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?

I can't see any difference in skin or how I feel [impatient], but am going to measure my waist today, and then in another month to keep me motivated.

Welcome Happygirl and Gladbags! This is a slow thread so no it's not too late to join

Happy your post has such a happy vibe it made me smile I think most of us here can relate to wanting to do big, bold meaningful life changes right now - but then there are the dishes to clear and work meetings to organize and the children to ferry around and after that you are ready for bed... I've tackled the changes as an ongoing process - have been at it for about a year now - and I really believe in baby steps and doing one or two small things every day. But having focused goals helps too! Compared to where I was last year this time (celebrating my 40th bored, lonely, cynical and critical, dissatisfied with my life, and overspending to compensate) the change has really been major - and thanks all Frugal ladies for peer support! Oh and I love the 'taking out the motorbike' bit! So cool...

QoW your night unwinding sounds great. I'm one of those people who always pile a lot (perhaps too much) on their plate. The process to learn to handle stress is ongoing... Do something really enjoyable this weekend if you can!

Mother let's hope your DH's new job is a good thing for you all! Your clearout sounds amazing! Go easy with summer stuff though , I've overdone summer shopping because summer clothes and colors are irresistible for me (I'm a Summer, d'oh! ), but summers in Northern Europe are often too cool and short so a lot goes unworn!

Blueandwhite your new haircut sounds fantastic and well done on the clean living front! An occasional treat is fine, it's all about the balance!

QC lovely to hear from you and I can believe you felt strange in a hospital - sending lots of virtual treats your way!

Gladbags I more or less share your goals, good lucks, you are definitely approaching them the right way trying to establish good permanent habits. Good luck!

Don't want to bore you with perioral stuff but QoW I share your belief it's immunity/autoimmunity related (I have Hashimoto's thyreoiditis too) and that's why I'm still trying to understand the underlying cause. Gluten sensivity can cause rashes too. I did a lot of reading - Bonsoir this paper is great but really technical Perioral dermatitis seems to be an immunity-mediated response (basically chemical warfare within your skin, using nitrogen oxide as the fighting weapon) to various unknown triggers - the main suspects are cortisones, moisturizers and skincare, sulphates in soaps and shampoos, fluorides and whitening agents in toothpaste, bacteria and other skin microflora, but sunlight and ambient temperature, stress and various internal factors including female hormones may have some role in it too. It's unclear whether antibiotics work because they kill bacteria or because of their nonspecific anti-inflammatory properties. My skin really started improving after I switched shampoos and toothpaste and stopped using SLS-laced cream cleansers. Every time I have tried to reintroduce some cosmetics, I have a flareup (=bright red, sore skin that turns itchy and flaky with tiny bumps and pustules), so I'm pretty sure something in them is triggering it.

Sorry about the superlong message, feel free to change the subject and have a lovely Saturday!

I want to cut out chocolate and other sugary treats!
I lack money so I have kept buying chocolate as a treat as it's inexpensive and cheers me up. It also makes me feel ill (I don’t think my body actually handles sugar very well) and gives me a fat tum. And when I count the money spent every week - yikes! It adds up! I could buy something actually nice with that money, like a nice real leather bag.

My rules: I will only eat cakes, chocolate and such things because of social reasons (as a guest etc), not buy my own to eat by myself.

Starting now, goal is to keep it up the entire year. I wonder if it’s possible…

QueenCadbury I see you’re successfully doing this, did you use some strategy or did you just simply stop?

briar I'm an all or nothing person so I just literally cut it out. I used to have a bar of dairy milk a day (hence my name) and could easily eat 6 if premenstrual . I'm hoping that my sugar cravings pre menstrually disappear. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks! It hasn't been too hard tbh although I did feel crappy for the first couple of days. Also I have been replacing chocolate with nuts/raisins/crackers as i was hungry but I'm going to stop that too.

A few months ago I was also drinking at least a litre of diet coke a day too. So I must be saving a fortune. I should have put the money aside to prove to dh that I'm worthy of a handbag

Didn't buy any chocolate yesterday, won't do it today either
I also have really strong PMT cravings combined with a generally horrible mood so that will be a challenge.
I've heard that chocolate craving during PMT is a sign of magnesium deficiency, and that nuts like almonds are an excellent source of it. It's worth trying, eating a lot of that instead.

