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Simple Living Mamas Tribe! - Page 8

post #141 of 239
1/23/08 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2GR8KIDS View Post
Yes! It is a very freeing feeling. I tend to stay away from malls anyway, but especially now, when I do go, I find it completely overwhelming, overstimulating, and depressing. So much crap! I am really going out of my way to avoid big stores. I am now at the point where I would rather walk to my local drugstore and buy, say, deoderant when I run out than go to Target, even though it costs a bit more. I just don't want to have to deal with those big stores. When I do get an urge to shop, I find it is satisfied by stopping at a thrift shop, going to a nice grocery store, or even going to the library and picking up a stack of books and magazines.
ITA. I feel way overwhelmed and depressed when I go into big stores, I really don't enjoy it anymore. In fact I never really did if I'm truthful. I'm trying to stick to my local grocery and farmer's markets-and will work on growing a lot of my own food when time comes. I think it's a matter of rewiring our habits of going "out" to stores and restaurants, etc. Instead, find fun things to do together at home, go on walks, visiting, parks, library, nature.
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post #142 of 239
1/23/08 at 10:01pm
hi vancouver mommy! saw you at the park today!

we're selling our car and rejoining the car co-op now that my big girl can carry her carseat, and the little girl can walk far. we've got a great organic buying group, and about three times a year we do a big bulk delivery. i would really like to stop driving for food altogether. we've just set up a bike for me to have the little one on the back, or use the jogging stroller. better weather will help! we've got a bunch of food sensitivies, so to handle that and wanting to eat organic, i need to be inventive. we bake our own bread, make our own yogurt, and make most things from scratch. i'm very excited about plans to do some canning this summer! as well as freezing fruit we pick.

i'm in a new phase of decluttering, as we're four in under 800 sq ft. i'm finding it difficult to get the stuff i've culled out of the house, though.

i am THRILLED to have a new worm compost...i just need worms! i would really like to grow a lot of food this year.

we're media artists in our household, so tv isn't going to go but we prerecord everything and watch discs, mostly. i can't live with commercials. i don't consider moving images that different from reading...we do a lot of everything. audiobooks are the rage with the 7 year old and we've just found another free source at a library...we love librivox.org, too. i've just abandoned magazine subscriptions, i'll just look at them online, and i'm increasing my use of the library. i love being able to pick up requests

i've begun decluttering our clothing, to reduce how much laundry we do : and someone brilliant around here suggested a great routine of everyday folding yesterday's clothing, putting it away, putting a new load on to wash, dry, to fold the next day. aah. much better.

what i'd like to do this year is simplify all of my routines. keeping up with it all has been challenging.

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post #143 of 239
1/23/08 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chanibell View Post
Light bills,CC statements, utility statements etc. How long should you keep them? I think thats my paper problem. One thing I did start doing a few yrs ago was getting my mail and before I even enter my house I dump the junk mail right into my outside recycling bin. I can't believe how quickly that thing fills up!
Statements are the one thing I don't have a problem with. I keep statements for a month. Once my payment shows up on the new statement, I get rid of the old statement. I do have tax returns and receipts from 10 years back though. How long do we have to keep those?

Ooh, I'm going to get on that list for no junk mail! My paperwork problem is mostly stuff that requires an action on my part--calls I need to make, papers I need to take with me somewhere, numbers or appointments written on the corners of pages of paper, etc. My desk is such a mess because I lay everything out so I can see it. I need a better system! (And self-discipline...)
post #144 of 239
1/24/08 at 12:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by artparent View Post
i'm very excited about plans to do some canning this summer! as well as freezing fruit we pick.
Me too! Last summer I didn't do a thing as far as canning and freezing. I only had a small container garden. but this year, Im joining a community garden and hope to start canning/freezing again.
post #145 of 239
1/24/08 at 12:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopazBlueMama View Post
Is anyone feeling like they are getting to the point of not even having a desire to go shopping? I can't even stand going to store and browsing,
Isn't that the best side effect? I only actually want to shop when I need something, and only when I really really need something and even then, I just wish it would materialize in front of me. I'm trying to find what I need used or make it.

I stayed at a hotel a while ago and got a free Sunday newspaper. We stopped our sunday paper subscription about a year ago in an effort to simplify. Less wasted paper, wasted money, wasted time on taking the paper to the recycling bin. When I was looking at that free paper, I remembered that I actually used to waste a lot of time looking through the sales flyers and cutting coupons. I would drink my Sunday morning coffee and scan the sales. I actually thought that was relaxing. How much extra "stuff" did I buy because of that? Even though I might miss a great sale now, I totally don't care!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ReadingMama View Post
My desk is such a mess because I lay everything out so I can see it. I need a better system! (And self-discipline...)
ReadingMama, I have the same paper problem, and need for a system and self discipline about it. Right now my "desk" is the kitchen table. It's the only place I can really do paperwork/bill paying stuff and there's no extra space in the kitchen to put a desk or filing cabinet. And I don't have a dining room...sigh. Oh well. I put everything into an organizer thing and shove it to the side so we can eat at the table.
post #146 of 239
1/24/08 at 11:48am
i've also automated to debit as many bills as possible, as well as making as many as possible even month to month...property taxes + utilities, it really helps with budgeting. i do have the online bill come to me as well. i still get my paper financial bill, but i may not do that either, much longer...i download it all to quicken anyway. that leaves me with tax stuff, and receipts, which i have files for. the trick is to DO the filing.

our biggest source of paper around here is art

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post #147 of 239
1/24/08 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopazBlueMama View Post
Is anyone feeling like they are getting to the point of not even having a desire to go shopping?
meeeeee!!!!

