In the Beginning...

In January of this year, I decided that my New Year's Resolution would be: simplify. Ironically, this decision came after much deliberation -- I'd been through "happiness", "health", and "saving", before finally settling on "simplify". I think that the three former goals could be satisfied by the achievement of the latter.

Since the beginning of the global economic collapse in the fall of 2008, I have realized that I spend way too much money on consumable items that I don't really need. Things like fast food, clothes, magazines, and bottled water (all of which I'm sure my husband would agree with). Cutting back on fast food hasn't been the easiest thing, since I'm not a huge fan of cooking (it's not that I can't, but that I don't want to). But, by preparing meals the day before (I <3 leftovers), and by having convenient-sized packages (things like the 100-calorie PeekFreans Shortbread Thinsations, individual yogurts, and bagged salad), I'm improving. Buying fewer clothes has been challenging, since I love shopping so much, so the idea of "shopping your closet" has become a fun weekend activity. Going through my closet and figuring out what I have and haven't worn in a few months and discovering new ways to update old clothes.

In my goal of "simplify", this includes things like working out more often, eating better, taking better care of myself, and keeping my house clean, which has been a more difficult task than I had first thought. Again, the irony of this goal is that, in trying to simplify, I may have made things more complicated... at least, until they become routine, that is.

Hopefully updates will follow more regularly, in an attempt to keep me sane.

<3, L.