Frugality coupled with ecology

I am now in the Frugality-Week of my Virtue-Experiment. But before I write about that, let me state the successes, that I had with the Resolution-Week:
The tax-report is done and send off, all my school-stuff and paper-trash is in the cellar or the papertrash-can, my living-room is as good as free of clutter, at least of visible clutter, most of my clothes are properly ironed, the basket in my bedroom is in the cellar. I could have done much more, but I was exhausted. Still: for a first try, not too bad. As Benjamin Franklin himself wrote: I was better for having tried. And since I will try to do it at least for the year, I get another three chances on Resolution and have other weeks, in which to clear stuff.
Today though it is time for frugality. And I gave that some sort. First of all, there is money of course. Than there is energy and last - but not least, as the saying goes - there is time.
Money explains itself, spend less and spend that judiciously on myself or those who deserve it or who are owed it. So I will take all my food this week to work, not eat outside my home.
Time: I have flexible working hours, and I worked up a high amount of minus lately. So I will now work on getting that down. I will start at 6.45 am and stop at 5.30 pm. This way I work of 8 hours of Minus in four days. I have Wednesday off, so that does not count. After work, I will go directly to sports. This way, we come - more or less elegantly - to the energy-saving:
buy getting up at about 5.35 am, I have about 30 Minutes, until I have to catch my bus. Since I know my way in my flat, I can do most of the morningroutines in the dark and won't need much energy there. By staying until 5.30 pm and than going straight to sports, showering there, I spend more time out of the flat. And since I am in bed by 9.00 pm, I should not be spending more than another 30 Minutes in energy. At least on two days of the week. It is different with Tuesday and Thursday, when I will do some houswework, so I won't have to do it on Saturday. But I can keep that down too.

In the Tightwad Gazette, that I have mentioned in another post, the author wrote, that one can combine saving with saving energy, by buying fruit and vegetables in season (I have a link to what's in season when, at least for the US) and reducing meat and fish or buying from nearby open markets or specialised sellers. Myself, I am fortunate and have a good market nearby, where I can go on Saturdays. But others may not be so lucky. Still, one can see, what is in Season and buy that. One can switch off electric appliances completely, keep the temperature in the home as low as is still healthy, don't burn the midnight oil and such.

In yet another post I wrote about having tested my ecological footprint and I have now found a link to an international calculator. You might like to try it out. Here it is:

http://www.earthday.org/footprint-calculator

I should like to know, what you got out and how many earthes you need. :-) But you can keep it a secret, if you wish. :-)

Anyway, I start into frugality week and I have been thinking, what sort of song would be appropriate for this.

Couldn't reall find any so far, but maybe, something, that does just have to do with joie de vivre...
not, that I own that....

Simply the best version of Robin Hood. Beside the one with Errol (Erol?) Flynn....

Enjoy yourselfs....

Reducing

Hello,

due to my occupation with Benjamin Franklins virtues, I looked about myself, where I can make other changes. One of those is the reducing of my internet and other electrical suppliances use.
Was that a sensible sentence? Well, it only means, that I won't be so often in the Internet and so
I will probably only write on sundays, which is my official Internetday from today on.

The reason is, that I had my ecological footprint measured and found, that it is 5,54 hectar big and one would need 2.62 earths for me alone. And I am a little below the german average. That was a
shocker and so I decided to reduce my use of electrical appliances where it is possible. Computer is my one big usage and so, that is to be reduced. I do have a TV, but I generally only use it on weekends as well, so there is not much to reduce. Phew.

As to the virtue-week of Order. I wasn't looking forward to it, because I anticipated even more problems than with silence. But I am glad to say, that I had less problems. I managed to clear all the spaces I wanted to clear and mostly kept my times as well. So it all worked out fine.

The next week is that of Resolution. This is another hard one for me, as I love to make plans. I don't like to go through with them as much, but making them is great fun. So my version of Resolutionweek is this:
only one plan for the private sector and one for the office-sector per day. Whatever else I accomplish is a plus, but these one plans per sector are a must. So today is tax-day. I will make my tax-report and that will take me quite a while. Then I will send it off tomorrow. That is the private sector for monday. I am not telling you, what my office plan is, because I couldn't in english and you would fall asleep on your desk. So I spare you.

