SerenityNow
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Posts posted by SerenityNow
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Oh, thank you! That might be a good alternative. I wonder if they have them in the store to check out?
They don't have them in my Costco, but maybe you could call and ask?
Is that a good price compared to the one you were looking at? I'm hoping someday that we can get one.....
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I don't know anything about the Tempurpedic one, but Costco has one on sale this week that got very good reviews. Might be something to consider? I would love, love, love to have it. I will try to do my first link:
Hope that worked! :001_smile:
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I, too, hope that nobody leaves out of concern that their numbers aren't virtuous enough! As I've said, I'm not really here for no spend, or low spend, just for mindful spending. I love it when people share victories and ask questions in addition to posting their totals.... that's the really helpful, encouraging stuff!
I've done pretty good on spending this week:
2/4 $0
2/5 $.99 on a sheet of posterboard
2/6 $0
2/7 $? Probably going to Trader Joe's in a couple of hours and I suspect there will be cookies involved! (Confession, but no remorse! :tongue_smilie: )
I'm also curious if anyone here does any kind of crafting that involves recycling or repurposing items? I used to know the term for that craft "movement", but I must have forgotten.....
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I think I've learned from experience that "extras" are wasted on me. I never, ever, ever get around to making the plaster volcano, doing the potato battery, making 12 different kinds of bird feeders, etc., etc. I've come to really like straight-forward read-this-do-this curriculum. Honestly, I don't need to do 12 different activities about the Vikings; I just want to read the book, ask a few questions and get on with it. :leaving:
This is me, as well. We did a lot of projects when the boys were younger, but now...? I've finally come to accept that they don't really want to build a model of the Trojan horse. *I* don't really want to build a model of the Trojan horse. They don't really learn anything from a project like this, and therefore it's just busy work for all of us. The upside of this is that I don't have a cardboard model of a Trojan horse cluttering up my house! The downside is that the kit is still on the shelf mocking me. *Sigh*
2/1 Groceries 180.24
2/2 New griddle (planned) 14.88
2/3 Birthday gifts for my ds and my sister's husband (planned) $150-ish
2/4 $0
And on my theme of being a good steward of what I already own before buying anything new.... I *really* wanted to go to the craft store today, but instead I worked in my yard and gave a much neglected rose bush some pruning and love. Win for the rose bush and small win for me. :001_smile:
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Awww... thank you, ladies, for "getting" me. :001_smile: Nobody who lives in my house ever seems to, so it feels lovely for a change!
On the contrary, this is quite brilliant. I could not agree with you more!
That would make such a good addition to the book I'm writing, I might have to beg permission to quote you.
And thank you for this! I've been reading everything you've written about your book.... your subject is one I happen to be obsessed with! LOL.... so I'm very flattered that you liked my post. Made my day. :001_wub:
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Hmmm.... I kind of lost the plot during the last 10 days or so. I did great for the first 20 days of the month.... 11 no spend days, no unnecessary purchases.... but the last 10 days -- UGH! I bought clothes on clearance sale (twice!), I went out to eat with dh (twice!), I bought a new alarm clock for one ds, a couple of birthday gifts for my other ds, some stuffing for a craft project that I maybe could have done without.
This month has, however, helped me to begin clarifying my thoughts on something that I'm really trying to incorporate into my life, which is the idea of good stewardship.
*Am I a good steward of the money which comes into our home? My dh traded some of his life energy for that money.... is a ceramic do-dad for the garden or yet another skein of yarn a good trade for some of that energy? Are some of my choices motivated by laziness or selfishness or boredom?
*Am I a good steward of the things I already own? Do I have piles of clothes that I'm too lazy to fold or iron or mend? Do I have piles of unread books, unfinished science kits, art projects for the kids that we never got around to? Do I have bins of fabric and yarn and beads that have no planned purpose or whose purpose I'm too lazy to follow through on? If so, then I'm not showing good stewardship. I'm not respecting these items and I'm not respecting the money used to purchase them.
