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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Random Updates

Since none of these items really merit their own blog  post, here is a collection of random updates:

Green Smoothies: I've been making green smoothies almost every day since late December and am still 100% on board with this activity. I finally tried using kale instead of spinach. I was not immediately won over, but as I've gone through the container I am more and more convinced. I think I prefer the taste and texture of the spinach slightly, but the kale has lasted much better. None has gotten slimy or weird, which the spinach does fairly quickly. Plus, I think I'm getting more smoothies from the same sized container of kale than I did with the spinach. Win, win. I've also branched out and tried different frozen fruit, although the selection at my grocery store is disappointingly poor, especially if I stick to the organic options. Right now I'm on a blueberry kick. One of my friends mentioned she throws in a few baby carrots, so I've been adding 2-3 of those to each smoothie now. Some other things I want to try including at some point are: avocados, cucumbers, mint, and pears.

April Purge: While an April purge was a lovely idea, the reality of identifying one item per day to get rid of was much harder than I anticipated. It turns out that I don't operate well under those restraints. Apparently I work better in spurts during which I might get rid of 5-7 items before losing interest. I didn't want to think about it every day and I didn't want to stop at just one item when I did work up the motivation. In total I got rid of 15 things, which is better than nothing, but not as good as the 30 I'd hoped to purge. If I do this project again, I would structure it differently: 30 Things in 30 Days. That way I could do it all at once or anyway I felt so inspired. But frankly, I'm still feeling unmotivated on the topic as a whole. I need someone else to just come into my house and throw everything away.

Working: I briefly mentioned some work plans in this post back in January, but thus far things have not actually gone as expected. Most importantly, I do not regret leaving my last job. Not even for a second. It was slowly killing me. I have been happier in these last few months than I would've believed possible. I love the work I am doing part-time for our friend's business. It is such a comfortable and casual environment. It's so unusual for me to not dread having to go to work. Who knew the dread wasn't mandatory! I have not been working at my husband's business, for whatever reason, and I'm totally fine with that. I will also be fine if something changes and I am needed. The only source of negativity is the associated financial stress of a significantly lower income. It's been challenging to adjust to a lifestyle of spending NO money. Obviously, I still have expenses (bills, gas, birthday gifts, etc.), but other than the necessities, I've made every effort to prevent myself from buying the things I would've bought in the past. I have to keep telling myself that I don't need said item. And reminding myself that the sacrifices are completely worth it since it means not working a job I hate. I don't know how long I'll be able keep it up, and I know it's not a situation that would appeal to everyone. But everyone has different priorities, and making and saving tons of money has never been on my list.

3 comments:

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I love green smoothies and personally love them with mint (MMMmm ditch drink). I also love avocados but have never tried them in green drink.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

You got me all revved up about throwing away something every day which I did for about 3 days and then threw away a bunch of stuff and then quit. I mean I'm still randomly throwing things away. It's easier to throw away other people's stuff.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I'm glad your job is better. Or lack thereof. You could be my agent, if I ever finish anything.