As to my ecological footprint. I am sure, there is a worldwide website, where you can test yours. Some things, you won't be able to change, because if you live in an infrastructure, where you are dependant on a car, all you can do may be, to build carpools to get to work or some such things. But others you can change: like not keeping the thermostat so high, that you have to walk in your underwear, in the middle of an icestorm. Or similar. Well I am sure, we all can find ways to reduce our footprint. For me, I will not have freshpressed orangejuice everymorning. I will change to bootled juice of my own region from the local market. And I will reduce the tins and other readymade food.

Also I thought, that I might try out second hand-clothes. There are quite some shops in a town near me. I will buy less clothing anyway. Then I will not buy too much stuff anymore. I found, that I have too much stuff already and rather need to reduce, than to add to it. So I will go and sell books, give away books, throw away stuff. But not books, because I can't bring myself to throw away stuff.

Now, how do we accompany all that with the appropriate Music? Some Disney perhaps? I'll see...

As ever, I don't own it. 

All the best

And yet another virtuous week

This week, since yesterday it is Order. And what did Benjamin Franklin write about Order?

Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

But first we go back to Silence. It did not go so very well, but we all anticipated that, didn't we? Still, I did have some successes: I abstained from taking my i-Pod along most of the time and I kept one hour of peace and quiet. Also I managed to reduce the time of loud selftalk outside my flat. I didn't quit it altogether, but I reduced it at least. So: 20 points, because some overstepping I multiplied by 3 or 2. Anyway, it didn't go well, but better than I thought. And as B.F. wrote: I was better for the trying.

So since yesterday Order is in my life. Therefore I cleared one horizontal space in my flat yesterday and put away 3 pieces of stuff yesterday and this morning. And remembered to make my bed. It is a start.

My plan is to keep regular working and training hours, clear one space in my flat everyday, meaning that it will be another space every day and put away three things into their space every morning and every evening. Plus making my bed. We will see, how it goes.

This morning went well and I took my sportsbag with me to work, as I can go to the studio right from my train-station. It is easier to go right away, because once I am home, I am not likely to bestirr myself again.
You might know this problem.
Apart from that, I will take my washing from the balcony and out of the drying cellar and put the latter away and I will clear the sideboard of clutter. Plus the three things.

Since I can't put in a film from where I am today, I just put in a picture. I don't own that either though...



Second Sunday - Second Virtue: Silence

Being female, the concept of silence may already be the hardest. I will see, in the coming week.
Benjamin Franklin wrote, that he meant the silence to be used to listen more. And that I agree with that. So I will try to listen more. Which means, now that I think of it, that I won't take along my i-pod this week. How else can I listen? Exactly. As I wrote: hardest virtue.
Apart from listening more, I will try to stop talking to myself aloud. At least outside my flat. I couldn't even bring the excuse of talking on my mobile. So: no loud selftalk. Bad habit anyway.
The third point will be, to keep one entirely silent hour a day. On Sundays, this is not hard, because this is my quiet "no contact"-day. But I just spend a nice quiet 60 Minutes without music, TV, audiobook or the computer. Just knitting a sock. It was lovely.
Therefore I have now three points to follow for the coming week.

How did last week go? Well, I had three points then: food, computer-use and sleep. The foodpart went mainly very well and easy. The sleep-part not so good, I did sleep a lot during my off-days. BUT, I only slept in. I did get into bed at 9.00 pm, as planned. Computeruse was so-so. Sometimes not to bad, sometimes extremes. But yesterday I finished a couple of games of facebook, so I only play three games now. Two on fb and "My little farmies". That's o.k.

So, back to the week of silence, there are at least two songs (that I don't own), concerning silence. I hope, I can get them on here.

Happy New Year 2014

(I do not own it)

And I didn't own the one from last year...

So, a new year started. Isn't it lovely? A new start. Or just another month. Whichever Way you like to look at it. For some people, the new years ist hours old, for others, it just started and then there are those, who don't even think about starting a new year. Fascination really.

At any rate, I ended the year with playing and I played until just now. BUT, I got the money I allowed myself for this month. So I was out of doors this year already. And answered SMS and What's App notest. Also I updated Windows 8. All in a days work.

Still, I have yet to go and do sports. Not, that I love the idea, but I have to. After I ate. And I only have until about 6.00 pm to do it. So I had better get some lunch inside and then rest that off.

To all of you readers: I wish you a very happy and successfull new year. May all you want come true, provided, that it doesn't hurt anyone. Certainly not, if it is intended to hurt anyone.

Myself, I am trying to busy myself this year. We'll see, how long that keeps. :-)

Enjoy yourselfs!!