To Simplify
I have a brave new haircut. I don’t necessarily love it, but it works well for me right now. I keep begging hair people, “Isn’t there a way for me to like my hair but NOT spend the rest of my life with a flat iron in my hand?” No one has really answered that yet. Still, I’m enjoying the change. Thinking of all the time I’m saving is pretty sweet, too. With the extra time I’d like to think I’d spend more doing stuff like this:
Besides, my vanity could use a kick in the pants once in awhile! : )
Simplicity is a virtue that I’ve never worked on much, but I’ve done just a few things lately to cultivate it. The hair, for one thing. I also bought one gray suit and I plan to wear it every Monday for the entire semester. I wear gray pants on Tuesday and Wednesday and a gray/brown skirt on Thursday. Friday I look forward to casual pants since I don’t teach and only have office hours. I’ve only done this for two weeks, but it amazing how much easier the morning is when you have a plan for what to wear!
I’ve simplified meal planning as well. We eat, like, 6 evening meals consistently with a few nights of sandwiches or salads. For now I’m not wasting any time looking for new recipes or trying out new items at the store. I just buy the same list of staples and we eat the same things every week. Ideally, it will help us cut a few calories and a few dollars in impulse buying. We’ll see.
Just things I’m trying in an attempt to simplify. Any ideas from your life you’d be willing to share? How do you simplify?
I think your hair looks great! As far as the simplicity thing, I order some grocery items on Amazon and have them set up to auto deliver. Things like toilet paper, paper towels, pop tarts, etc. This saves me money & time. We also order a side of beef about 3x a year from Western’s,again saving money (lots) and time. We have a pantry stocked w canned goods, and other often used items. This has been great because we don’t have to run to the store to get something for dinner. We just look in the pantry to figure something out.
Felicity, you look beautiful no matter what your hair is doing! =)
I love these tips. We are looking at majorly simplifying our lives since I am now a full-time student and no longer working. I may need to work part-time but I’m praying the Lord will help us learn what we can cut out so I can just focus on school. Sadness is felt for the loss of coffee and diet pepsi that I will soon be experiencing but at the same time… to not have a stressful job is SO worth it!
Thank you for yet another enlightening post!!
Felic, you know my “strong like” for the FlyLady, so here’s one of the things that has helped me immensely. FlyLady calls it the “Launch Pad”. I pack my books, computer, lesson plans, etc. – everything I will need at school; and set them all in the same place the night before. I also pack my lunch the night before and then set it on the “launch pad” with my things the next morning. It saves so much time not running around looking for things I need for the day. I just stop at the “launch pad” which is right beside my stairs leading out the door, pick up my stuff and go! It’s one of my favorites!
And you look beautiful!
I have been trying out some online meal planners. Once upon a time it seemed silly to me to pay money for a weekly menu and grocery list, but during this busy chapter of my life, I have found that the $5/month I pay is worth the time it saves me planning meals (as long as we like the recipes!). I have tried e-mealz.com and http://www.menus4moms.com (menu4moms has a 2 week trial for a penny). If you are interested, I wrote a review of e-mealz at onemomsreviews.blogspot.com.
there is a book by Richard J. Foster called “Freedom of Simplicity” i have it, but have yet to read it.
Usually “simplifying” in my life just means not getting stuff done. As in, “I simplified my inbox by ignoring all the emails I need to respond to!” So I don’t necessarily recommend that. Which kind of makes this comment useless. But I love the new haircut!