Somewhere in that jumble of thoughts I'm trying to tie together good stewardship, respect for life energy, respect for natural resources, and minimalism. I would like to have these thoughts guide my spending from now on... not necessarily no spend or low spend, but very careful, mindful spending. I also hope to show a greater respect for the things I already own, to care for them properly, and to either complete projects or release them to someone who will.
I know this is fairly meaningless to everyone but me, so I apologize for rambling on. :o Just hoping that writing it down makes me feel more accountable. :leaving:
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I vote donate, too. (To be honest, I would probably toss it because I never have good luck dusting silk flowers.) If you keep old supplies to reuse, then your frugal self will insist you do so. You won't be open to new ideas and new materials because you'll be weighed down with the old ones. Donate or toss as a favor to your creativity! :hurray: (That's me cheering you on!)
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Hmmmm.... I thought I was doing okay with this challenge, but after today...? Not so much. I went out to buy a bottle of allergy pills, and the store I chose had just put all their winter clothes on clearance. And then the clearance was an extra 50% off. *Sigh* The racks were all arranged by color and it was so pretty and so enticing and... yep you guessed it! I got two Columbia shirts and a Columbia fleece. And a pair of Sketchers shoes I've had my eye on all winter. Oh, and a pair of fleece pj pants for ds. Plus the allergy pills for a total of $89.84. There's my confession.... ;) ..... as penance I will get rid of at least 4 old items from my closet!
Otherwise:
1/1 $0
1/2 $19.76 on groceries
1/3 $0
1/4 $0
1/5 $96.01 on groceries
1/6 $0
1/7 $25.58 on groceries
1/8 $0
1/9 $0
1/10 $0
1/11 $14.49 on groceries, a pair of hand weights, and two sodas at McDonalds
1/12 $101.34 on groceries
1/13 $0
1/14 $0
1/15 $24.76 on groceries
1/16 $2.97 on a package of metal brackets to fix a bookcase
1/17 $40 Jan allowances ($20 per kid, per month)
1/18 $0
1/19 $179.21 on groceries
1/20 $0
1/21 $89.84 from confession above
As I write that out I wonder, "What's with all the grocery shopping?" Obviously this is the area I need to work on in February. Along with avoiding clearance sales! :laugh:
Keep up the good work everyone!
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I tried to do the 30 day shred for about a week, but my knees just wouldn't take it. Plus I had started fearing the whole thing because I always felt like I was on the edge of injuring myself. Not really the positive experience I was looking for. lol. The last few days I have been doing an Ellen Barrett workout that I found on YouTube. She has quite a few dvds out, too. What I've seen so far seems to have a yoga/pilates/dance feel, mixed with gentle cardio. I am really, really enjoying it because I think that strength, balance, and stretching are the critical components of aging well.
If you're interested you can type her name into YouTube. I think the workout I'm doing is called Zen Sculpt. It's about 45 min long.
Good luck! :001_smile:
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You're not barging in. Everyone is welcome. First, I will suggest really concentrating on landing lightly on your feet. I know this sounds weird. At first I thought that was just a dumb thing to say. However, it really can be done. You use your muscles to hold yourself up and only allow your body weight to lightly come down. You land lightly on the balls of your feet. Being on the balls of your feet (not your toes and not landing on the whole foot) will help you ease the landing. Also keep your knees soft and springy. You can practice doing small jumps (just straight up and down) to learn how to land lightly. Keep your core engaged and it helps. I taught my kids to land lightly. My one ds used to stomp around when jumping and know he knows how to keep himself from stomping. Landing down with your full body weight is not good for your joints.
Most important is to do squats with proper form. This can also be confusing. I suggest doing a squat in front of a full length mirror. My Dh never did squats correctly and it was tearing up his knees. He just wasn't listening to me and paying attention to his form. So I made him practice slow squats with me watching and I would point out what the correct form was. Now, he can do them correctly and his knees are fine. Your knees should not ever go beyond your toes. Ever. Focus on sticking your bottom back and out instead of going down with your knees pushing forward. JM demonstrates the correct form on the DVD. Watch it as much as you need and again practice in front of a mirror. That's how I finally got it. The thing is you have to focus on your form all.the.time! I can easily slip into an improper squat if I don't keep my mind sharp and in focus with my body.
