Frugal Slow January

[FrugalFashionista]

Happy New Year everyone!

As promised, here is a space for anyone who wants to take things more slowly in January. If you like minimalism or want to simplify your life in some way, please do join us! You might, for example, consider decluttering, Project 333 or a shopping-free period. Or you may be focusing on change in one or more areas in your life. Or you might just generally wish to take things more slowly and mindfully. Here is a space where you can share your thoughts and goals with other people.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? What will be important for you this month?

Funky thanks of reminding me of savoury - I'll keep an eye on it, I remember having had some but I didn't know that it's a 'bean herb'.

Teta I feel I've lived in the sticks but I'm not sure I've tasted quinoa... Must try some.

Today has been one of those miraculously balanced days. A full workday, two great meals (made Creme Ninon for dinner - a pea soup with champagne, using frozen peas, leftover ham, mojito mint and flat prosecco from NYE - sounds grim but it was sublime... alcohol boiled out of course ). And some unhurried time with children and a few good moments talking with DH! plus exercise both in the morning and evening!!! I'm not sure whether it's possible to have days like this very often, but feel really grateful when for once things do work out. I have been reaching for this type of balance for a long time but never quite found it - I probably frittered away my free time browsing blogs, shopping online, trying to escape the boredom of being trapped at home - but somehow it's getting a bit easier when the chidren are growing.

One of the great things of maturing is that I'm more and more able to accept myself as who I am, obsessing less about clothes, appearances and what I should be: this leaves me more time and energy to experience and enjoy things as they come. Cooking dinner, for example, used to feel like a chore, best avoided, but I've changed my mindset. I now turn on the radio to listen to music while chopping and stirring - a nice unhurried meal can be a peaceful moment at the end of the day.

Mother train is a great way of getting around in Italy. I did a lot of train trips all over Northern and Central Italy during my student days - a romantic way to travel, full of adventure and unexpected things, I miss those days Although car is more convenient with children, I still love to take the fast trains to have a day in Milan or Florence. Packing light is great too - you don't need many clothes during the warm season - I typically take just a backpack for short weekend trips and a carry-on for a weeklong trip.

Right, that's winter savory and Welsh onions added to my planting list! Thanks for the link Funky

You sound as if you're in a good place right now Frugal The end of last year was a hard time for me, most of it I realise now was probably down to my mindset and a busy time at work meant that self care was low on my list of priorities.
I have also frittered a lot of my spare time on internet browsing etc and this year I intend to make use of my time more wisely. I'm starting an online course next week through Futurelearn on sustainability, I'm planning on learning basic Italian for our summer trip and hope to rekindle an interest in print making. All of these things are interests that I want to pursue but never seem to have the time, hopefully with the onset of Slow January I'll be more mindful of how I spend my free time.

On another note still no alcohol, not sure how I'll fair tomorrow as we're having Sunday lunch at PILs and usually that's the only thing that gets me through it

Oh and yes to the adventure of train travel! So far we've planned stops in Venice, Rome, Sorrento and Naples - DS is 14 and we wanted to show him some culture before he's tempted by the delights of lads holidays to Magaluf and Kavos

I've felt a bit overwhelmed the last few days and have been thinking about why. I think the main thing is a lack of planning and not making life easy enough for myself. I'm really not in the habit of going home via the chip shop! It wasn't even that nice, as our local chippie seems to have new management.

So this week I've done two lots of online food shopping and I'm currently meal planning for the week.

On the clothes front (this is S&B after all ), I've ordered some clothes online. The ones from M&S (boring stuff like vests and a work skirt) are being delivered to my local branch, so I can nip out from the office on Monday afternoon and try them on. Any that don't fit can then go straight back and I'll get my card refunded. Much easier than browsing shops and hunting down my size.

I also want to get back in the habit of planning what I'll wear for the week at work on a Sunday evening. I did this when DD was tiny and it does make life much easier.

Today I've washed my cashmere and sheepskin slippers. It's been worth buying good quality things (not always related to price I've learnt) as they last well if you look after them a bit. Getting it right first time saves a lot of time and money - this is something I do at work all the time, but I sometimes forget to apply it to my personal life.

