We all know, that there is no need to do everything the hard way. Sometimes we work very hard to do it the easy way!
I have read what seems to be millions of post with "The 10 life hacks you cant live without" or "5 life hacks that will make your life so much easier". I must admit most of these so-called Life Hacks annoy me utterly. There are 1 or 2 really good advices but then the rest is how to store plastic bags in a recycled pringles-tube or how to make an old shoe carton into a really pretty durable holder for all your tupperware lids.
Needless to say, I have had it with LISTS of life hacks. There is no need to make a top 10 or top 5. Especially when you have to fill it up with more or less rediculous stuff.
I must, however, admit that I have 1 (one) life hack.
I have this friend. She can get everything cheaper than everyone else! Effortless! She knows exactly where to buy everything. She knows everyone that has a garage sale, everyone that sells new products with just a minor flaw in the packaging. She never pays full price.
People like that intimidates me. Why can they get everything cheaper when I can't?????
My only advice is to hook up with these people - get them to share their knowledge of "secret" places to shop.
I did. And yesterday my husband and I went shopping. Our old barbeque was worn out - on the was to becoming hasardous to use.
So we packed ourselves in the car and plotted the address into the navi. Not only did we get so see a lot of new places, small cities and pretty houses - we also found this guy that had a in-house shop selling barbeques. Brand new ones, with only a flaw in the packaging.
He had 3 full rooms in his house - big rooms - and a huge tent in the garden full of Barbecues/grills and garden furniture. Amazing. And I am still no good at bargening but we got our new Barbecue/grill A Landmann Triton 2.0 for 40 Euros under normal retail price. And why? Because there on the packaging is mark for a grill app that doesnt exist anymore! I am thrilled.
So my life hack for today - for all that want to get as much value for their money as possible - Hook up with these wonders of extraordinary people. Make them your friends. They love to share their passion for bargains, so enjoy their friendship, and dive into their world.
When I stopped working at my school, one of my colleagues gave me some blue cotton yarn. A very beautiful blue colour. Question was then, what to make out of this beautiful yarn.
The process where you think and re-think a project has always been the most exciting process for me.
There was only one ball of yarn, so the project couldn't be too big. The quality of the yarn was too good to just make pot holders out of it - several days this project took complete hold of my mind.
Finally it was there - I wanted to crochet a small bag for my phone. Project = solved. But......what should it look like?
I went to my mother's place in Denmark, and brought with me the blue yarn as well as some white yarn - you never know, and some lace! After all it was for me.
I spent some evenings doing and un-doing this bag, but finally it was there.
Now I just have to sew in the yarn ends, and decide on the lace. Life is full of decisions !
Oh and the plank - 60 seconds now and 30 on the side planks. Side planks are killing me!
In 2013 and 2014 I had knee surgery - I got two brand new knees. Needless to say, due to the pain of authritis for so many years, I didn't do much exercise. And I do love food. Kind of a bad Combo - I have had many excuses for not moving as much as I should, and eating way more than I should.
But with this new lifestyle I decided that that needed to change. But you don't make a toned body out of my body just so overnight. Slowly does it. I have tried so many times to get a more toned body and to get a more reasonable diet. Always succeeded for a few weeks, then there was stress at work or something else, and the whole programme was droped on the floor.
So - now it has to work.
And here my beautiful app enters the stage
It is called Coach by Cigna, you can get it here
or in the appstore or Google Play. It is free and it is easy.
You start out with answering a few questions and you then get a suggestion for some programmes. I got mine some time ago, and never really got going. But as I have mentioned before - new life.
I have only followed the programmes for 3 days. And I must say, I am impressed. Nothing more nothing less.
They start out really slow, which is importent for a person such as myself, the non-sportive-type. The excercises take up no space, doesn't require any special equipment. This is important for me, as I am often on the road, or only have the livingroom to work out in - and I don't want a million different excercises that I can't make anyways.
There are very few excercises and you can do them when ever you feel like it. Fits super to me.
I can now with pride in my voice say that I can do the Plank for 30 seconds!
Today I was also asked to do what ever I wanted just that it involved movement for 15 minutes. I wanted to walk, but it rains today, so they suggested dancing! - Been years since I danced. But ok - I found myself dancing for 15 minutes to the radio - I listen to Bremen 4 - excellent radiostation here in Bremen, Germany - but it is hard to dance to the commercial spots, but then I just hummed or sang what I could remember from the last song. I danced and flapped my arms like a bird, it must have been fun to watch, as it was fun to do. I did my 15 minutes of movement. And thereby completed todays programme.
I will fill you in on my plank excercise tomorrow.
I feel good when everything is clean and in its place - at my place it just never is!
I never seem to have the surplus energy to clean it up, to tidy it up. I do so envy those people that have a spotless home, where every drawer is sorted and where everything has a place.
I have tried to tell myself that at my place its messy because here we LIVE - but that would be like saying at their place they don't live - which isn't true.
So ok - here I am - at the beginning of my new life - so I make the rules - and I have decided that ONE PLACE/CUPBOARD A DAY.
This is my cupboard in our bathroom. A horrible mess! Make-up, hair products, magazines, everything. And everything just pushed in there where there might be a little room. Today was the day it would change.
I had so much make-up in a box that I never wore. I had 4 mascaras! Multiple palettes with different eyeshadows, you name it, it was there.
First of all I threw out everything that was so old, that I couldn't remember when I bought it. Then out went the stuff that I couldn't remember using! Out went all the cheap stuff that was crumbled or already stiff and awful looking - and trust me some of it I'm not proud of. Out out out!
And then the cupboard got cleaned. Shelves can be so sticky from old make-up and old facial products.
Then the leftover products went back in - now there is room enough so that I can overlook it all - I can finally see everything I have - nice.
I did the same to all the magazines. Some went out, some went into the right place.
This is what it looks like now
Lots more room now.
I think I like this way - one place a day - in the end my house is going to look very nice, and I wont be slowed down by clotted space. A good beginning to a new life - a life where less is more. Where there is room for productivity and creativity.
Have you ever suddenly found yourself in a situation that you have no control over, and that you can't seem to influence?
It can feel as if someone pulls the carpet away under you. For a while you feel like you are floating without knowing in which direction. You try - desperately - to keep up with almost everything - and you find yourself becoming more and more confused.
Untill all of a sudden - you find that after every closed door there comes another door - you just have to open it. But you must have the courage to open it. You must have the will to open it. But as you don't know what lies behind this not yet opened door, you must also have the courage to face some of your fears.
Example
My contract, with the school I was teaching at, ran out. What now? I tried everything. Due to some stupid rules here in Germany, I can not teach at an ordinary school. Private Schools, yes, but not the other schools. I was in a state of calm panic. Taking one day at a time, thinking something would come around. Trying to hang on to this school, trying to find different stupid ways to still have a reason to show up at the school.
But maybe I'm not supposed to do any more teaching here in Germany. Maybe this is the time to make some of all my dreams come true! Maybe I should just get my behind in gear and work on my dreams. Making my dreams my life!
So while walking my dog here
I made up my mind to live my dream, and no longer just dreaming my dream.
So, this blog is going to be the written proof of my new life. A calmer life, a life where less can be more, a life with enough time to make and do all the things I find important.