But it's also simply because chocolate is mood-boosting. Sigh.

One day at a time, this is like an addiction. Like how people become addicted to soft drinks. Good job quitting diet coke, you must have saved a lot of money that way!

Briar do not keep any chocolate in the house and it will be much easier to resist! If you can find another way to reward yourself, it's easier to give up chocolate...

QC you definitely deserve a handbag fund!

I've been up to no good recently... I hit my target weight yesterday, so what did I do? I went all out at a Korean restaurant, had a big beer and emptied a box of chocolates at home Feeling really queasy this morning although I did have a great time To cheer myself up, I got immersed in a ritual I really enjoy, a thorough pedicure with foot-soaking and filing and cuticle removing, finished it off with my favorite smoky-blue nail polish. I had my toenails done in a salon for a long time but never enjoyed it - there was always an unpredictable moment when it hurt and I could not relax when someone else was working. At home it's different, very zen...

I took the children to Corso yesterday after running some errands. They very rarely go to centro storico. We live just outside and prefer to avoid the tourist madness. It's low season now but still very crowded - the Italians were hitting the sales en masse. We got sucked into H&M. I buy children's clothes there, never anything for myself, but this time I was very surprised to see a couple of tops I really liked. I love the sweatshirt trend - I cannot wear clingy tees any more and they are just right for me both in fabric weight and hem length. Unfortunately, most sweatshirts I've seen come in shades of gray - a terrible, draining color for me. So I was incredibly pleased find two sweatshirts in my very best colors - a long smoky blue doubling as a sweater dress, and a short winter white quilted sweatshirt. Cotton-poly, I would have preferred pure cotton, but good quality cotton is scarce on the high street these days. I've worn my winter white wool sweater non stop since October, so it's really nice to have some variety.

The shopping experience was really crazy - if Italians love H&M this much, they'll soon lose their reputation as a well-dressed nation We were almost trampled, and when we got out, it was even more crowded, a roiling mass of shoppers on a mission. We jumped directly in a taxi and sped home. I promise to stay away from the sales - I haven't bought any clothes in 2.5 months and that's made me very happy. It's good to replenish staples, but I don't want to return to shopping as a pastime!

So what's in the cards for today? More clean living and healthy meals, time offline, and a long walk enjoying the sunny day... Wishing everyone a lovely Sunday!

There is a theory that when we crave sugary foods like chocolate, our body is actually craving fatty meat. I don't have a massively sweet tooth, but can demolish things like crisps. The theory behind that is salt cravings, so I make a conscious effort to add more salt to my food.

In our current society, we have been brainwashed into eating low fat, when actually loading up with fat (red meat , butter, coconut oil, avocados) and a lot more protein leads to healthy results. When I switched to paleo a year as, I was overwhelmed by how good food tasted when it was high in fat and protein. I had (and still occasionally have) dreams of craving meat and protein. I'd been a low meat, lots of pulses and beans eater for years and it didn't help my health (in retrospect, I think it damaged it). Unexpected benefits of being paleo are great skin, hair and nails; sleeping deeply and heavily after years of insomnia; and more energy and enthusiasim for life than I'd had for many years.

Some links to get you thinking:

www.marksdailyapple.com/8-reasons-why-you-act-against-your-own-better-judgment/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

www.marksdailyapple.com/why-we-crave-comfort-foods/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

www.marksdailyapple.com/when-listening-to-your-body-doesnt-work/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

I'm having an allegedly quiet weekend at home, as DD is at her Dad's. but I seem to have been really busy, as there is just so much to catch up on. But I'm feeling a bit weary, so am now limiting it to what has to be done, rather than getting through my endless to do list. I have a project on the go (I'm being a bit secret squirrel until I know one way or the other in March), and it's interesting how that is absorbing my energy. It means I'm not thinking about clothes, food, Facebook, reading blogs etc., etc.

However I want to keep on top of things, so have meal planned out of the depths of the freezer and cupboard, will hang up the Week's clothes again and planned ahead for my work lunches. Frugal and slow, frugal and slow.

Oh, and frugal I'm very impressed that you haven't bought any clothes in 2.5 months. Knowing you from the original threads, that is a seismic change in how you are living your life. A great example of how baby steps do lead to significant transformation. I'm very much a little and often person, rather than all or nothing.