Hello all. I've now had no chocolate/biscuits etc for 4 days now. And actually I'm not missing it as much as I thought I would. I've realised I often turn to it when the dc are doing my head in. Either that or I shop thinking that I need to treat myself. I need to find something else that isn't shopping, booze or chocolate...

Religion?

Hi ladies - we're back from a stunning but unknown ancient town off the Adriatic coast - a lovely and unhurried place. We started to feel like locals, (well the local foreigners ) after three days there. We'll definitely be back! Today is the day when Befana, a good witch, brings sweets to good children and coals to the naughty ones. Our Befana glided down a rope from the city hall's window... A bit too much good food and one misstep - a glass of red wine - but lots of great moments and very relaxing

Sisukas I think what many of us are talking about here is the curious midlife transformation many women undergo. The arrival of children is a tough change for most women - the days are so packed, the routines so monotonous, time for self-care so limited (minutes! seconds!), that it's very easy lose ourselves. The days whizz by in survival mode and many of potential sources of enjoyment are impossible. And when you then all of a sudden have more time and leisure, you are unsure how to spend it. It's hard to remember who you really are and what you really want... But I think you are definitely onto something. Meditating is great. Keeping a journal can also be very helpful - just 10 or 15 min in the evening, writing out the frustration, reconnecting with yourself...

QC I realized last year that shopping was my way of dealing with negative emotions. The daily small good things are things that make me feel better. Not sure whether any of those would work for you... but feel free to try!

QoW sending you a lot of positive energy! You have a lot on your plate, you are allowed to take the easy way out sometimes...

Mother I love your list of new activities! Being able to speak some Italian will help you to get the most out of your trip. Your list of Italian cities to visit sounds great, but if you are traveling with a teen, some of the famous cities can be really packed unless you travel in the dead of winter. I'd recommend adding at least one stress-free stop. Provincial capitals and ordinary towns can be great - instead of queuing, you can take leisurely strolls, eat well and drink great coffee without doing anything in particular. If you want to stay on the main railway line, make a stop in Bologna - it's gorgeus, lively, mellow orange, full of young people and has some of the best food in Italy. Or pick one of the beach towns - they are lovely slightly off-season, in May-July or September. You might also let your son plan a stop, something that is meaningful for him...

Hello All
I am feeling really positive that this year will be a good year for me after a few rocky ones.
I have down graded my more expensive beauty routine (Clinique) for a cheaper one (Simple) and am seriously wondering why I ever spent the extra cash!
I decluttered my wardrobe (again) at the end of the year and am determined to make more considered purchases and remember that less is more. Also only buy things that fit with my lifestyle.
I intend to continue with my running

Hello everyone,
A great start to the week! Went for a run as soon as I'd seen DS off this morning, I'm gradually building up my distance after having to ease off after injuring myself. Caught up with work/housework before lunch (an omelette made with eggs straight from the nest box )and then started my course on sustainability. Overall I feel that today has been a good mix of the necessary and the nurturing.

Over the weekend I started to edit my wardrobe again, reassessing and sorting through winter clothes that I haven't yet worn this season. I really don't need anything new now until Spring. Oh and still no wine (even at PIL's yesterday lunchtime).

QOW completely agree about getting it right first time! unfortunately I've learnt the hard way with too many rushed purchases in the past.

Frugal Your trip away sounds lovely.
DS really wants to see Pompeii and Herculaneum hence our stop at Sorrento. We're planning a few extra days there so we can take it easy, the hotel we've booked is a little out of town with a nice pool and terrace so hopefully we can recharge our batteries a little.

A curious midlife transformation just about sums it up for me I recently read A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson, a lovely simple read and although the author is a little older and with grown up children it is quietly inspiring.

A curious midlife transformation is a great phrase frugal. That's just how it feels. I read something where they talked about the bootcamp years of rasising children, developing your career and still finding time for yourself. That always struck me as apt - it can be a case of get your head down and get on with it.

I collected my M&S order and am really pleased. None of it is particularly exciting, but I've chosen well and it's all good quality and well priced.

