I hope not, anyway.)

I've also had to concede that sometimes I will have to go out twice per week. I do own a small business that promises to ship items within three business days of receiving an order. Any way you figure it, this could land me at the post office twice a week. If that's the case, I'll do it with no complaints because that means business is good. ;)

Now for Part 2 of my plan! An allowance. Yes, that's right. My husband and I are giving ourselves cash allowances each week. That's the money for goofy day-to-day stuff like the dash to a favorite restaurant with friends from work or my husband's pineapple soda addiction. When the cash is gone, we will have to politely decline lunch dates and walk sadly past the pineapple soda machine. This will, hopefully, help to get frivolous spending under control and make us more aware of how much money is flying from our bank account for things we don't need.

Coming Soon: Part 3 of Empty Pockets

Put a Smile on Your Face

I was originally planning to bring you Part 2 of Empty Pockets tonight, but I had another thought that doesn't seem to want to go away, so I'm going with that one. And that thought is: smiles. Yes, I've been thinking about smiles. More specifically, the causes of them.

When reading or listening to advice in many, many areas, you will hear "keep a journal" over and over again. Trying to lose weight? Keep a food journal. Trying to control anger? Keep an anger journal. Trying to get in touch with this, that, or the other part of yourself? Keep a journal. Well, today it occurred to me that if I'm trying to focus on what creates the most happiness in my life, perhaps I should keep a smile journal. What made me smile today? It seems to me that documenting smiles allows you to focus and reflect on what actually makes you happy with the added benefit of getting to smile about the same things all over again. Now, of course, this is about real smiles, not fake smiles or "just to be polite" smiles.

So, here's the "for example" bit:

As I was hugging my husband before he went to work today, I told him that he smelled good. He immediately exclaimed, "That's because I'm made entirely of pickles!" How could a person not smile at that?

My step-daughter is working at cleaning out and simplifying her bedroom. The amount of enthusiasm and zeal she has for separating toys into different bins for keep, Goodwill, and trash is enough to make The Grinch grin. She gets particularly excited about being able to take lots of stuff to donate to other kids. She makes me so proud I could pop!

My husband was reading a book to my step-daughter (at some point I might start using these people's actual names) tonight and they both fell asleep in her room. I stood at the door to her room and just watched them and listened to their little snores. Super-contented smile.

Is there any doubt that my family brings about a great deal of happiness for me? Of course, I was already aware of that, but paying attention to my smiles just for one day certainly reinforced the notion.

So, what did you smile about today? Really....I wanna know. Don't be bashful - leave a comment. :)

Empty Pockets (Part 1)

Our finances are a wreck. In fact, to even say that we have "finances" is kind of comical. Well, I've decided that being in debt, paying late fees, and stressing about bills are some of the most constant complications in life, so I'm devising a plan to simplify and rectify our finances. This is probably the most frustrating move I'm going to make because there is no instant gratification - no huge bags of stuff going to Goodwill, no shiny shelves empty of clutter. Just tedious and constant responsible behavior which, honestly, is not a strong point of mine.

This plan actually has a few steps (so far), but in the name of not turning this into an epic blog post, I'll unleash them one at a time. So, here goes....

Plan for the entire week! Yep. No more trips here and there throughout the week. No dashing out for this or that. Just one round of errand-running per week. I've known me for a while now, so I pretty much know what I go through in a week. All grocery shopping, cash withdrawing, bill paying, gas getting, dog food buying, etc. will get done on one day - not Saturday or Sunday because those are sacred goofing off days. So, how will this save money exactly? No more spending on a whim. (Why, yes, I believe I do need that all-purpose, ultra-gloss, cherry-explosion lip balm/super glue combo!) No wasting gas with extra trips. No more spending on things I haven't thought through. Because that's where our money seems to go - the impulse purchase - the sudden "need" for some ridiculous thing. I hear the panicked cries of, "But what if something comes up?" And, that will be discussed next time. It's all part of the plan.

Kitchen Saga Continued

I must be honest and tell you that I did not complete the simplifying and de-cluttering of my kitchen today. But, the good news is this: I totally de-cluttered and rearranged the items on the counters. Progress was made! Can you imagine having your cutting board and knives in the same place that you normally use them? Outrageous, I know! Apparently my belief in the fun of having to wander back and forth across the kitchen 28 times in order to slice a tomato was false. Who knew?? I am very pleased with the results so far. Tomorrow? The cabinets. Yikes! I promise this blog won't become a never-ending tribute to my kitchen...I just hadn't realized what a very large job it was going to be. To those about to embark on this same mission, I offer this advice: be content with small steps and enjoy each and every victory.