Sorry, forget to make the links go linky:

www.marksdailyapple.com/8-reasons-why-you-act-against-your-own-better-judgment/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

www.marksdailyapple.com/why-we-crave-comfort-foods/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

www.marksdailyapple.com/when-listening-to-your-body-doesnt-work/#axzz2qBsoNDqa

YY, lowcarb and paleo diets are the best if you want to cut out sugar. I've lived on a very high carb, mostly vegetarian diet most of my life and it wasn't good for my health. Constant enormous sugar cravings! I now eat low carb-ish and it makes things easier. Chocolate is still a problem because with lowcarb/paleo you're "allowed" to eat dark chocolate but it only inspires me buy and eat lots of milk chocolate and other sweets too. I definitely need to replace it with other type of rewards.

I'm very interested in low carbing. Think paleo is a bit much right now. Am finding it shockingly easy to avoid crisps/cakes/biscuits/sweets (one cupcake yesterday at a bday party, one biscuit today). Considering the amount I used to eat, this is a minor miracle!
What's helping is meal planning - frugal and healthy!

As for clothes, I did HoC style and colour days, so know what I should be wearing. Trying not to buy anything until Spring though. Mantra: I have enough. Until then, have unsubscribed from retail emails, and am getting my fix through pinterest.

Good morning everyone,
Well so much for good intentions! This weekend I have spectacularly gone off the rails . It all started with pizza and a glass of wine on Saturday night and culminated with the PIls visiting yesterday armed with a freshly baked bloomer and a tray of Danish pastries still warm from the oven.

So after this weekends carb fest I am determined to do something about my diet, unfortunately like Briar for the past 25 years I have been eating a high carb, low fat vegetarian diet which I now realise has not been the healthy choice that I thought it once was. I do now eat fish so hopefully this will help with getting more protein in my diet.
QoW Thanks for sharing those links, they couldn't have come at a more appropriate time!

On a more positive note I've had a slow weekend at home consisting of visits from both sets of parents and spent time in the garden planning for the when the weather gets warmer.

Mother slip-ups do happen but let's get back to where we were...

Gladbags good luck with the shopping hiatus, I'll try to keep you company!

QoW thanks for your very kind words, really appreciate them, I'm trying very hard to change! And I'm happy you ditched the relentless to-do lists for a bit. Good luck with your project, sounds really intriguing!

One of the nice small things I could do would be decluttering my nightstand and dresser... I also feel great when I can think of ways of using up stuff in the freezer or create a good meal from leftovers (we had lovely kale and fried egg bruschettas last night - healthy and satisfying). Might surprise my DH with some of his favorite food later today as he is facing a strenuous week... But taking it easy, as I'll start my trip on Friday.

Having a hard time getting started, didn't sleep enough during the weekend. Perioral is much better, so testing some Lily Lolo on my face. A lipstick and a concealer would make my life a lot easier. Fingers crossed there will be no reaction...

Be careful Frugal.I reacted quite badly to Lily lolo. After a couple of weeks I started to develop cosmetic acne,which was such a shame as it looked lovely on.I believe Bismuth compounds in these mineral powders can cause this reaction in certain susceptible individuals.
I've been grappling with this Fodmap diet all week.Spaghetti bolognase just doesn't taste the same to me without loads of garlic but the dC's still ate it all thankfully.Discovered that there are so many additives in our food that change sucrose to fructose and that garlic and onion are often added (and called salts).Also these artificial fibres that are added to lots of so called healthy foods like Inulin and in in the Warburtons Gf bread - Sugar Beet Fibre are really not so good for you and can cause GI problems.I've had to cook everything myself to be sure its safe and I'm tired of having a permanently messy kitchen.However the good news is my stomach is starting to look flatter and is less reactive.But I still need to learn moderation in all things (including even allowed food).
I've been waiting all week in vain for Hush dresses to be reduced further and hence decided to place my order before they're sold out.Their knitted dresses are my winter staples with leggings and over the knee boots plus a cashmere scarf.My other planned sale purchases have sold out already - which is probably a good thing.

I can always think of one more thing to declutter or tidy away that would make me feel better! It feels never-ending - and I am not some sort of rabid consumer of miscellany!