I now hate consuming for emotional gain. (impulse buying)

buying "a new lipstick" just to treat myself always turned into tons of un-used makeup/things.

it is freeing.
post #148 of 239
1/24/08 at 2:30pm
I totally agree with everyone that the desire to shop is gone. I am surprised I am feeling it now, in winter, because there isn't much else to do here. Or so I thought. I now realize how much time, energy, gas, and money I wasted walking around T#$#et or the mall because we needed to get out of the house. Actually, I realize it the most when I keep finding stuff to declutter--most of which was bought during these times.

Instead, we have been spending more time at the Y, hanging out at home reading and playing games, and going to the library. I have also picked up some extra hours at work in the evenings so I can 'get away' while my husband is home, but not to go buy coffee or a treat or walk around a store. (instead, I am making some money which we are using to pay down debt)
post #149 of 239
1/24/08 at 6:38pm
any thoughts about blowing the "economic stimulus" checks? Anyone need emotional support?

I'd like to buck bushes whole plan by saving the money, and not filtering it back into the economy.
post #150 of 239
1/24/08 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by transformed View Post
any thoughts about blowing the "economic stimulus" checks? Anyone need emotional support?

I'd like to buck bushes whole plan by saving the money, and not filtering it back into the economy.

Im not really sure what we will do. I actually just found this out today

Is the $800 true? Give me details! (yes, we are sheltered folk living in our own little world err...apartment.)
post #151 of 239
1/24/08 at 7:54pm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080124/...onomy_stimulus
post #152 of 239
1/24/08 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by transformed View Post
Thanks!
So I wasn't late receiving the news after all. Im usually the last person to know
I saw a poll in frugality and figured its old news or something.
post #153 of 239
1/25/08 at 1:10pm
Count me in! I'm trying to change my mindset most of all and embracing more simple a lifestyle. We live in a ~700 sq. ft. apartment close to the country and instead of being disgruntled about our small space and lack of land, I'm trying to embrace it for what it is. Our home for now. Trying to utilize the space we have is challenging and getting DH to get on board has been difficult, but he is on board. We have gotten rid of many books and movies that were just cluttering up our bookcases and now we have more usable space there that we are enjoying more.

Simple Living means so many things. I've found a source for local dairy and meat products, so that's a huge start towards living local. In the warmer seasons we get all local produce. Now that we have a working fridge and freezer I'm going to try to freeze fruit this year and try to find pick your own places. We don't drive much, we walk where we can, like the grocery store and bank that are close by. Trying to cook from scratch and only consume quality ingredients. Trying to not buy things that won't last and aren't needed. I'm so thrilled at how little I bought when we were across the country last month. It was a huge step for me.

So I'm joining. There's lots more to say, but then I'd be cluttering up this thread....
post #154 of 239
1/25/08 at 7:08pm
So I think I've come up with a mop idea.
I snagged a swifer mop pole (I think its swifer. Its blue.) from my MILs cleaning closet She had like 3 in there :

Thanks to MommyErin, im making my own pads. I think I'll store them similar to our cloth wipes, in a plastic container with cleaning juice.
post #155 of 239
1/25/08 at 7:19pm
i took a rag - old towel - and sewed a space to feed elastic through, tied it up, and it pulls onto my mop head...a little like a shower cap! works well and i just launder it.

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post #156 of 239
1/25/08 at 9:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by beansricerevolt View Post

Thanks to MommyErin, im making my own pads. I think I'll store them similar to our cloth wipes, in a plastic container with cleaning juice.
Very cool. Glad I could help!
post #157 of 239
1/26/08 at 4:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by transformed View Post
any thoughts about blowing the "economic stimulus" checks? Anyone need emotional support?

I'd like to buck bushes whole plan by saving the money, and not filtering it back into the economy.
Yep, we will be saving ours!!
post #158 of 239
1/26/08 at 9:49am
living simply TV show:

http://health.discovery.com/fansites...o_fansite.html
post #159 of 239
1/26/08 at 12:55pm

count me in

my dh and i have been trying to simplify for as long as i can remember but we never seem to get rid of enough junk around here. so, with #2 on the way, i've given myself until a week before baby gets here to whip us all into shape. we're always donating to the goodwill but we usually just end up buying more stuff so it doesn't even make a difference. so, i found a local clothes closet to donate to. i prefer to donate to them over the salvation army since they give out stuff for free. we've also been trying to go organic as much as we can afford.

my goals for the next 10 weeks are:
radically clean out my closet (stop keeping things in case i might wear them someday
buy some mama cloth for PP and when AF returns
buy only pfs for the newborn period since i already have several OS pockets that the boys can share. i don't want to spend a lot on diapers that baby'll outgrow in 2 months
clean out all of the closets, drawers, boxes and baskets around here

i'm sure i'll add more later

good luck everybody
post #160 of 239
1/26/08 at 1:01pm
in place of a mop, i use a fold a hand towel over my swiffer and clothespin the edges together on the topside of the swiffer. i just throw it in the wash with the rest of my rags.



has anyone used the new clorox green cleaners? i bought the bottle that you can dilute. it smells nice. but i'd rather support mrs. meyers not clorox