On Sunday I hung up my outfits for the week at work, which took less than five minutes. But it's saved one more thing to stress about in the morning and I was roundly complimented on my dress in a work meeting today. I've also been good at menu planning and eating clean, and I'm starting to feel the benefit from that.

I feel knackered and sore though!

QoW you are doing so well! Love how organized you are. It takes a lot of work but it's all coming together!

Mother your son's taste is impressive! The ruins can be quite puzzling: for a better understanding life in ancient Rome, this book is a really engaging and entertaining read (never mind the dull cover) - it was a bestseller in Italy and the author has also written another book on Romans' sex lives maybe not for your son, save it for yourself.

The beginning of the week always feels like an uphill climb - do you know the feeling? The house was dirty, the fridge was both stinky and empty (how?) and the inbox was not - but had my exercise today and spent some good moments reading with children and ate semi-decent meals.

Today has been okay, although I've felt slightly overwhelmed. I've just realized that my January won't be slow after all. It seems that I'm going to make to trips abroad (am looking into combining them, but still quite a hassle). The good: DH does not mind and encourages me to go. (Should I be worried? ) The bad: travel is inherently stressful, and I'd have to leave next week... I can't decide and feel so frazzled that will postpone bookings until tomorrow.

Good morning, hope everyone is having a slow and steady week!

Thanks for the book recommendation Frugal have popped it in my Amazon basket, it will make a good present for DS's upcoming birthday.
The beginning of the week always feels like I'm playing catch up in our house, I guess it's the trade off of having slow weekends. Hope your travel plans are taking shape and aren't too stressful.

Inspired by QoW I have reorganised my wardrobe, previously everything was grouped by type so all my tops were together, as were my bottoms, jackets etc. This was fine but in looking for something to wear I had to sort through all my tops/bottoms iykwim. So I have now grouped my wardrobe into -
Home/work (working from home means I don't need a work wardrobe so I usually wear clothes that have been delegated from "best" but are still ok)
Shopping/Lunch date/smart casual
Evening/party
sportswear/outdoor gear (in a chest of drawers).

I'm hoping that this will make a difference as I no longer have to rummage through everything to put an outfit together. Whilst sorting I was ruthless in assessing each item of clothing in terms of cut, colour and quality and managed to weed out 21 items that can go to my local hospice shop.

I've been in travel agent mode - the trips are now sorted out plus two houseguests are coming in Feb. DH has been lovely, he was very supportive and said that a six-day trip would not be a problem for him and even offered to take DC to MILs for a winter break so that I can get some work done.

On track with eating and exercise, even scored some kale yesterday

I also realized that a boring work task is much more fun if I do the reading and note-taking in a cafe overlooking a lovely vista - and it worked! Will be back tomorrow

The only not so great thing is that I had a massive perioral eczema flareup yesterday - the skin around my mouth was raw, red and burning. Concealer and foundation are clearly triggers. I have to go totally makeup free, even lipstick is irritating, and loose powder too. So my ultraglamorous makeup routine for now is homemade soap, water and nappy cream. I wish I could find a non-irritating lipstick...

How are you ladies doing?

Oh and Mother the wardrobe reorganization sounds fantastic - you'll save a lot of time every day.

I started wearing my stupid impulse purchase last season slightly impractical leather sweatshirt today. I've been saving it for something special but better face the facts and stop saving items for some rare occasion that will never materialize.

Hi ladies. I've found a cure to stop shopping...getting ill! I'm fine but it was all a bit scary and almost a wake up call to make the most of the life I have. I'm sure by next week I'll be wanting to shop again though .

I've now had no chocolate/biscuits etc for 9 days and don't even fancy it anymore. No booze for 8 days either (although if I feel better at the weekend I may give into that one!). My skin seems to look brighter and I swear that my wrinkles are less noticeable. I'm slowly losing the Christmas indulgence weight so I feel better for that too. I'll be happy when I get exercising again as haven't been able to do a lot with the dc at home and now being unwell.

FrugalFashionista - Happy New Year and I hope you don't mind me barging into your thread .

