Simple Pleasures

I have a lot of time on my hands these days, and not a whole lot of money. What's a girl to do to keep from going insane from boredom? Well, I've been finding pleasure in the simple things, in a little bit of a simpler life. Here are some of the things I've been doing to scale back, save money, and have something to do besides sitting in front of my computer waiting for emails and Facebook activity. Because really, a girl could drive herself bananas.

1. Food

Hey, I've gotta eat, right? And eat healthily. I've also got to keep the grocery bills to a minimum, so I've been getting creative. There is something satisfying in the act of being creative in the kitchen--both in terms of health and in finances.

Lunch is cheese--I buy the cheap blocks and cut it myself (cue "cutting the cheese jokes in 5, 4, 3...)--with crackers, half an apple, a bunch of grapes and a couple of hard-boiled eggs. It doesn't sound like much, but it's filling and delicious.

I've stopped buying the bags of salad and spinach and I'm simply buying the much cheaper bunches, washing them myself, and using them up. A bag of pre-washed spinach at my market is $3.49. If I buy a bunch that I have to wash and cut up myself, it's $1.49, and there's more to it. I bought some today to make spinach and asparagus quiche, and some homemade spinach and artichoke dip.

Taking the time to wash and prep food gives me something productive to do, and it makes me think about what I'm eating and how much I'm putting in my mouth each day. I save money, and I keep up with my healthy eating goals.

2. Snail Mail

I had to buy a bunch of stamps the other day. Every two weeks I have to mail a form back to EDD to keep claiming my unemployment checks. The nearest outgoing mailbox to my apartment is just next to my grocery store (on the way to the gym) so I've gotten in the habit of taking my mail there as I walk to the gym in the morning. I love having a bunch of letters to put in the box--I've always loved sending and receiving snail mail, and I'm getting back in the habit of sending notes and cards again. Postcards for my brother (he collects, and I just finally found some Stockton cards!), letters and cards to friends, etc. So if I have your address, be on the lookout for snail mail.

There's something so lovely and personal about getting a card or letter. My friend Maayan was so pleased to get a thank-you note from me (hey, she got Richard's autograph for me!!) because it came with a Visa bill. Obviously, she needed a pick-me-up.

I even enjoy the process of addressing an envelope, and putting the stamp on just so.

3. Creativity

I got some stamps out today and made a card for a friend. It wasn't anything overly fancy, but it felt good to make something. I've taken a week or so off from my scrapbooking, and I think I'll get that out again soon. It makes me happy to be creative and make pretty things. Maybe I'll even make some cards to sell on Etsy.

4. Volunteering

My work with Animal Friends Connection is a godsend. I still clean cages at PetCo every Sunday morning, and I've even taken to offering to fill in for people who can't make their normal cleaning times. I know that it's just a little thing, but it's helping people who are helping the cats. And I get to cuddle the little sweeties who need some affection and attention.

Fostering the Peanuts gang was wonderful, of course, and I fully expect to see them soon, once they're all spayed and neutered. They'll be so big now, and I can't wait to see if Charlie Brown is still sweet, Lucy still sassy and talkative, Snoopy still the leader of the pack, and Linus still a little shy.

In other volunteer opportunities, I have been asked (begged, even) to come help out in the classroom of a lady who is in Chorale with me. She teaches 5th grade, and would love to have me in to tutor some of her kids. I worked with her husband at one of my school sites last year, and he told her I was very good with the kids. Her principal (also involved with Chorale) told me other teachers at the school would be happy to have some help, too. It would keep me working with kids, it would get me out of the apartment, and I could probably get an excellent letter of recommendation out of doing it. Win-win, for sure.

5. Blogging

I've been a little lax this last week--just not much to blog about. I go through ups and downs of blogging. Some weeks I can hardly stop, and I churn out a dozen posts in a few days, and others, I'm a dry well, looking for inspiration.

6. Movies

Obviously, it's too expensive to go to just any movie at the cinema (but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I'll be there WITH BELLS ON. Count on it!). And part of me wondered if I could justify paying $20 a month for my Blockbuster membership.

I can. For $20 a month I can rent unlimited movies online, have them mailed to my home, and mail them back without paying any postage. This afternoon, I watched Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in "The African Queen," which I'd never seen. It was marvelous.

7. Chorale

Chorale had a fundraiser last night. For $25, we had tons of hors d'ouvers and wine while listening to a jazz singer and her backing trio. She was a little flat (I was not the only person to say this) but I was surrounded by some of the wonderful people from Chorale, who I hadn't seen since May.

On Tuesday, we are having our first-ever Summer Sing--it's an informal night for old members to come start learning the music for this fall, and for people who are curious about Chorale to come see what its about. Our season will start in earnest right after Labor Day, and I can hardly wait. After the long summer off, I'm ready to dust off my vocal cords (I sing at home all the time, but not in my very high voice) and get my Mozart on. We're doing his famous Requiem this fall with the symphony, and it promises to be amazing. We're also welcoming our new artistic director, Magen Solomon (great name, even if she mixed up her vowels, eh?). She's amazing--an excellent communicator and vocal instructor from what I've seen so far.

So Chorale will be a much-needed outlet this year. I'm just happy that I get to have a third year with them.

8. Keane

Whenever I go through transitions in life, I tend to develop obsessions. It's a pattern. When I left college, it was NASCAR. This summer, it's definitely Keane. Though I've been absolutely loving their music for over a year now.

So yes, there are silly blog posts like the one down yonder using song titles, and I spend perhaps a bit more time than I should reading the forum at their official web page. I've also taken up writing Keane Haiku on Twitter--some of my Keane friends and I are having a ton of fun with that. It's another creative outlet--I love word play.

Some of my best so far:

9. Tea. Lots and lots of tea.

I've been drinking so much tea lately, I'm surpised I haven't floated away.

What I'm loving about this strange cool summer we're having is that I can drink hot tea and not sweat it out five minutes later. I've taken to drinking a small pot with my lunch each afternoon. When it is warm enough outside that I need my air conditioner, hot tea is actually very nice.

10. Creative Spending

Thanks to birthday money and my most recent unemployment checks, I overpaid a few bills, have plenty for September rent, and have a little stashed away in savings. If I'm frugal at the grocery store, and keep my trips there to once a week (with maybe one other trip to pick up fresh apples and such), then I can keep my spending to a minimum. I walk to the gym and run my errands all together to save gas--and Rosie Pro is very good with gas economy.

I find I have enough left over to buy the little necessary things and keep that money in savings untouched. I'm also finding that I can live without "stuff" and be happy buying used books (I have a ton of credit at one place, and they don't even charge you the sales tax. Free books!). I really ought to get a library card, too.

I look for sales, use coupons when I can, and limit myself to necessary stuff only. I find that "living simply" comes easy and isn't too hard on me.


So, you see, I'm managing. I'm actually quite at peace with being unemployed, and figure that if I volunteer at my Chorale friend's school, it will look great on my resume as I continue applying for jobs. There are still music jobs cropping up on Ed-Join from time to time, so all hope for employment is not lost. But with so many people applying for every job, there is a very real chance that I won't find something this school year. I may as well make the best of it, right?