For DVDs that are lighter impact and still a great workout check out Denise Austin. She always does modified versions. Her "Daily Dozen" DVD is a good one and shows modification for jumping jacks. She does do squats so again make sure you're doing them correctly.
Of course walking, yoga, and pilates are great workouts as well. I love doing those. You can find a bunch of youtube videos. Check your library. Again Denise Austin has some good ones for walking, yoga, and pilates.
Thank you for taking time to type all that out! Great information! I have been trying to be very conscious of my form. I watch the dvd on the tv in our bedroom, and we have mirrored closet doors, so I can keep an eye on what I'm doing. I have been careful to not extend my knees over my toes, and I follow the "beginner assistant" in the back, but still.... I'm probably doing something wrong. I do land on the balls of my feet during the jumping moves. I actually wondered if that was bad form, so I'm glad to hear that it's okay. I also wear good shoes, and am jumping on carpet. I don't know at this point if it's bad knees or something I'm doing, but I'm starting to fear even trying the moves, so that seems counterproductive.
I'm glad to hear you recommend Denise Austin. The "Daily Dozen" was one of the dvds I was looking at last night. Also her "Shrink Your Fat Zones Pilates" and some dvds by another instructor named Ellen Barrett. The thing I liked about 30 day Shred was that the workouts were only 20-ish minutes..... the Ellen Barrett ones are 45 minutes.
Anyway, thanks so much for taking time to answer my question. I'll look on YouTube and see what I can find. :001_smile:
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Sorry to barge in on your thread :001_smile: , but I was hoping someone might have a recommendation for me. I have been trying to do the Jillian Michael's 30-day shred, but I'm still on level one and my knees are *killing* me! I think all those jumping jacks and lunges are just too much for my poor old self. Can anyone recommend a dvd that is lower impact, but still gets your heart rate up? Or maybe I should just alternate walking with something like a pilates or yoga dvd? I'm so disappointed.... I really wanted to do the shred, but I also want to be able to walk when I'm old. lol. Any suggestions for me? (And thanks!)
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Tell me I am not the only one feeling deprived. This is HARD. I need a new sports bra, and Target has them on sale this week. I need a new bible cover, and have been resisting pressing the Buy button. I want to stop for froyo with the boys today, but have resisted so far. It's the little things that get me......
LOL. That's funny.... a sports bra is actually the one thing I'm needing, too. (I actually thought about digging out the top of an old tankini swimsuit and trying that. I don't have much to support and it might do the trick.) I'm trying to be more faithful about exercising this month, and I told myself that if I stick to my plan for the whole month then I will get a new sports bra as a reward at the beginning of February. Maybe your Bible cover and sports bra could be your reward for a month of no/low spend? Whatever keeps us motivated!
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Wow! Everyone's doing great! :001_smile:
My goal is no spending outside of basic groceries. (This is just for me, not dh. Unfortunately. And of course we still have the normal bills... electricity, mortgage, insurance, etc.) The boys do have 2 extracurricular events they would like to do this month, so I will set aside $40 for that. And maybe $5 for one soda/ice cream type outing, but that's it.
1/1 $0
1/2 $19.76 on groceries
1/3 $0
1/4 $0
1/5 $96.01 on groceries
1/6 $0
1/7 $0
I'm going for a maximum of 3 spending days per week, so I'm doing okay on that so far.
I'm also combining this with a year long "finish those projects" quest. It seems that I like to shop for craft supplies more than I actually like to finish things, and that has got to change. Yesterday I got out all my random skeins of yarn and have started crocheting a shawl-type wrap for when I'm reading. Next will be a weird tv-watching-blanket made up of all the odd greens/blues/grays that I have left over. No new supplies 'till I've finished with what I've got! Ugh. :nopity:
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Uh-oh! You've got the redecorating bug! :001_smile:
I love your paint color.... I used a similar color in a past house, and it looked beautiful with white baseboards and trim. Are your black frames paired with white mats? I love that combo!