I did actually get to grips with the kitchen and laundry room before Christmas and managed to eat up/donate/recycle all sorts of things that had been hanging around not being used or consumed as they should. And I have also had a real go at our cosmetics storage cupboard (we have seemingly endless freebies from DP's work) and use up/gave away/got DP to take them away. All that makes me feel better but I still have a long list of household issues to tackle: broken vacuum cleaner, leaking washing machine, broken light fittings, falling apart bathroom cabinet, peeling paint, broken door handles... all of which depress me and which don't have easy answers!

Grrrrr!

A successful declutter always makes me feel better! After feeling bad about this weekends indulgences I have sorted and filed of a stack of paperwork that needed tackling, that coupled with a good run this morning have been positive mood enhancers

Bonsoir I too have an never ending list of household jobs to tackle, as soon as one thing is crossed off another item is added to the bottom of the list!

Why is getting things repaired/mended so incredibly difficult? I can tackle many things, but getting stuff repaired seems to require skills and knowledge I cannot muster!

Getting stuff repaired is so hard Bonsoir, they just want us to buy new When we lived in Brazil, our electrician was a virtuoso who knew all about the inner life of washing machines. He approached them like a heart surgeon and actually gave mouth-to-mouth to a vital part once... I've learned to look for spare parts on eBay - you can find just about anything there - and have fixed a blender, food processor, dishwasher and a sewing machine during our stay in Rome! Mainly because all other alternatives are even more painful We have a handyman on call, but I never call him because he once sent me a text message thanking me for 'il tuo meraviglioso topless'. I assume he meant someone else I also assume some of those plumber fantasies must actually be true...

Teta thanks for the info re Lily Lolo! I'll use it sparingly and not every day! Am testing makeup today because I have a uni reunion on Friday - if I break out today there will still be some time to heal or I can buy a Halloween mask I assume everyone is going to be lot uglier than they were in 1992 - I'll naturally be the sole exception Over 50% of us are coming, not sure what to expect. Will everyone be horribly dull? I'm wary because I've attended a crashingly boring high school reunion where everyone was in IT consulting, accounting, or engineering; most men were balding at 25! Have you ladies had reunions recently? Still time to flee

Mother your day sounds great! I've been working all day dull, back hurts, deadlines looming, drained by DD1's epic tantrum so no decluttering and didn't get out early enough to enjoy the daylight. Hoping for an evening walk instead...

FrugalFashionista - I know, the easy course of action is to splurge EUR 600 on a new Dyson . Getting the washing machine mended isn't so hard - we have Darty in France - but it requires waiting in for part of the day, which itself requires rearranging other commitments, and I am going away this weekend and don't have much flexibility.

at your text from the plumber. I once a very long time ago had a Darty man ring my up and ask me out after delivering me a new cooker early one morning and catching me in my dressing gown. Not that me in my dressing gown represents any kind of danger these days .

I never go to reunions and nor does DP! We always mention them to one another but never actually commit. He has a 25 year graduation reunion this weekend but is going on an (entirely unrelated) boys ski weekend instead. Hope you find it fun!

gladbags and MotherofChickens did you know that MN has a LC board? I haven't properly checked it out myself but there are bootcamp threads for beginners!
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/low_carb_diets
No sugar today...I have also frugally returned some nice clothes I bought in the sales that were actually too expensive.

Another one here not keen on reunions either, I've maintained contact with the people who matter to me but the rest I'm happy not to see again tbh (Not the best years of my life )

On the mending/DIY front I am very lucky to have a DH who can turn his hand to most things and will happily tinker with a broken Dyson, this has saved us £££'s over the years. The downside is waiting for him to find the time to do the jobs.

Frugal hope you managed your evening walk!
Briar ooh will take a look at the LC board, I could do with some inspiration, well done on the clothing returns.

All your talk of household decluttering is stressing me out . There's just so much I want to do. I'm a bit annoyed as I haven't been able to do a lot if the stuff I wanted to do once the dc went back to school last week. I was determined to shop better (food wise), cook more from scratch, decluttering the house and cut back on our cleaners hours to save money. Because of being ill none of this has happened. I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself and just aim to start my resolutions next week once dd and I are better.

