the list: thing 7

eating healthier. this is something i have always been interested in, always researched and always done half-way. emotional eating, time restraints and feeling overwhelmed by all the information and time/money involved in making a huge lifestyle change have been the culprits. but the more i have looked into it, the more i have been realising that it’s not as complicated as i think. i don’t have to do it perfect all the time for it to be beneficial and i can start small and work my way into eating completely differently. even if its over the course of a few years. yes, every little bit helps. one day at a time. all those cliches are true. we are taking small steps to eating better as a family and i honestly think it could be cheaper if we do it smartly. we will see.

the more i deliberately try to think and live in a way i enjoy, the more i realise that it is a process of small steps to a long-term goal. i used to get so frustrated that i could not have the finished product right now. right then. and i still do sometimes. but i think what i have learned most over this past year and a bit of blogging and deliberate living is that ‘the process’ is life. learning, growing, changing, adapting and becoming more whole and rounded is the process of life. i wonder what we would actually do if we had all that already…

sarah

the list: thing 6

living simply. this phrase, i feel, has been overused to the point of confusion recently. so, i’ll just give you my definition. less stuff=less stuff maintenance. less stuff maintenance=more time to do the things i love. more time to do the things i love=staying awake and enjoying the moment more. this all started with our recent house move. we lived in our previous house for 6 years and naturally accumulated a lot of stuff. some junk, some nostalgic, some necessary. when we found our current house i got an itch for cleansing and was ruthless as i packed up my house. i threw stuff away, bagged up tons for charity, sold what was in good condition. it was amazingly therapeutic. then, as i was unpacking at the new house, again i looked at things and wondered why i had decided to bring them with us. more bags for charity, more items on eBay. the freedom i have felt from having less things around me has been a little addictive and i am actually now researching capsule wardrobes and looking at project 333 to see if we can cull our wardrobes down (hello, laundry EVERDAY!).

have i actually been doing the things i love with my freer time you ask? yes. i am baking more, blogging more, reading to my kids, reading books i enjoy, writing songs, etc. i genuinely have noticed a difference!

sarah xo

the list: thing 5

being thrifty. our situation as it stands–one salary, two kids, close family across the pond and one of the most expensive countries to live in on the planet–we do not have money to burn. we are not poor by any stretch if you look at the rest of the world or even our town. but, our situation and, lets be completely honest here, my impulsivity, mean that it is very easy for us to get into debt. and very difficult for us to get out of debt. we have learned a lot of hard lessons over the years about debt, overspending and budgeting well. it has been an uphill and–on my part–a very begrudging battle, but it is one i think we have reached, and crossed, the tipping point on. praise god. and i am actually enjoying learning to live well on less. it uses my strengths, utilises my love for vintage and second-hand does wonders for my relationship with richard, and means that we do not feel guilty when we do spend on treats. a winner all around. my good friend faith over at great smitten has been discovering this same thing and wrote a great blog post on budgeting a few months back that y’all will love.

happy sunday!

sarah xo