Is your style a bit modern or minimalist? I usually think that white paint looks great with those styles, but can look a bit stark with more traditional styles. There's a blog that I love called "my scandinavian home"..... sorry I don't know how to link!..... that shows lots of homes with white walls. You might google it and see how you like that look. It looks like your blue has some grey in it. Would a very pale, pearly grey work?
As for the kitchen, my cabinets are white..... just white painted 70's cabinets..... and I love it! My walls are a light periwinkle blue and it's very happy and fresh. I think blue and white are always perfect together.
Have fun with it! You should love your home, and 10 years is long enough to wait! :001_smile:
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I am so in! I would really love to do an entire no-spend year, but I'll start with just one month and see how it goes. ;)
Thanks for starting this thread and the follow-ups, Runningmom!
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Dang, that's a BIG stocking :lol:
Sad, isn't it? I made stockings for the whole family when the kids were toddlers, and didn't realize they were *way* too big. And now, of course, they don't want to part with them. :lol: In a way it's easier though.... the t-shirt and pj pants will fill up most of it, and then the little things will make it look like it's stuffed to overflowing. Besides, I get more chocolate in mine this way! ;)
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My teen is getting:
a T-shirt (rolled up tight)
a paperback book
a couple of inexpensive dvds
a couple of unusual flavored sodas in glass bottles
earbuds
duct tape
a pair of flannel pj pants
bubblegum
some glow-in-the-dark stars for his ceiling
:)
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I made a craft table like this a few years ago. For the ends we used cabinets with doors that we found in the closet organizer section at Target. My only bit of advice is to be sure about the height of whatever you choose as your ends (plus the thickness of the door of course). Our table ended up being just a little too tall to be comfortable with a regular chair, and just a little too short to be comfortable with a counter stool. Annoying, and as a result we didn't use it as much. HTH.
:001_smile:
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It didn't occur to me until I read your post, but I do much the same thing while shopping when it comes to not grabbing the first item in a stack. We make frequent runs to the gas station nearby for fountain pops. I can not grab the lid on top of the pile for fear that gas station roaches scurried all over it. I split the stack and grab from the middle.
Oh, yes! The lids! I do the exact same thing, although mine is more of a germ thing. Hadn't thought about roaches. (Until now! Ack!) I have to force myself to use the first cup off the stack by telling myself that the inside was protected by the next cup. *Sigh*
We used to go to a fast food place where your drink came with an unwrapped straw already poked through the lid. I had to train myself not to think about the fact that their unwashed fingers may have touched the part I put in my mouth.
Yeah. Not that I'm a germaphobe or anything. ;)
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I seem to have a lot of grocery shopping weirdness. If I'm buying a refrigerated or frozen item, I can't buy the one in the front. What if it's warmer? Or someone coughed on it? Or my worst fear... what if someone took that item, abandoned it somewhere in the store, and then it was returned to its rightful spot? Ick.
Same with candy. I have to fish way down and get one from the bottom of the box. Otherwise it might be the one some child carried around, begging to have!
If there is a big display of items, the perfect one will give off a "vibe". "Take me, I'm the perfect bag of unbroken chips." "Choose me, I'm the least germy shopping cart."
*Sigh* It's best for everyone if I shop alone.
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Hi... I'm Serenity and this is my first post after 8 long years of lurking!
I have two boys (11 & 13) who have always been homeschooled. We started for both academic and social reasons and continue... oh, probably just because we hate to conform to other people's plans and schedules. :001_smile: We share our chaotic home with an ancient St. Bernard and three rescued cats. (Oh! And my husband of 22 years! ;) )
My hobbies are books (of course!), Top Gear (BBC version only, please), and random crafty little projects.
Thanks for letting me join in!
The China dishes.
in The Chat Board
Posted
Oh, I agree with this 100%. When my mom passed away, I became "keeper of the stuff." I have furniture, a grandfather clock, china, crystal, serving pieces, jewelry, scarves, books, linens, a quilt, home decor items, photo albums, kitchen things, stuff of my grandparents.... you name it, it's here. There are so many things that they don't feel like joyful reminders... they feel like burdens. I do have her wedding ring, which I love and wear every day. And I have this funny little glass bird that always sat in her living room, which I love and display on my mantle. Those two thing would have been enough.