Life here has been exhausting lately so I really didn’t welcome the time change and the lost hour that came with it this weekend.
Since I was already tired, yesterday was not the ideal time to rearrange my living room. After all, I had been procrastinating this project for some time. It clearly could have waited one more week but I decided that this was the day.
You don’t realize how much is packed into a room until you have to move it all.
But I wasn’t alone! This guy supervised the entire operation. He kept a watchful eye as I pushed a 150 year old steamer trunk that I use as a coffee table and tugged the couch across the room. He wasn’t sure what was happening at first but quickly discovered there was great fun to be had.
In fact, it is possibly that Scout rode on every single piece of furniture and rolled up area rug as they were dragged, pushed and otherwise forced into position.
He weighs seventeen pounds. I didn’t need the extra weight but who can say no to that face?
When I talk about doing a No Spend Challenge, people often dismiss the idea and tell me that I’ll just run out and buy a bunch if things when it’s over. I’ve been doing this every winter since 2018 and can honestly say that it has never worked that way for me.
I think that’s because I use this time to work on habit and mindset changing rather than just on not spending money.
January was pretty strict but February allowed for a some spending including for Valentine’s Day and my mother’s birthday. I had to eat out a couple of times and spent $25 on a congratulations present for myself after receiving good news at work. Otherwise, I bought groceries and paid bills as planned.
Last night I bought a pair of shoes for work that wasn’t budgeted for but was needed. There’s actually a story behind this.
I found myself at the office one day this week wearing a pair of dress boots that look fine but that are worn out. Foot health is important so I’m a firm believer in good shoes.
Yet, there I sat wearing painful shoes all day long.
I started thinking about how many times lately I’ve had sore feet and how I have a couple of other pairs of shoes that need to go. I am not a poor person and I can afford to buy what I need. So I went to the shoe store last night with a list. I was in the market for dress shoes, dress boots and walking shoes. I found one of the three and was glad for it.
The problem is that the selection in stores isn’t that great and what they have often isn’t made that well. I hate to keep buying shoes that will wear out in no time.
As I stood in a sea of shoes that I didn’t want, I thought about all those people who told me I was wasting my time because I would just overspend later. Even when I need l to spend and have an excuse to do so, I just can’t seem to pull it off.
I’m continuing the challenge into March with a budget line item for shoes. As part of this process, I’ll be decluttering the shoes in my closet.
I’m trying to think of anything else I might need to budget for this month and am coming up dry. I have a trip planned for late April so I’m hoping to carry the challenge through the end of March or perhaps mid April.
It seems to me that the habits I wanted to change are in good shape. I’m cooking most meals, solving food waste issues, cutting impulse buys, and changing how I look at the excessive amount of badly made stuff in stores.
That’s pretty darn good, if you ask me. Best of all, the money saved now will fund things I value later this year. Adventure season will be here before we know it!
Are you doing a No Spend or Low Spend Challenge? I would love to hear about it.
It was fifty degrees and sunny on Saturday. On Sunday it was snowing with some fog. Yesterday we were under a Level One Snow Emergency with a high of about 25 degrees.
Don’t worry. It will be 43 and sunny again tomorrow and rainy and cool again Thursday.
Welcome to Ohio. Our weather will keep you guessing. It’s one of our state’s most charming qualities.
Meanwhile, I think I appreciate the snow more right now because I know there probably won’t be much more this season.
I know plenty of people who aren’t enjoying this at all but I’m thrilled. Besides, if you don’t like the weather right now, maybe you’ll like it better tomorrow!
Back in December I proclaimed that I wanted to hike a lot this winter.
Cue the polar vortex and the weeks of snow and ice on our trails that made it nearly impossible to safely get in the woods.
BUT, it was fifty degrees and sunny on Saturday so we jumped at the chance to get out for a little saunter through the woods. We chose the Moonville Rail Trail for its proximity to home and all around easiness. After all, we hadn’t been out for months!
We even made a new friend. It seemed a little early and chilly for him but he appeared quite satisfied enjoying the day in the sun.
It was a good choice and a beautiful day for fresh air, exercise and some bonding with nature. I came home feeling refreshed and not worn out. I was calmer, rejuvenated and better.
It was a powerful reminder to keep looking up! Happy Monday, friends. Keeping looking up.
PS- The temperature plummeted and the snow returned yesterday so our timing was great!
This world is an awfully noisy place for a quiet soul. I am constantly reminded of this to the point I wonder if the world ever gets tired of its own nonsense.
If you ever wonder how I’m doing there are two ways to tell – the regularity with which I’m writing in my free time and the state of my refrigerator.
If I’m writing every day and my fridge is reasonably clean, I’m doing great. When I go missing from this space and the fridge is out of hand, send help.
There’s nothing wrong other than my inability to time travel or to add hours to most days. Everything is fine but my work and volunteer commitments have been demanding enough that any kind of creativity or even reading has been too much to ask. Even poor Scout has been deprived of attention.
I tell you that to say this.
Life happens in seasons. This part of the year is challenging because it needs to be. Another six weeks or so and life will go back to normal.
Maybe your season is even more challenging than mine. Maybe you don’t know when it will end. Maybe you fear it never will.
I bet it will if you give it time.
Personally, I have shifted out of the winter cocoon of reading and soup into a kind of survival mode where dinner is sometimes cheese and crackers while I watch the Andy Griffith Show. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
Easy and gentle, steady as it goes. The only way out is through. This season won’t last forever. Last night I cleaned out the fridge. Today I write. Tomorrow maybe I’ll read. In a month or so I’ll start planning some spring adventures.
Difficult seasons won’t last forever. Give yourself some grace and do what you can. Everything is going to be fine.
And when the world is too noisy, be sure to protect your quiet soul.