I read your post about your perioral eczema. I have suffered for years from perioral dermatitis/acne/rosacea (diagnosis depends on the dermatologist/my age). In December 2012 I was really fed up and got a month's course of antibiotics (doxycycline) which worked wonders, combined with a metronidazole cream (Rozex). This year I had a flare up as usual in the early autumn and got out the Rozex and tried to clear my skin up with that alone. After a month it was a little better but I still felt I needed to return to the dermatologist for some antibiotics to get properly rid of it. Four weeks ago, however, I bought a Clarisonic and have used it religiously morning and evening as instructed, and, miraculously, the combination of Clarisonic cleansing and Rozex has cleared the perioral dermatitis completely. I don't know whether this information is of any use to you but I thought I would pass on my experience to a fellow sufferer of horrid and disfiguring perioral skin issues.

QC very sorry to hear that you've been so very il but how great that you can see the bright side of it. Hope you'll recover very soon!

I have to confess I had a glass of red wine yesterday. I had made extra good food and we had a tempting open bottle of Lagrein and I was feeling awful about my disfigured face. Cutting back is great anyway... Good luck to everyone who is still on the wagon!

Bonsoir thanks so much for your tips! Did you do all the other things - change shampoos and toothpastes and moisturizers? Can you wear makeup? I'm considering antibiotics but doxycycline is a sun sensitizer, so it's not idea here - I got a sunburn in November I've had metronidazole before and am seriously considering that - was about to go to the pharmacy last night in fact for Rozex/Flagyl. The only thing still holding me back is that my skin seems to clear up when I do the 'zero routine' - nothing but castile soap and water - and relapses after I've put on some powder/concealer/lipstick/makeup remover. So I'm almost sure that my skin reacts to a cosmetic irritant.

It's lovely to know that you've found a solution, the Clarisonic sounds great! I almost got one recently, but then someone said it can induce couperosa. That's scary because most of my maternal relatives seem to develop couperosa and permanently ruddy and flushed skin in their late middle age. I've just been staring at my first thread vein and thinking that I have to have it zapped... But if my skin doesn't clear up, I'll try anything!

I really would like to understand what is the underlying cause of perioral - nobody seems to know! I've always been acne-prone and also had mild rosacea symptoms a few years ago. I've been fascinated with the Demodex theory of rosacea and it's tempting to think that some micro-organisms are involved (and the antibiotics and Clarisonic would get rid of the mites and the extra sebum). I'm almost certain that there is also some inherited structural defect in my family, something that makes our pores more clogged when we are young (both my brothers have skin similar to mine) and breaks the capillaries when we age. For some weird reason my skin gets very flushed when I wash it with water and is very sensitive to oils - I get cystic acne if I get oil on my face.

Sorry about the long diatribe about skin issues, these symptoms are just so puzzling...

FrugalFashionista - my "trigger" for perioral dermatitis has always been sunny weather, though I am uncertain as to whether the sun or the sunscreens are at fault. I have very pale skin that is sensitive (reddens easily) and is somewhat greasy (less so as I get older). I have not changed shampoo/conditioner/toothpaste/cleanser as I know these are not triggers. Having said that, I am very faithful to my products and rarely chop and change the basics. I have always been fairly obsessive about cleansing my skin. What I find with the Clarisonic, used with the sensitive brush, is that the micro-exfoliation is both more thorough (my skin is smoother, more glowing and absorbs creams better) and less aggressive (I am less red - my skin barely changes colour) than any other type of exfoliation I have tried.

I was interested in your link about the Demodex theory of rosacea. Certainly, if there is a bacterial origin to rosacea, the curative role of thorough deep cleansing followed by a treatment cream would make sense.

Anyway, I hope you find a long-term solution. Facial skin problems are so distressing.

Love this thread!

This year I'd like to:

Declutter my huge and packed wardrobes and only keep clothes that look and feel amazing - I have plenty of those due to a serious shopping habit but find it hard it chuck out 'ok' things..

My dream is to be able to rummage and see what I've got in my wardrobes without pulling out things I don't want because everything is so tightly packed - STRESS!

Buy MUCH less - no 'ok' things, only things that really are amazing..