Diet wise, I had 2 small glasses of wine of Saturday night (another resolution broken as I wanted to wait till next Saturday but thought f* it after the week I'd had) but then was sick in the middle of the night after it! I took dd out for cake today and had a small bite but didn't really enjoy it so that's a huge achievement . I also bought some shoes. Dh said to buy something to treat myself so I did (so much for not buying anything this month!).

So basically my slow month is kind of going to plan but kind of not

frugal not sure that I'd want to go to a reunion (although I'd be tempted just to see how my ex boyfriend turned out!). Anyone I'd be interested in seeing I'm friends with on Facebook so I know what they're all up to and look like.

QC you are allowed take things slowly, remember this is a slow thread I'm sure that when you are back to normal you'll be able to reorganize everything quite swiftly! I have a longstanding habit of being too harsh forcing myself to the point of exhaustion (I once landed in the ER from sheer exhaustion) - trying to learn to listen to my instincts a bit more and to learn to pace myself. Good luck with all the good resolutions next week and keep us posted!

I used to be a person who skipped reunions and even some family functions, but I guess I'm changing... I didn't love my uni years - it was that angsty time riddled with bad boyfriend choices and self doubts. I was unsure whether I had chosen the right field and I spent much more time with my old school friends. With hindsight I've come to realize that my feelings of insecurity and alienation were really normal at that life stage and nothing to feel bad about. But I've become a lot more outgoing since, I have really started to enjoy people and their stories - I love the small moments of connection, even between strangers I saw the hostess of our reunion on the street last summer and we had a fantastic time catching up, so hope that there are a few other people like that there. If not, I'll just catch a taxi and do something more fun

Lily Lolo did not break me out! I tried their concealer first and it seems to contain kaolin, that type of greasy/sticky consistency that can really sink into your pores, but the coverage was great and the palest shade matched my skin tone really well. It seems a bit drying but I loved the glowy sheer feel so I'll use it when I go out. Perioral seems to be retreating. I'm actually grateful I got the eczema because it forced me to ditch liquid foundation and heavy coverup.

Going barefaced is challenging but liberating too. If I'm looking for authenticity in other areas of my life, why not with my face too? I've always disliked being pale and a bit colorless and muted, and fought it, but I'm starting to realize that I can look great in the right neutral colors in clothing (especially soft whites and pale/ midtone smoky blues/ taupes). Italian blondes (no I'm not talking about you Donatella) seem to wear those colors religiously and I'm learning a lot by watching them; in a sea of dark neutrals, they look luminous and really stand out. Because high fashion is so obsessed with black and red lipstick, it's all new to make a statement by doing the exact opposite...

QC There's plenty of time to get back on track, just take it easy for the time being

Frugal your attitude towards the reunion sounds really positive and has made me think twice. Interestingly my ex was on TV over Christmas so I know exactly what he looks like now

I'm another one who is pale and muted, I cannot do very dark colours (black is a complete no-no) and clear brights wash me out. At DH's Christmas party this year I was an island of taupe and ivory in a sea of red and black

I'm glad you were fine with LilyLolo Frugal.Its such lovely make up.I deeply respect anyone who can go barefaced because I don't have the guts to do it.
My school reunion was fun.Its interesting seeing how everyone has turned out,even though I really only stay in frequent contact with my best friend ( who is one of the dc's godmothers).Dh's school have very regular reunions where they sing the school song and still say the school motto(weird).Though the ex pupils are now all over the world.
Diet is going very badly.Dd1 got in last evening upset over something and started eating Banofee pie.While talking to her I started eating the base and managed to ingest quite a bit of wheat.I subsequently had a sleepiness night and feel awful this morning.It seems that I have found the cause of my occasional lack of sleep.

Totally wiped out today! I spent four hours in the morning working in a cafe and finished a really big task I've been procrastinating for almost two weeks. It's amazing how getting out of the house a change of scenery can help...

Yesterday was no good, various setbacks and I was in a low mood, but a couple of nice things happened. DH came over for lunch and I had a good moan. And a couple of friends were even worse off - when I got immersed in their problems, I totally forgot about my own. I also went to bed an hour early and that helped immensely!

Poor Teta, sounds like you are really wheat intolerant.
Mother I'm in love with winter white and taupe...

Why are 'natural' haircare products such rubbish? I'm using SLS free stuff but it's not working - my hair feels dirtier after washing that before - thank you Aveda!