I want to declutter the whole house actually.. Get rid of anything I don't really love.

On a more serious note, I want to pay off any debt I have and start saving - I want to give up my job and start my own business.. I want OUT OF OFFICES!

I want to stop the anxiety I've been feeling lately. I want peace of mind and to enjoy the moment. I want to feel content in life. I want to stop worrying so much about things. I want real direction though - I'm 40 - think I'm having a bit of a mid life crisis!

I want to stop wasting so much time and use my time better - get out on my motorbike more, practice my guitar more, take up drawing again and take time to read things that enrich my life and inspire me! I want to pick up languages I've dipped into and get better - primarily Italian and Spanish. Where can I find the time for all this as well as working full time?

I want to be a GREAT wife to my amazing husband who I married in August I want to be a good mum to my (adult) daughter (and our four dogs!)

I have some breaks coming up (love travelling) - Florence & Lake Garda in June, Ireland on the motorbikes in August, Ibiza in September and New York with my friend also September - I want to go on these and enjoy the moment and not be worrying about other things!

Thanks - it's really been good for me to write all this down!

Oh my, am I glad this week is over. Workwise I have a big meeting once a month that I have to coordinate and organise, and then an even bigger, more important one every other month. But they both happened this week plus I've been training a new member of staff who isn't happy with his salary. If I have to say 'of course, I fully understand where you're coming from' one more time, I'll scream.

But it's Friday night, DD has gone to her Dads's and I've just polished off the best part of a takeaway curry (a treat, not laziness for me).

And I'm glad to hear that QC is feeling better (even if she didn't want me to visit her by her hospital bed ). Maybe we're all pushing it too hard, despite wanting be slow and frugal in theory.

frugal your skin issues sound like they could be autoimmune related. Rather than taking medicines to manage the symptoms, you might want to explore the underlying cause. There are increasingly well-evidenced links between autoimmune conditions and leaky gut syndrome.

Happygirlnow (good name): you sound like a prime candidate for Project 333. Also the minimalism threads on here in Good Housekeeping are great for getting motivated with decluttering. I was in the same situation as you this time last year and it has made such a difference reducing my stuff to things that are beautiful or useful, and ideally both.

Hello everyone, thank goodness it's Friday!
Good to hear that you're on the mend QC
It sounds like there have been some stressful weeks, mine has been very mixed as DH starts a new job on Monday so has been working late every night this week trying to tie up loose ends in his old job. Although it's not effecting me directly there is a knock on effect at home and some uncertainty as we both worry that it's the right decision (more money but longer commute). Only time will tell....

Did a trip to drop off a bag of clothes at the charity shop and returned a pair of charcoal jeans that I bought just before Christmas that I really didn't need today. I now have 42 items hanging in my wardrobe, all that I like and wear which is great BUT will have to do some serious shopping later in the year as my lack of summer clothing is disturbing

Happygirl join us in our curious midlife transformations your goals sound great and it looks as if you have lots to look forward to in the year ahead.

I have had five inches cut off my hair and by golly, it is magnificent :-) I have also managed to stick to a whole week of clean eating (apart from a lemon drizzle muffin which I had for a late breakfast so it was almost classed as good for me!)
I have worn makeup every day and cleansed it off at night too!

queen if I had been staying longer I would have happily accepted you as a visitor. I was just so desperate to get out-I must have been the youngest in there by at least 40 years .

Felt so bad today that I thought a sugar rush may help so ate some biscuits. It didn't help and I didn't particularly enjoy them.

If I feel better tomorrow I will be indulging in a takeaway curry and glass of wine. I was going to give up booze until next week but after the week I've had I think I deserve some .

happy loving the sound of your goals. I'm slowly trying to decluttering the house too but can only do it when the dc aren't round as the minute you go to get rid of something that hasn't been played with in months, it's suddenly their favourite

Hope I'm not too late to the party!

This month I have started to drink more water, take vitamins and exercise. I'm also not eating chocolate, cake or biscuits (I may have slipped on occasion!), and am restricting booze to Fri and Sat evenings.

I need to work on making these into habits, and not buy any clothes this month.